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On May 7th 2016, NYPD responded to a disturbance in the South Bronx on East 151st Street. Multiple people were stabbed in what seemed to be a drunken street brawl. By the end of the night, Roberto Rodríguez was dead and Lázaro Martínez was in surgery fighting for his life. As the police investigated and the New York Times reported on August 24th, this crime that seemed to be a simple street fight turned out to be much more complicated. Video surveillance of this dangerous section of New York City played an important role in the investigation and illustrates how visualization systems can be the critical force multiplier in the battle to prevent crime and solve cases.

Would you bet millions of dollars on the strength of your current data management system? College campuses around the globe may be making that wager every day, hoping their plans and systems are enough to handle the ever-increasing volume of data and combat cyber attacks.

Last week, ViON had the opportunity to present our perspective on the impact of the data explosion on the Records Management world, at the Records Management Conference @930gov 2016 in Washington, DC. For those who were unable to attend, we wanted to share some of the thoughts and insight from that presentation, “Data to Decision: Making Data an Asset through Effective Records Management,” which detailed how to implement a strategy to get from data to decision by controlling storage in an end to end fashion, with full analytical insight and centralized management. More specifically, emphasizing the importance of properly tiered storage architecture, solution automation and the flexibility to leverage different IT business models.

As agencies navigate cloud, they continue to leverage and build upon lessons learned. And, it seems to be working: According to a recent MeriTalk study, 75% of Federal cloud decision-makers say their workforce is somewhat or very comfortable with moving its systems to the cloud.

We don’t need a crystal ball to know the future is bright for Federal cloud. While agencies are starting to embrace cloud – today, 85% of Federal cloud decision-makers are more optimistic about what cloud can do for their agency than they were five years ago – think we can all agree the Federal IT community is still in the cloud learning curve. Looking at efforts to date, what have agencies learned?

The Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI) released last week leaves no doubt; the White House wants to see progress across agency IT management – and they want it now. The initiative requires agencies to consolidate inefficient infrastructure, optimize existing facilities, improve security posture, achieve cost savings, and transition to cloud services or inter-agency shared services. With individual optimization goals being distributed on August 30 and plans due for submission 30 days later, it’s the ideal time to consider which storage solutions will help agencies hit the ground running.

Federal IT executives are focused on the future. And, as agencies consider modernization strategies and options, most agree that cloud will be a foundational component. While cloud conversations have been ongoing for many years, widespread use of cloud models remains a challenge. There is still confusion about choices, migration paths, and which cloud offerings are available for different types of workload. Fortunately, the burgeoning relationship between government and industry partners helps agencies cut through this cloud confusion. Federal IT executives are focused on the future. And, as agencies consider modernization strategies and options, most agree that cloud will be a foundational component. While cloud conversations have been ongoing for many years, widespread use of cloud models remains a challenge. There is still confusion about choices, migration paths, and which cloud offerings are available for different types of workload. Fortunately, the burgeoning relationship between government and industry partners helps agencies cut through this cloud confusion.

According to the MeriTalk “Cloud Without the Commitment” report , 75 percent of Feds want to move more services to the cloud – but aren’t really ready to say “I do.” In fact, according to this study, 65 percent of agencies are not adequately prepared before they walk down the cloud aisle. As agencies approach cloud migration, developing a cloud checklist based on lessons learned increases the probability of a seamless and successful transition. Stage 1: Establish Your Cloud Strategy It begins with the foundation.

With the 103rd Tour de France underway, the inevitable questions surrounding performance-enhancing drugs weave their way into just about any conversation about the Tour. Rightfully so; between 1999 and 2005, no official champions are credited with winning the Tour de France after Lance Armstrong’s admissions of doping during his seven wins of that period. While volumes have been written about doping in sports and it makes for fantastic debate, the interesting story from a data analytics perspective, is how the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) changed their approach to testing athletes to clean up the sport. And, at a broader level, how different approaches to analytics can change the game – or, in this case, race.