FITARA, FedRAMP Among Congressional IT Modernization Priorities

New legislation and appropriations will streamline the acquisition process and give agencies needed funds for data center consolidation.

As federal agencies work to consolidate their IT offices, modernize legacy systems and secure essential data, they can rest assured that there are leaders in Congress working to ensure they have the guidance and funding to encourage those efforts.

In discussing Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA), the act designed to put CIOs directly in charge of acquisition and IT management, and to quantify and consolidate data centers and other IT consolidation efforts to reduce costs and increase efficiency, Representative Gerry Connolly was careful to distinguish between “consolidation” and “optimization.” He explained that current laws are aimed toward consolidating data centers, but some agencies have pursued optimization instead, seeking innovation outside of direct data center consolidation.