- Value [1] Shared First
- Wherever a business process or IT function can be reasonably altered in order to utilize an existing asset as opposed to performing
new development, agencies must do so. By changing the "default setting" for IT investment decisions from the development of
new components to the utilization of existing resources, agencies will be able to do more with less and streamline their operations.
- Value [2] Future First
- Given the rapid pace of change in technology, it's not enough to just build technology solutions that meet the government's
needs today. This is why the Federal CIO has launched the Future First initiative to help the government continuously architect
for the future. As it stands, agency IT investments are so highly specialized and difficult to integrate with one another
that it is often less expensive to acquire a new proprietary system than to share existing systems. Future First is a set
of principles for agencies to consider when embarking on planning, development, and modernization efforts. OMB has identified
an initial set of Future First principles, which currently include the broad adoption of XML, virtualization, and other open
standards. These principles will evolve as technology advances. These new default settings for architecting IT solutions will
allow investments that are made today to take advantage of opportunities that will reveal themselves in the future, while
laying the groundwork for greater interoperability. By agreeing to and implementing common standards across the Federal Government,
we will ensure that agency assets are prepared to share data and functionality with one another in the coming years. Each
shared IT service offering must have a business and technology architecture that fits the operating model and supports new
Future First Federal EA methods. There are a number of general design principles that apply to Future First architectural
designs for shared IT services, including: * Multiple consumers for each service, with minimal customization; * Process standardization
(commercial product/workflow adoption); * Web-based solutions with standardized application interfaces; * Object reuse, machine-readable
data, and XML data formats; * Cloud-based application hosting and virtualization of servers; * Security controls and continuous
monitoring of service operations; * Configuration management and version control.
- Value [3] Standardization
- Shared service providers must leverage consistent standards that streamline functions across the Federal Government. This
enables communication, data sharing and function use across all agencies. It eliminates the use of decentralized and inconsistent
resources to create new, unique solutions throughout agencies in response to a single set of Federal requirements.
- Value [4] Visibility
- A government-wide shared services catalog helps agencies discover the wide array of available services. This enhances the
potential for service integration as some agencies will develop shared services for those functions not already being provided.
- Value [5] Reusability
- Shared services harness a way to support duplicated agency functions throughout the mission areas. This reduces the potential
for development and maintenance costs by using repeatable services.
- Value [6] Platform Independence
- Agencies no longer need to worry about integrating with their current platforms in-house. Shared services providers ensure
a stable infrastructure and can manage systems changes and updates within a controlled environment.
- Value [7] Extensibility
- The basic shared services of a provider can be used as building blocks for other services that consumer agencies need. Services
can be scaled up or down, based on demand.
- Value [8] Location Transparency
- Users of shared services access the services from anywhere within the shared service network. This increases availability
and end user access to strengthen SLAs between the provider and the services consumer.
- Value [9] Reliability
- Services provided are robust and stable with service continuity capabilities to minimize critical system outages to levels
established by SLAs.
|
