Government-As-a-Service: How the “Eight Ideals of As-a-Service” Help Federal Agencies Find New Value

In today’s Digital Revolution, where technology is increasingly at the heart of everything we do, it is time to retire legacy operating models, systems, and terminology.

Like the end of the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century, there are many organizations ill-equipped with the skills and tools to be effective in the new world. However, this Digital Revolution is a marathon as opposed to a sprint. This is the evolution of how we do business, and all our organizations—public and private—have tremendous opportunities, in addition to challenges, to get ahead of the curve and thrive.

In order to shed more light on the impact of new technologies and operating models on business operations, HfS Reseach surveyed, in the first half of 2015, 716 enterprise service buyers, advisors and service provider executives to understand more about how they perceive the importance of “As-a-Service.” By As-a-Service, we mean on-demand services focused on driving towards business outcomes—results that matter for your organization, and your organization’s constituents. As described in “Beware of the Smoke: Your Platform is Burning,” while HfS sees movement along the path, the journey for many has only just begun, and there are some who have yet to realize that there is a journey to take.

In supplemental research, we then focused, with input from Accenture Federal Services, a complementary survey and interviews with leaders in U.S. federal agencies to look at how we can bridge from the private sector into the public sector with the “Ideals of the As-a-Service Economy.” HfS sees evidence that there is a tangible desire to leverage the shared services and sourcing model to drive better results for the business of government.

While cost cutting is part of the discussion as an outcome, it is also about providing better services to government employees and citizens, and it is about providing an opportunity for more interesting work, too. However, to get there requires bold moves in thinking and driving new operating models and technologies, and engaging current and new talent in a journey for change.