Spotlights & Announcements

WHAT'S NEW

Posted for the period of November 14 2022 through December 2, 2022

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Did you miss the August 25th Tech Exchange? We welcomed special guests Jeff Allnutt and Haven Wynne from the Office of General Supply and Services. The discussion focused on top initiatives, goals, and partnerships with GSS. Head on over to the Tech Exchange page to view the summary and recording.

Have a specific training or workshop you would like to attend? New training sessions are now available on the Cloud Lounge from Google, AWS, and DataDog. Sessions added include in-person and virtual events as well as live and on-demand training sessions. Take a look and register today!

The FAS-IT Playbook continues to enhance its content; send us your comments and suggestions via the Submission Form. We appreciate your contributions!

Announcement Archive: October through December 2022

Posted for the period of October 17, 2022 through October 28, 2022

Case Studies

A new Case Studies section has been added to the Educational Resources in the Cloud Support Center. Check out a case study on Bidirectional Data Synchronization implemented for GSAFleet.gov and another case study on Serverless Design by the FALCON initiative. These case studies do a deep dive into the decision processes that led to adopting these respective architectures and explain the mapping of the architectures.

Cloud Ecosystem Newsletter

Fiscal Year Quarter 4 Cloud Advisory Metrics have been published! Visit the Cloud Ecosystem Newsletter page on the FAS-IT Playbook for updates on several FCS initiatives including several new partners, Cloud Economics, and Cloud Standards updates. Previous newsletters are also available for reference.

Cloud Lounge

Visit the Cloud Lounge to register for upcoming November training and events. Explore the Cloud News and Announcements section to read up on October's latest AWS releases, news, and blogs.

Everything but the App (EBTA)

EBTA is back in the spotlight. Navigate over to the Cloud Offerings page to view the updated EBTA Slick Sheet and read the latest updates to this popular FCS Cloud Offering.

Agile Delivery

Check out the collection of Agile tricks and treats just in time for Halloween and make sure to read up on the newest Agile Quick Tip published to Agile Delivery: Consistent and Predictable Sprints, a guide to setting clear goals and the importance of defining scope.

Posted for the period of October 3, 2022 through October 14, 2022

System Modernizations

In keeping with the continuous updates and improvements, we have made major overhauls to several System Modernization pages. Specifically TMSS, FALCON, and PPMS.

Transportation Management Services Solution has been updated to include recent changes to its platform as well as updated architectural diagrams and a more detailed timeline of deployment. Find out more on the FAS-IT Playbook and explore further details on the system in the TMSS 2.0 Whitepaper.

Personal Property Management System updates include an exhaustive list of AWS services and tools integrated into PPMS.

FALCON updates include the new Business Overview and System Architecture subpages. These pages outline the business use case for FALCON, the components of FALCON architecture, and the practices and processes that have been incorporated into the architecture including Data Flow, DevOps and DevSecOps Management, and Serverless Design. These updates highlight some of the successful implementations of these practices in FALCON and can serve as resources for implementation in future system modernizations.

Standards Alignment

8 new Architectural Best Practices have been published under the Standards Alignment section of the Playbook providing guidance on how to best design aspects of new applications to maximize the capabilities available through a cloud platform. GSA IT recommends and strongly encourages consideration of the eight Architectural Best Practices described below to drive consistency across the enterprise.

Announcement Archive July through September 2022

Posted for the period of September 19, 2022 through September 30, 2022

Agile Cheat Sheets available under Agile Delivery Section

The FAS-IT Playbook has incorporated another great resource tool in the Agile Delivery section. Two cheat sheets: User Stories and Test Cases that will provide definition and quick tips to support your team's initiatives.

Explore the rest of the newly revised Quick Tips Page for best practices and guidance on other Agile operational initiatives like estimating Agile Story Points using Keystone Stories, writing Acceptance Criteria, and scope Definitions of Done.

These documents provide valuable information for both novice and experienced team members that are part of an agile development project. They are based on well-tested agile techniques and informed by the business and culture at GSA. Head on over and check them out!

NEW Cloud Lounge Trainings

Several new training sessions have been added to the Cloud Lounge including registration now open for an AWS Live Event in the Washington, DC area. These training sessions are broad in content and are aimed at any professional seeking more information on a cloud-based computing environment, whether new to cloud or very experienced.

While you're visiting the Lounge, check out the NEW Google resources added, "Things to Know", "Educator Resource", and "Extra Credit". Explore these tips, tricks, and skills to add to your Google toolbelt.

