BudgetDHS FY2013 $5.75 billion IT budget request focuses on mobility, data center consolidation

DHS intends to consolidate data centers and move to the cloud // Source: parandsoft.ir

DHS FY2013 IT spending requests are roughly even with FY2012 levels, with budget drivers emphasizing commodity IT, mobility, and data center consolidation. The overall 2013 DHS budget request is just under $40 billion. The department’s IT budget request is just over $5.75 billion; down from $5.79 billion in FY2012.

These financial statistics and technology trends were discussed at a DHS Market Intelligence Briefing hosted by immixGroup on 19 June. immixGroup’s Market Intelligence organization prepared the content of the briefing.

At $40 billion, the total budget request for DHS in FY2013 is lower than in previous years. More cuts are expected in FY2014 — immixGroup notes that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is requesting a 10 percent overall reduction in IT budgets across every agency.

According to Stephanie Sullivan, consultant with immixGroup’s Market Intelligence group, DHS has the second largest IT budget among civilian agencies, trailing only slightly behind Health and Human Services (HHS). “IT products are, and will continue to be, necessary to DHS’s overall priorities of guarding against terror; securing borders; enforcing immigration laws; preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters; and unifying and maturing DHS,” Sullivan said.

DHS’s FY2013 budget drivers include commodity IT procurement, mobility, and data center consolidation all aimed at reducing costs and improving efficiency. DHS will also place emphasis on cloud computing. The agency plans to develop nine private cloud services for sensitive data and three public cloud services for non-sensitive data.

immixGroup says DHS is looking at a range of cloud-based services with mobile implications, including workplace as a service and e-mail as a service. Going forward, data will be maintained in DHS data centers, wrapped with mobile capabilities, enabling employees to work on a variety of devices with security architecture.

In the field of mobile communications, DHS plans to move from land mobile to a 4G network in next five years, enabling law enforcement applications such as on-demand video and biometric identification checks to work on smart phones and tablets.

This trend ties to another priority at DHS: Improving information sharing and data integration to create a more rationalized IT infrastructure. Under the Data Center Consolidation Initiative, the DHS Office of the CIO has marked forty-three data centers for closure, leaving two enterprise data centers remaining.

Looking at different DHS agencies:

• Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has requested $1.518 billion in FY2013, down from $1.527 billion in FY2012. RFID, biometrics, advanced analytics, and rapid response are key drivers, as is a focus on the systems lifecycle to reduce operations and maintenance costs and ensure longevity of systems.
• The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) request of $769 million in FY2013 is up from $732 million in FY2012. TSA plans to increase remote capabilities, including the acquisition of Apple devices over the next three years, and migrate data centers to achieve a common enterprise infrastructure.
• At U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, the FY2013 request is $724 million, down from $777 million in FY2012. Goals include improvements to the administration of immigration benefits, enhanced customer service, development of customized automated tools, and the replacement of outdated training applications with new technologies.
• The National Protection and Programs Directorate has increased its request in FY2013 to $647 million, from $605 million in FY2012. The directorate plans to improve its investments in subcomponent IT, use DHS enterprise architecture to optimize ROI, and ensure compliance of its IT security programs.
• Down from its FY2012 budget level of $643 million, the U.S. Coast Guard has requested $573 million in FY2013. The Coast Guard is committed to doing “more with less,” looking closely at infrastructure performance management and systems lifecycle management. Balancing its obligations to DHS and the Department of Defense is critical to the Coast Guard’s success.

Industry has an important part to play in DHS’s mission fulfillment, said immixGroup’s Sullivan. “Technology companies and contractors must fully understand mission requirements and improve speed to market for new products that help meet these missions. Additionally, government is looking to its vendors and service providers to incorporate green technology solutions in product and system development, and to reduce operational support costs in the design phase,” Sullivan said. “As the financial landscape shifts, the companies that help government achieve efficiencies by being more efficient themselves stand to win in the long run.”

— Read more in The Department of Homeland Security: Sales Opportunities for the IT Product Community