Page 23 - FCW, October 2016

Army is looking to bring new technology into play for its users— from logistics and back office users to in-field soldiers—much more quickly than they have in the past. Such things as cloud computing and cybersecurity will drive much IT development in
the near future, for example, and both software and hardware are usually bought together from the ITES contracts.
Currently, there are no provisions spelled out in ITES-3H to provide cybersecurity solutions, but it’s only a matter of time before that is also a requirement. That has become an important element for all government customers overall, for the Army it’s both a defensive and offensive strategic capability.
Cybersecurity is increasingly a normal part of technology RFPs. So the manner in which it’s eventually inserted into ITES-3H products and how contract holders respond
will be a good test of the ITES-3H program’s capacity.
Initial solicitation for ITES-3H also mentioned contract holders pro- viding for other new technologies such as biometrics, body wearable computers and displays, wireless products and mobile personal data terminals. Equipment supplied through the contract must be able to be updated to meet increased performance requirements consis- tent with what’s required for future networks, systems and information assurance policies.
The ITES customers benefit from having a central online portal—the Army CHESS (Computer, Hardware, Enterprise Software and Solutions) IT e-mart—through which users place their RFQs and through which vendors respond. On the Army side, this helps them closely track what
SPONSORED BY
ITES-3H Product Offerings
• UNIX based servers
• Non-UNIX based servers
• Desktops, notebooks, workstations and thin clients • Storage systems
• Networking equipment (including wireless)
• Network printers, product ancillaries
• Peripherals
• Network cabling products
• Video teleconferencing (VTC) products
• Standalone displays (e.g., plasma screens, HDTVs), • Scanners
• Everything over Internet Protocol (EoIP) products
• Communication devices
• Power devices
• Software provided as part of the end to end solution
is being bought and from whom. They can also monitor the bid/ no-bid rates on contract holders to track their performance.
It takes effort on the part of vendors to keep up with e-mart traffic. CDW-G, for example, handles 200 to 300 RFQs a day during busy periods. That requires a large sales team to handle that kind of volume. The goal, says Gaston, is to “bid on every RFQ if we can source the product.”
In the end, ITES-3H intends to help Army users integrate solutions, instead of buying and using individual products. According to its statement of work, it will “be a total solutions-based contract
vehicle and include items that are for the fielding of a complete system, or as part of a total design solution for all equipment items provided on the contract.”
The new reality for integrated solutions is hyperconvergence, where all systems are expected to seamlessly blend and work to- gether. Unlike at the start of the ITES program, there is no manufacturer preference. Technology is a commodity, software continues to rule the IT environment, and ITES-3H will be expected to deliver on those factors in the solutions it provides.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: WWW.CDWG.COM/ITES-3H