Posted for the period of August 8, 2022 through August 19, 2022

We continuously update content on the FAS-IT Playbook. Share your ideas, content updates and suggestions via the FAS-IT Submission Form! We look forward to hearing from you.

Join us at the August Tech Exchange! This month's Tech Exchange will be hosted on August 25th at 9:30 am, featuring a special guest, Erv Koehler, FAS Assistant Commissioner, Office of General Suppliers and Services (GSS). We look forward to seeing you at our Tech Exchange.

Explore our Tech Exchanges page for Google slide presentations and summaries of this Fiscal Year's forums thus far.

Datadog Enablement Resources are available on the Cloud Lounge The Cloud Lounge recently added two Datadog Workshops and Datadog Enablement Resources section. The Datadog Workshops will focus on monitoring every layer of your stack within the platform. The enablement resource section provides videos, blogs, documentation and more to support your initiatives.

Transportation Audit Management System System Modernization Architecture A major overhaul of the Transportation Audit Management System System Modernization section - TAMS was recently completed by incorporating more up-to-date diagrams and content for the modernization initiative. Check out the new sections Business and Requirements Overview, Cloud-based Strategy, Technical Architecture and Technology Alignment.

Want to learn more about Right-Size Reporting?

Right-size reports are monthly reports that provide cost optimization recommendations to tenants. Be prepared for these reports to hit your inbox starting at the end of this month.

The Right-Size Reporting page provides an overview of how to interpret the report, provides examples of metrics and measures (checks), and actions that can be taken by tenants to optimize costs. Some of the areas include Idle load Balancers, Underutilized Amazon Redshift Clusters, Low Utilization, AWS Lambda Functions with Excessive Timeouts and AWS Lambda Function with High Error Rates and much more.

Check out the Cloud Economics page for more resources!

Posted for the period of August 12, 2022

Special Edition of the Spotlight Bulletin

New Cloud Ecosystem Newsletter Available on the FAS-IT Playbook!

The Cloud Ecosystem Newsletter is here to provide highlights of Cloud Initiatives, key performance metrics of Cloud Advisory (CA) and Enablement, and our latest releases and accomplishments. The quarterly CA summary provides metrics of the five phases from intake through optimization of the Cloud Smart Journey and the latest Cloud Ecosystem release update is on MCaaS Ecosystem new capabilities which include introduction of Rancher to further enhance developer's experience. Check out the details in the newsletter. Posted to the Cloud Lounge on a quarterly basis - future editions will highlight the latest Cloud EcoSystem updates, Cloud Advisory quarterly metrics,, and more!

Posted for the period of July 25, 2022 through August 5, 2022

New Page Alert - DevSecOps Principles is now published! Need information on how to scale your application? The new DevSecOps page has six required principles to guide you through the cloud journey in managing your code, configurations management, and documentation. Read about these principles and learn so much more!

FALCON System Modernization Architecture A major overhaul of the [FALCON](../business-and-strategic-alignment/system-modernizations/falconSystem Modernization section - FALCON was recently completed by incorporating more up-to-date diagrams and content for the modernization initiative. Check out the new sections Business and Requirements Overview, Architecture, Approach and Timeline.

UAT Reference Materials to support your testing requirements We have added a Planning and Executing User Acceptance Testing (UAT) reference document to support a successful UAT process. Review this document to learn about critical activities throughout the entire UAT process. Also, visit the FAS Agile Framework page for additional resources!

New content on the Cloud Advocacy page The Cloud Advocacy page has new content available within the Cloud Ecosystem. This page comprises roles and responsibilities throughout the Cloud Smart Journey. In addition, review the Cloud Advocacy Impact sections which showcase value added options in the areas of process, service, and cost improvements.

The FAS-IT Playbook continues to enhance its content, so send us your comments and suggestions via the Submission Form. We appreciate your contributions!

Posted for the period of July 1, 2022 through July 22, 2022

New rebrand of the FAS-IT Playbook Feedback Form We want to hear from you! Check out our new and improved FAS-IT Playbook Submission Form. The form has been expanded so you can submit comments, requests, new diagrams, documents, reference materials or just let us know how we are doing! Upon receipt, someone from the AEA Team will reach out to discuss outstanding details. Your feedback is essential to improve the Playbook!

See the Latest FLEET System Modernization Architecture! We've completed a major overhaul of the FLEET System Modernization Architecture section - FLEET. By incorporating more up-to-date diagrams and content for this modernization initiative. Check out the new sections: Business Overview, Architecture, Data and Timelines. These sections highlight the mission, challenges, business objectives, data management, and the four-year roadmap. Click here to learn more!

