Shifting Your Cloud Focus From Security to CX

This article is an excerpt from GovLoop’s recent guide, “Solving the Cloud Conundrum: Security, Procurement, Workforce.” Download the full guide here.

Cybersecurity and the citizen experience (CX) present a balancing act for agencies. Although both concerns are important, these organizations are often short on budget dollars and time.

Fortunately, cloud vendors can help agencies shoulder the burden of cybersecurity and CX, as discussed in GovLoop’s research brief with Genesys: How the Cloud Enables a Secure and Safe Customer Experience Made for the 21st Century. Genesys is a cloud and CX solutions provider. For instance, vendors can help agencies by training their employees about cybersecurity threats. This reduces the manpower and time agencies spend on compliance, letting them focus on CX such as improving public-facing websites.

To understand how agencies can deliver more satisfying CX by partnering with cloud vendors on cybersecurity, GovLoop spoke with Ian Greene, Enterprise Architect and Gnan Gowda, Senior Director, Product Management – Global Security at Genesys. “Government agencies are being asked to do more with less, and IT resources are expensive,” Greene said. “The reality is they can use this as an opportunity to improve the citizen experience.”

For example, cloud can ease the pressure that cybersecurity places on agencies’ budgets and workforces. In this scenario, Genesys focuses on protecting the cloud application’s cybersecurity while agencies manage the security of their IT environments. Although both parties have cybersecurity responsibilities, agencies ultimately have fewer security controls to manage, such as continuously monitoring their data. “Protecting the data is going to be the No. 1 cybersecurity challenge,” Gowda said of clouds. “Although agencies are still responsible for the security of their data, they now have cloud partners who are well equipped to manage cybersecurity on agencies’ behalf.”

Cloud can also assist agencies by delivering tools that meet the latest standards for cloud security. For instance, these solutions can save agencies time by immediately complying with FedRAMP. “Agencies previously didn’t have the resources to provide FedRAMP-level cybersecurity,” Greene said. “Now you’re free to focus on CX rather than constantly monitoring the system.”

FedRAMP requires continuous, agencywide cybersecurity monitoring, so clouds that meet the program’s standards have these features built-in. Ultimately, this frees up agencies’ cybersecurity and IT employees to focus on improving CX. “Genesys takes the security, staffing and infrastructure requirements for cloud off your plate,” Greene said.

Overall, every agency has unique missions that they accomplish for citizens. By helping with cloud security, Genesys can aid agencies by letting them focus on their specific public services. “Cloud is our business, and creating a secure environment is our goal,” Greene said. “You know your citizens better than anyone else. Let us take care of what we do best, so you can do what you know best.”