IT activity in the federal government has picked up, driven by a variety of factors, including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Federal Data Center Initiative. Agencies know they need to take decisive steps toward lowering costs of maintaining the 100-plus federal data centers. Is virtualization and cloud the answer? Maybe, but according to a new survey, hurdles abound. Channel Insider takes a closer look.
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Lack of virtualization knowledge abounds
Federal executives seem to be playing catch-up when it comes to virtualization. Thirty-three percent of survey respondents say they have no knowledge of the concept of virtualization. Thirteen percent describe themselves as "very familiar," while 54 percent have some intermediate level of understanding.
Federal executives see the benefit of virtualization
Although federal executives are still trying to decipher the complex world of virtualization, 84 percent say they think that virtualization would benefit their agency.
Disaster recovery and greener operations are main drivers for virtualization
Why virtualize? The leading drivers and incentives for virtualizing the respondents’ federal agencies are Continuity of Operations (COOP), disaster recovery and "greener" IT operations, aimed at reducing data center sprawl and energy usage.
Virtualization roadblocks
Although the benefits may be clear, VARs pitching virtualization must address perceived roadblocks. 65% of survey respondents cite "implementation difficulties," 63% say "operational/management difficulties," and 62% note "end users' misconceptions about virtualization control and governance."
Facilitating adoption
According to the survey, the top two effective strategies to facilitate adoption of virtualization are "education and/or training" (57%) and "government mandates and standards" (47%).
About the Survey
The survey was developed by the Government Business Council (GBC) in partnership with GTSI and Oracle Corporation.
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Virtualization 
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