Next COMET Tech Exchange is scheduled for August 25th! The July Tech Exchange will not be held this month. We will reconvene on August 25th, so mark your calendars! Our special guest will be Erv Koehler, Assistant Commissioner, Office of General Supplies & Services. See you there!

Announcement Archive April through June 2022

Posted for the period of June 13, 2022 through June 30, 2022

Transitioning of the FAS Cloud Services (FCS) Portal on July 8, 2022

On July 8th, the prior FAS Cloud Services Portal will be transitioned to the FAS-IT Playbook. FCS Portal visitors will be redirected to the content on the FAS-IT Playbook. Be sure to bookmark the new location for reference FAS-IT Playbook Cloud Ecosystem.

June 29th Tech Exchange welcomed Special Guest: Charlotte Phelan, FAS Assistant Commissioner of OSEM

The June 29th Tech Exchange featured our new FAS Assistant Commissioner for OESM, Charlotte Phelan. It was a great discussion with Sagar Samant to learn about the priorities in focus.

Looking for a previous session, head on over to the Tech Exchange page where you can listen to recordings and view summaries. Lots of great information is presented at these Tech Exchanges you don't want to miss!

New AWS Online Tech Talks available on the Playbook

Just added to the Cloud Lounge../cloud-ecosystem/cloud-lounge are AWS Tech Talks that will cover a wide range of topics. AWS will conduct deep dives, demos and have a Q&A session to help get your questions answered. Take a look at the upcoming schedule and register today!

Posted for the period of May 30, 2022 through June 10, 2022

New content on the Cloud EcoSystem - Cloud Smart Journey and Personas Updates

The IT Playbook recently underwent a series of significant updates to improve the navigation and clarity of content. If you haven't visited in a while, now is a great time to get reacquainted with the resources available.

The May Tech Exchange featured the newly renovated Cloud Ecosystem segment of the IT Playbook. If your system is planning to begin (or in the middle of) a cloud modernization effort, visit the Cloud Smart Journey page for a preview of what each phase entails. Don't miss the newly added Personas section either, to get a specific account of responsibilities and interactions to expect along the journey.

Want to understand the Cloud Cost Model?

The Cloud Economics page provides in-depth information on the Cloud Showback Cost and the Cloud Chargeback Cost model through the four phases of the Cloud Smart Journey. There is also a Maturity Model that shows maturation in each phase.

The Cloud Usage Alerts and Cloud Usage Reports are two reporting mechanisms available. The cloud usage alerts send a notification when the "budgeted" amounts have exceeded the actual cloud consumption for accounts. The cloud usage report displays the overall cloud spend for each project.

Great source of information to support you through the journey!

Mark your calendar the next Tech Exchange is June 29, 2022! (Updated)

Join us for the next Technical Exchange scheduled on June 29th. It is a great way to learn more about GSA's IT stance. Unable to attend? No worries, a recording and summary will be posted thereafter to the Tech Exchanges page on the Playbook.

We are continuously working to refine and improve the FAS-IT Playbook, please let us know what you think about the enhanced site! Contact us itplaybook@gsa.gov.

Posted for the period of May 16, 2022 through May 27, 2022

Two Year Anniversary of FAS-IT Playbook Launch!

The FAS-IT Playbook is coming up on its second year anniversary this coming June of its official launch! Our Associate CIO FAS-IT, Sagar Samat shares a Welcome Letter on this milestone and describes the three foundational pillars of the FAS-IT strategy that include Technical Architecture, Service Delivery and Acquisition Strategy. These three strategies are where and how FAS-IT will continue to improve and refine for the future. Take a look at the FAS-IT Playbook!

FAS-IT Accomplishments for Q2 FY22

The Q2 FY22 Accomplishments at Glance is now on the Playbook. View the goals achieved last quarter to include FAS-IT Playbook 2.5 enhancements, Cloud Advisory and Enablement, COMET, and other initiatives. This is a great way to stay informed with organizational accomplishments.

We want to hear from the community!

Have ideas, comments, or suggestions you would like to share with us? We would love to hear from you, simply email feedback to [itplaybook@gsa.gov]. We appreciate all feedback given as we continuously work to improve the FAS-IT Playbook.

Posted for the period of May 2, 2022 through May 13, 2022

Upcoming Technical Exchange - May 26th

The next Technical Exchange is scheduled on May 26th and is a great way to learn more about GSA's IT stance. Unable to attend? No worries, a recording and summary will be posted thereafter to the Tech Exchanges page on the Playbook.

