During MeriTalk’s Data Center Brainstorm event on Nov. 7, Steve Rice, deputy CIO at the Department of Homeland Security, highlighted the importance of mobility and how improving access to mobile platforms can further the missions of DHS and its sub-agencies.
Asked exciting technologies that DHS wants to further advance, Rice replied, “I don’t think this is earth shattering, but the continuation of the mobile journey,”
“Especially in our mission, the mobility aspects of how our mission is changing–it’s much more citizen- based, much more forward leaning and out towards the front lines, which it always has been, but getting that information out there. Getting a mobile platform, and that access to the cloud, the transport layer is going to be complex. And then also making sure they have the access and the abilities needed to get that data where it needs to be. You can see that coming.”
Rice also discussed the importance of adopting technologies that allow DHS to adjust to the ebbs and flows of the department’s various missions.
The future architecture of DHS’ data centers “has to be much more of a simpler architecture, much more of a supportable infrastructure than we have today, and it needs to support the elasticity and growth of the DHS mission,” said Rice.
“There are certain times in the calendar when there are major events going on around the country, … the catch is that when we look at the way we’ve acquired services at our data centers, [currently] I buy the equipment and use it 24 hours a day, but there’s some times that I don’t need the full compute needs of that environment for 24 hours, because of the ebbs and flows of our mission,” he said.