Professional sports broadcasters frequently use the phrase, “taking it to the next level.” Well, when it comes to improving application development in the federal world, taking it to the next level can involve some new concepts presented in this discussion.

This is an interview with three professionals who have worked on many federal projects. They provide the listener with guidelines for making the transition with minimal expense and maintaining federal security standards.

The discussion opens with a contrast between the traditional method of developing software and the way it is done today. Chris Moran from GDIT estimates 90% of systems generated today are comprised of third-party applications. In other words, it is assembled rather than coded line for line. This new method allows for flexibility and rapid development.

Two other methods for deploying software were introduced in this discussion. When multiple applications are deployed over multiple clouds, a person dedicated to reliability must be included in the team, usually referred to as a “Site Reliability Engineer.”  This person is tasked with maintenance, patching, and increasing automation for those responsibilities.