New System Modernization Architectures on the Playbook

Have you visited the System Modernizations page recently? If not, head on over as 19 architectures are featured as a resource for systems currently undergoing modernization efforts. These provide a collection of systems of varying complexity. Take a look at the goals and objectives, modernization processes, and cloud architectures that may be of help in your Cloud Smart Journey.

Cloud News and Announcements has the information to keep you informed!

Are you up to speed on what's going on in the world of Cloud? If not, take a minute to check out the Cloud News and Announcements section in the Cloud Lounge. It captures What's New at AWS, Upcoming Launches, Industry Blogs, Security Advisories and much more. It's updated weekly to keep you in the know!

Want to create a great UI/UX experience?

UI/UX Guidance provides resources to create the best experience for customers. Support in branding, design, usability, and functionality are available. In addition, be sure to review the policy requirements located on the UI/UX requirements page to ensure compliance.

Service Catalog for Developers

Service Catalog for Developers is a great resource and reference page for developers, technical, and data architects. There are over 500 entries with various API and Web services information for the applications within the FAS ecosystem.

In an ongoing effort to refine and improve the FAS-IT Playbook, please let us know what you think about the enhanced site! Contact us

Posted for the period of April 18, 2022 through April 29, 2022

April's COMET Technical Exchange was all about the FAS-IT Playbook!

This month's Technical Exchange was an opportunity to hear from our own CIO, Mr. David Shive, as he answered important questions about the FAS ecosystem and modernization efforts. The second half of the session provided a high level overview of the FAS-IT Playbook. Information was shared on FAS Business and Strategic Alignment, the Cloud Ecosystem, and new features within the FAS-IT Playbook. Missed this session? Click here for the recording and summary.

Cloud Lounge New Offerings: AWS Certification Exams and Qwiklabs

Explore the AWS Certification Exams in the Cloud Lounge. These exams cover foundational, associate, professional, and specialty certifications. Check it out - there is one with your name on it!

Need some additional practice? The AWS QwikLabs Training Catalog has many offerings to assist with getting you up to speed. These are short, on-demand learning sessions. I Introductory to expert skill level courses are available.

Looking for specific training? The Cloud Lounge is updated often, please visit for newly published offerings.

Send comments, suggestions, and feedback to itplaybook@gsa.gov

Posted for the period of April 4, 2022 through April 15, 2022

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See the Latest Modernized Systems Architecture Updates

As part of the new Playbook 2.5 release, the Modernized Systems Architecture received a major upgrade - it's now titled Systems Modernizations and you will find it under Business & Strategy and here. In addition, we have expanded and standardized the content across all the Modernized Systems Architectures.

The seven architectures include: Acquisition Gateway, Cloud Information Center (CIC), Common Catalog Platform (CCP), GSA Enhanced Check-out 3 (GECO 3), SmartPay, Sale Report Portal (SRP), and Solicitation Writing System (SWS).

FCS Portal and Cloud Services Migration

Content from the FCS portal and Cloud Services has now been combined under the newest section of the FAS-IT Playbook - Cloud Ecosystem. Visit this new section of the playbook to find information on the Cloud Smart Journey and Cloud Offerings. In addition, current and future tenants can find the resources they need (forms, templates, maintenance schedule, etc) and contact their cloud support teams, make requests and access JIRA Service Management through the Cloud Support Center.

Bringing the IT Vendor Community Together

FAS-IT continues to introduce new Playbook resources, sharing success stories, and facilitating focused discussions around today's most pressing technological questions, through monthly Technology Forums. The next forum is April 21, 2022.

Visit the Tech Exchanges page for Google slide presentations and summaries of this fiscal year's forums thus far.

Are you a NEW member or vendor to FAS-IT?

We are here to help you get started. One great resource is the "FAS-IT Members Quick Guide" which provides links you may need if you're onboarding to FAS for the first time. Also, the "Getting Started" index of the Playbook" supports navigating through the Playbook to acquire all the reference material needed.

Don't forget to reach out to us at itplaybook@gsa.gov with any questions.

Announcement Archive January through March 2022

Posted for the period of March 21 , 2022 through April 1, 2022

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In case you were wondering why you did not receive the Playbook Spotlight bulletin last cycle, we have been working hard behind the scenes migrating and finalizing new content.

Here's what is new on the FAS-IT Playbook:

Over the next week, the FCS portal will be migrating to the FAS-IT Playbook under the NEW Cloud Ecosystem. Check out this section to learn more about the Cloud Smart Journey and find resources for current and future tenants!

