Under the leadership of Federal CIO Vivek Kundra, federal agencies-both military and civilian-have been tasked with consolidating and optimizing their IT environments. These initiatives include the adoption of cloud computing and virtualization which can offer agencies better security, more eco-friendly operations, and greater efficiency. The Government Business Council, in partnership with GTSI and Oracle, recently completed an in-depth study of the federal IT environment, examining the attitudes, expectations, and best practices associated with virtualization.

Federal Executives Have Limited Understanding of Virtualized IT Environments

In sharp contrast to the prominence of virtualization in the private sector, a study of federal executives finds that many are unfamiliar with virtualization: one-third (33 percent) of survey respondents say they have no knowledge of the concept of virtualization. A minority (13 percent) describe themselves as "very familiar," while 54 percent have some intermediate level of understanding.

Virtualization: Dramatic and Positive Change for Agency Operations

Despite limited familiarity, federal executives are very optimistic about virtualization's potential impact on agency operations. Among those who are familiar with the topic, a strong majority agree that virtualizing an agency's IT environment would bring dramatic and positive change to their organization. Eighty-four percent say that virtualization would benefit their organization, and 64 percent say it would be a "major benefit." Only 2 percent say that virtualization would not impact their agency, while 3 percent say that any move toward virtualization would be detrimental to their agency. The most important incentives for virtualization, according to respondents, include continuity of operations, flexibility, sustainability, and increased teleworking capabilities.

Virtualization Facing Hurdles at Many Agencies

In spite of virtualization's acknowledged benefits, federal executives identify a number of roadblocks preventing successful implementation and operation of virtualized environments at their agencies. High on this list of roadblocks are end-users' prevalent misconceptions about the control and governance of virtualized environments. Of most concern to respondents is virtualization's impact on security policy.

A Clear Roadmap to a Virtualized IT Environment

Federal executives agree on a number of straightforward steps that agencies could undertake to overcome some of these roadblocks. Chief among them is "education and/or training" for end-users who are not fully informed about virtualization and its potential benefits. Those surveyed also said that government mandates and a comprehensive integrated solution would help facilitate their organizations' adoption of a virtualized IT environment.

Download a free copy of the survey here.