Government agencies are prioritizing security when choosing cloud providers, according to a recent VMware-commissioned Forrester study.

The study reached 500 agency leaders and IT decision makers at federal, state, and local governments in the United States and Canada. It found 74% of respondents choose cloud providers by prioritizing security. And 57% of agencies are concerned about data security as they increase cloud adoption.

In addition to security, agencies also prioritize lower total cost (67%), interoperability of applications (66%), ease of use (66%), agency contracting equity goals (63%), and regulatory compliance (58%) when searching for cloud providers.

Forrester notes that “smart agencies are moving to multicloud,” which it claims is the new reality for government agencies.

Complex cloud environments like those associated with these types of organizations are often successful when using the “right blend” of cloud, cloud-native applications, security vendors, and cloud management tools in a multicloud environment, the report explains.

It also concluded that centralizing management of cloud resources is considered “a cloud-smart approach.” Centralized management allows for modern data resilience techniques, reduces technical complexity for a line of business users, and increases interoperability and ability to scale.

In general, agencies reported having executives buy-in for what Forrester calls smart cloud adoption, but “they also need to lay the technical and cultural foundation,” Jennifer Chronis, VMware VP of public sector, said in a statement.

Specifically, government organizations struggle with security, compliance, and retraining existing employees to fill necessary gaps. But agencies understand the solution is to scale security with cloud adoption. “Centralized management and updated employee training practices can help,” the report reads.

Those cloud education programs should also scale with cloud adoption, which isn't currently happening, Forrester reported.

Even though 65% of respondents say their organization is increasing its investment in professional development for developers, just 35% reported their agency currently runs a cloud training program for employees.

“To ensure a smart method of cloud adoption, companies need to train employees in lockstep with their adoption of more cloud platforms and resources,” the report said.