Updated Architectural Resources Now Available!

Have you seen the System Modernization Architectures for various FAS initiatives? If not, you're in luck. There are 14 modernized systems architectures available to learn about these key initiatives.

Most recently updated page:

• Assisted Services Information System (ASSIST) includes updates to planned architecture and a brief history of the program with key objectives.

March 24th Tech Exchange is now available! Did you miss the March 24th Tech Exchange? Check out the recording as this month's session included an update on FAS Data Strategy and EDA.

Cloud Lounge: DataDog Live and On-Demand Trainings Do you want to gain hands-on experience with your infrastructure? DataDog is providing Live and On-Demand training for tenants with each of the courses providing a sandbox environment to get hands-on experience. There are a wide array of offerings to include: Intro to DataDog, Monitoring, Dashboards, Log Processing and much more. Check it out today!

In addition, FY22 CISS/AWS Lunch & Learn Program and MongoDB Resources Webinars are available.

Share your ideas for improving the FAS-IT Playbook! Contact us at [itplaybook@gsa.gov].

Posted for the period of February 21, 2022 through March 4, 2022

February 24th Tech Exchange is now available!

Did you miss the February 24th Tech Exchange? Check out the recording as this month's session included an update on CyberEO and DevSecOps Strategy.

Security and Privacy Controls

The latest NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 has been added to the Policies and Publications page within the FAS-IT Playbook. This and other publications will help you to understand GSA's IT policy requirements.

Stop by the Cloud Lounge for the latest Training and Resources

The Cloud Lounge is updated each week to offer you new live and on-demand training opportunities, fun facts, AWS resources and much more! Be sure to check regularly and send questions or feedback to ciss@gsa.gov.

Interested in knowing more about FAS-IT Applications

Another great resource, FAS-IT Supported Applications has been added. Here you will find a complete list of all applications with descriptions.

Cloud Services Glossary

Did you know there is a Cloud Glossary in the Playbook? This glossary is here to help get everyone supporting FAS on the same page with how FAS-IT defines key cloud services that your business may rely on.

Reach out to us at [itplaybook@gsa.gov] with any questions.

Posted for the period of February 7, 2022 through February 18, 2022

User Journey Tools and Resources

New to the FAS-IT Playbook? Check out our user journeys to learn how to make the most out of this ever evolving resource. Whether you are a business product owner, cloud developer or IT project manager, we have content tailored for you! Visit the User Journey's page to learn how to make the most out of the FAS-IT Playbook.

Spotlighting our Accomplishments

Visit our newest page "Accomplishments at a Glance" highlighting the work going on in the FAS-IT community. Take a look at our accomplishments for Q1 FY22 and FY2021.

Upcoming Tech Exchange

The next Technical Exchange is scheduled on February 24th and is a great way to learn more about GSA's IT stance. Unable to attend? No worries, a recording and summary will be posted thereafter to the Tech Exchange page on the Playbook.

Posted for the period of January 24, 2022 through February 4, 2022

Watch the latest Technical Exchange

Did you miss the Technical Exchange on Thursday, January 27th? If you did, then be sure to either review the minutes or watch the recording to know GSA's latest stance and thoughts on CI/CD Pipeline leveraging GitOps.

AWSome Day Online Training Conference

Want to master the fundamentals of Cloud Online? AWS is hosting a on-demand conference that will highlight Cloud concepts, core AWS services, and ways these services enable innovation for a variety of new applications and industries. This conference is ideal for beginners with no prior AWS or cloud knowledge as well as IT managers, business leaders, system engineers, system administrators, developers and architects. If you are eager to learn more click here to register.

See the Latest Architecture Modernization Updates

We've incorporated up-to-date diagrams and content for the Contract Acquisition Life-cycle Management System (CALM) modernization initiative.

Reach out to us at [itplaybook@gsa.gov] with any questions.

Posted for the period of January 10, 2022 through January 21, 2022

Happy New Year! Here is what's new with the FAS-IT Playbook!

New Agile Template Standard Operations Procedure (SOP) Template

A new Standard Operations Procedure (SOP) template is now available. This document helps teams to monitor and manage the product in a production environment and how the product will be monitored and managed, and administered across all tiers of the architecture.

This new template has step-by-step instructions and removes all the guess work. Try it today!

AWS Training Courses for January

Are you looking to learn more about AWS? Visit the Cloud Lounge for a listing of all the new on-demand and live training events.

Improve usability of GSA services by leveraging the Digital Experience Guide

Check out the UI/UX Guidance chapter for a link to GSA's Digital Experience Guide.