Infrastructure optimization and cloud adoption

Challenge: In 2018, USDA had mission critical applications with performance issues and security challenges, alongside a decentralized IT infrastructure that was costly to maintain and upgrade. Ten applications were hosted on costly mission area-specific data centers, resulting in poor enterprise adoption of cloud services and lack of expertise to maintain them.

Approach & Outcomes: With TMF support, USDA worked with the GSA Cloud Centers of Excellence, marking the beginning of continuous cloud-enablement across USDA. This investment:

• Migrated the Emergency Watershed Protection application to the cloud, improving functionality and generating cost savings
• Conducted application rationalization efforts and set an example of how cloud migration could be tackled across the agency
• Generated buy-in, leading the Food and Nutrition Service to secure internal funding to migrate five applications
• Enabled USDA to consolidate and leverage its cloud expertise across the enterprise