Remember the last time you updated your iPhone or laptop’s operating system? It very well may have happened in the background without you doing anything. When it comes to upgrading to new enterprise networking technology, it’s not quite as simple. But it doesn’t have to be daunting – and it doesn’t have to take a long time. The Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract for federal agencies can help facilitate the process. And now, a new extension of the EIS timeline can help those agencies that have not yet accomplished their EIS objectives.
With the clock running, though, it’s time for agencies to rethink their timelines.
In many instances, prime contracts are underway to upgrade agencies’ network cores – which is absolutely essential to network modernization. There is risk, however, that singular focus on the core network will prevent or delay upgrades to the remote sites. Agencies that take a ‘serial’ approach to their network transformations by working on the core, then the middle distance sites, then farthest locations, will very likely fail to complete the work by the deadline.
Instead, agencies could consider a simultaneous strategy, bringing in multiple contractors to work at the same time on different parts of the network. A subcontractor can implement broadband connections at the local level at the same time the prime (or another sub) is working on the network core. There is no technical reason or requirement to do one, then the other. Moreover, whether they bring on subcontractors serially or simultaneously, the prime will retain their position (and their dollars), and get the job done faster so the agency can reap the economies of modernization sooner.
With more time to ignite the process, Tony Bardo, assistant vice president, urges federal agency procurement teams: “Don’t let the extension lull you into complacency or you’ll need another extension a year from now. This is an opportunity to change the pace of the transition by using a simultaneous approach.”
Read more about how Hughes can help federal agencies modernize networks to meet constituent and employee expectations here.