SpringML was honored to sponsor and participate in Google’s largest in-person event since the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted. The Google Government Summit, hosted at the Wharf in Washington DC, was filled with excellent sessions and provided a unique environment to meet with other like-minded partners and customers.
Earlier this year, Google announced the newly minted division of Google Public Sector. This has ushered in a new energy around serving public sector customers with some of the best technology solutions available on the planet. Looking ahead, I’m excited for our collective opportunities to work with Google Public Sector to help our customers unlock the potential of their data and improve outcomes for people.
Below are key takeaways from the summit – my 4 S’s.
Simplicity
I loved Troy Bertram’s example of “hockey puck” solutions. Hockey pucks are simple. They’re a standard size and made out of a single material.
If we look at how conversations about cloud solutions have changed over the last 10 years, we’re no longer spending time convincing people about the benefits of the cloud. The conversations have shifted to point solutions that happen to live on the cloud. And these solutions need to be simple and address specific needs.
We’re already at work identifying a few core “hockey puck” solutions in the areas of big data, AI, application modernization, and security. We’ll be committed to #simplifycomplexity for our customers in 2023 and beyond.
Security
Cybersecurity is a top priority. Google’s acquisition of Mandiant, a leading cybersecurity firm, is a significant milestone in providing the most secure cloud in the world. Google continues to make investments in this space, but has also been a long-standing leader in the area of security. The Zero-trust framework, pioneered by Google, is now widely accepted as an industry best practice.
If the signal isn’t clear, Google has an incredible security posture and suite of services, just take a look:
- Beyond Corp Enterprise (BCE)
- Security Command Center (SCC)
- Mandiant
- Chronicle
- Assured Workloads
- Security and Compliance, including FedRAMP High on most major GCP services across their network (not just a single Gov Cloud region)
- CJIS, HIPAA, IRS 1075 and many more
- DoD IL4 since 2007 and DoD IL5 just announced on Dec 16th
Security is simply a non-negotiable component of any system today. At SpringML, we’re committed to implementing secure solutions using a multitude of configuration best practices, tools, and techniques to be both defensive and offensive in the fight against cyber threats. SpringML has achieved the Security Specialization from Google Cloud and will continue to focus on security at every level to ensure our customers are protected.
Smart
My team has been working hard on building innovative AI-driven solutions. To highlight one of them, we debuted a unique Computer Vision demo at the Summit. The demo showcases the use of the latest Google Glass and Google Pixel phone to run a model that detects potholes, manholes, and street signs. Here’s a picture of me wearing the Google Glass device.
What’s important about this demo is the ability to be offline and use quasi-augmented reality to detect objects in real time with these small devices. Here’s a screenshot of a detection using the Pixel phone. We’d love to show you a demo, so if you’re interested just reach out!
As technology (especially hardware) like this matures in the coming years, we feel the adoption rate will increase rapidly on the S curve. Everything from inspections and quality control to medical diagnosis assistance and proactive maintenance activities will see benefits from this technology.
Subscription Agreement
Finally, I’ll end with a unique billing approach that Google only offers to Public Sector customers. The Subscription Agreement is a tool that essentially flattens your cloud consumption costs into a flat monthly rate based on anticipated usage. Terms can go from 1 to 3 years typically. Even if your usage goes beyond what’s expected, the monthly cost remains the same flat rate. We feel like this is a unique and special differentiator for our Public Sector customers. It takes the uncertainty out of the picture and provides a much easier procurement process—another point that drives simplicity in leveraging cloud computing.
Did you attend the summit? Do any of these points above resonate with you? Please feel free to reach out, we’d be happy to connect and explore how we can help you #simplifycomplexity.
