The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is pursuing new IT initiatives to make its operations more modern and equipped for future processes.

The VA plans to make up to $12 billion in IT contracts available to companies over the next five years, which is a little less than four times its annual IT budget. A government market research group recently estimated the VA’s IT budget has been increasing by 10 percent annually to meet rising demand for veterans’ services.

With the formation of the Transformation Twenty-One total Technology program - also known as T-4 - the VA has shifted from relying on the General Services Administration to negotiate contracts to finding its own IT solutions.

As part of the T4 spending plan, the VA will invest $7 billion in IT procurement and another $5 billion in contracts with other agencies. Security and network improvements and investments in data centers are all areas in which the VA may look to invest funds.

As the VA looks to expand its IT spending, many U.S. government agencies have already incorporated new technologies, such as cloud computing within their practices. The adoption of cloud services has allowed numerous government sectors to reduce their costs and operate more efficiently with greater organization.ADNFCR-2553-ID-19919638-ADNFCR