With the passing of the Modernizing Government Technology Act by the House and the Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI), IT modernization is a topic dominating the federal technology space. Government agencies are being urged to make IT modernization a priority even though they are facing budget cuts.

Powering and maintaining existing IT technologies does not leave enough room in the budget for implementing truly innovative platforms that will move the needle for these agencies. In fact, according to a recent infographic from Appian, nearly $56 billion (that’s almost 70 percent) of the federal IT budget is spent simply on operating and managing legacy IT programs with only the remaining 30 percent being utilized for installing new, more efficient technology. Because that budget will only become more rigid, every dollar towards IT modernization needs to be stretched as far as possible by federal CIOs.

This challenge gives rise to the concept of aPaaS (Application Platform-as-a-Service). Jason Adolf, Federal Practice Lead at Appian explains: “These platforms fuel digital transformation by creating a foundation for data and application integration within a controlled cloud configuration.” The platform not only streamlines data movement through app consolidation, but also lessens overhead and management costs for IT operations with a more reusable and approachable infrastructure. Thus, a more sustainable and realistic IT modernization approach is within reach.

This infographic explains why innovative federal IT leaders are considering aPaas.