Page 14 - FCW, May/June 2020

putting smaller companies that have not worked in the federal market before at an immediate disadvantage. Government agencies need to understand that, while they are used to operating in highly regulated acquisition and security environments, the commercial entities that they’re trying to get these new and innovative ideas from are not.
What’s more, one change may lead to others.
An important recent aspect of this challenge to transitioning to newer technologies can be seen in agencies’ efforts to move from traditional Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) networking architectures to more modern Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) or Ethernet- based networking. Although commercial customers have transitioned IP, MPLS or Ethernet networking technologies, the
federal government has been slow to make similar transitions because of the scope required to transition legacy applications, hardware and infrastructure that was based on a nowoutdatedtechnology.
Federal agencies must ask themselves, “How do I take my traditional processes running today on TDM and get them across the new Ethernet network? Whose responsibility is it to make sure
it operates correctly?” Those
two questions alone cause a lot
of interagency discussion that introduces delays.
A third obstacle preventing rapid adoption of new technologies is agencies’ difficulty in connecting with vendors that have applicable
technology. Decision-makers
are often mired in the day-
to-day operations required to maintain agency missions amid changing economic and regulatory constraints. Successful vendors are able to get in front of agency leaders, prove their concept and identify the procurement path an agency can use.
“Organizations that focus on procurement are a good entrée for companies,” Gosnell said. “For instance, the General Services Administration’s mission is to bring in more procurement options for agencies, making it an ideal place for a company looking to get government work to start.”
GSA’s Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract is a $50 billion multi-award procurement vehicle that enables smaller companies that aren’t traditionally government contractors to compete on a level playing field for government business and encourages large traditional telecommunication providers to provide new, innovative products and services
in competition to smaller, nimbler offerors.Thecontractgiveseach participating commercial company the ability to offer not only their own service and technology, but also independently offer partner products.
“All those companies that
were participants in the award
– nine companies – now have
an opportunity to seek out any innovative company that can
help with the task order that
comes out,” said Ken Folderauer, Comcast’s vice president of federal government sales.
Why the effort is worthwhile
Unreliable networks can sink modernization efforts, resulting in unexpected downtime, degraded interactions with citizens, compromised missions, security breaches, data loss and other unwanted outcomes.
In terms of security, modern options such as Ethernet can deliver to government agencies secure access to cloud and data center resources for seamless connectivity and communications. What’s more, Ethernet lets agencies run their cybersecurity requirements independent
of the carrier, which could decrease acquisition timelines by simplifying the applicable network security regulations without compromising the agency’s security posture. This base-level network segmentation would let agencies implement their own encryption methods, continuity
of operations plans and rule sets within their data streams without the commercial carrier being aware of any of it, thereby also increasing security.
Agencies are now looking
at ways to buy technology as a whole, rather than using licenses
or implementing individual servers in a data center. Several agencies’ recent acquisition plans have pointed to a shift from agency- owned network infrastructure to a service-based strategy in an attempt to remove some of the burden of maintaining their IT infrastructure in exchange for increased reliance on commercial services. In these acquisition strategies, increased