COMMENTARY
but unit level customizations have been slow to develop or be enabled, given that the service is procured at the U.S. Army level instead of the unit level. However, in the suite of tools made available are things like Power BI, Power Automate, and Power Apps that allow anyone in the Army to visualize their data, automate their processes and create apps for their organizations.
Te drawback is that these SAAS solutions typically exist within cloud hyperscale resources or “off-premises,” meaning a connection is required to develop, utilize and otherwise consume those services. Hybrid architectures are available in some
cases, but they are still a mix of IAAS, PAAS and SAAS. For the tactical Army, pure SAAS may not meet requirements for the ability to operate in denied, disrupted, intermittent and limited bandwidth envi- ronments. However, for users who spend the bulk of their time in training and exercises, SAAS offers more exposure at reduced costs when these hybrid architec- tures are used with the right software.
WRAPPING IT UP TO GO A range of options is on the menu from cloud service providers where ease of use is balanced against cost and responsibili- ties. Infrastructure, platform and software services aim to digitally process and help
users turn their data into digestible infor- mation in a multitude of methods that an organization can choose from. However, with so many options, organizations can spend a lot of time, effort and money trying to do new things the old way.
While it is possible to take current Army information technologies and implement them in cloud service provider resources built on the same concepts of operation using low level IAAS options, it may not be fiscally responsible. Somewhere along the way, inconveniences will become emergencies that are unnecessarily diffi- cult to work through if we continue to try putting square pegs in round holes. If we intend to maintain Army software autonomy, we will have to adjust software delivery requirements to be cloud-native or container-based to be more readily consumable by the force.
For more information, contact Lt. Col. Philip J. Smith at
philip.j.smith2.mil@
army.mil.
LT. COL. PHILIP J. SMITH is the Network Cross-Functional Team’s information system development officer. He holds an M.S. in telecommunications and network engineering
from Syracuse
University and a B.S. in communications with an emphasis on computer science from Truman State University. He has served as
officer
the division automation management for 10th Mountain Division, as
well as chief network engineer at the Defense Intelligence Agency and Joint Staff Directorate for Intelligence. He co-authored an article, “Cloud
Formations,” that THAT’S A FLEX
PAAS provides flexibility, producing something consumable in a task-tailorable way, increasing when needed because of high demand or reduced to economize. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Bill Boecker, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division)
appeared in the Winter 2023 issue of Army AL&T magazine.
https://
asc.ar my.mil
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