Over the last twenty years rapid technological advances have transformed how federal agencies operate, and how they interact with constituents. With solutions like cloud storage making it easier and more secure to send and store information and machine learning decreasing wait times and increasing citizen satisfaction at multiple agencies, technology has become central to how the nation operates. To make these new technologies work effectively and to allow the implementation of future technological solutions, the government has been modernizing network infrastructure. In 2017, the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract was awarded to help federal agencies with this critical modernization work. Since EIS was announced, individual agencies have been able to take advantage of transformative tools, services, and solutions.
Bill Zielinski, the former head of the General Services Administration’s IT acquisition team, shared in an article, “EIS is a catalyst for IT modernization. To expand bandwidth, EIS will help agencies move away from time-division multiplexing technology to more modern services. It will replace legacy voice services with Voice over Internet Protocol or unified communications. Rather than having each agency design and operate multiple parts of a network, EIS will use cost-saving managed services, such as cloud migration.” The goal has been to provide agencies with the tools and resources to modernize network infrastructure so they can make necessary changes without losing focus on the mission.
Federal Agencies, like the USDA and the FBI, benefit from the EIS’ umbrella of service offerings under one contract. “As we look at technology, one of the benefits the EIS is providing for the customer is a pre-computed catalogue of services they can procure off,” John Larregui, Managing Client Partner for Verizon’s Public Sector explained in a recent interview with Government Technology Insider. “It gives them a contract vehicle that allows for them to obtain hardware, software, as well as network services and circuits, all on one contract. It’s a one stop shop for agencies.”
The reality is that EIS creates a partnership between the federal agencies and the vendors that are helping modernize their technology. The continued transformation of agencies depends on the upgrades that are happening and being planned; many legacy networks simply do not have the bandwidth or capabilities needed to support emerging technologies. In early October, the State Department signed a contract worth $1.58 billion over 10 years. This massive task order includes modernizing the global communications infrastructure and IT services for all U.S. embassies, consulates, and other key locations across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Although full implementation will take time, the positive impact of EIS will be felt worldwide.
Modernizing network infrastructure is the foundation of any future capabilities. Technologies are being created that will enhance public safety, strengthen the U.S. government, and create positive experiences for people interacting with agencies. However, these technologies won’t be as efficient without the networks that can fully support them. As part of its role in facilitating modernization efforts, the EIS brings together the knowledge, solutions, and tools needed to help make future networks more robust.
