Verizon Can Help EIS Transformation and Solve Challenges

With the transition to the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract, federal agencies have a unique opportunity to modernize their communications infrastructures. By focusing not just on telecom architectures, but on the end-user experience, agencies can leverage EIS to support remote and hybrid work arrangements. In doing so, they have a chance to elevate more than just their infrastructure support. They can also advance citizen service capabilities, improve employee satisfaction, and position the federal government as a competitive player in the marketplace for employee talent. “Federal agencies already have taken big steps towards digital enhancements. Many scaled up their data and voice networks early in the pandemic, “and now they are really focused on refining their remote and hybrid work models,” said John O’Brien, Managing Partner, Advanced Communications for the Public Sector. As the follow-up to Networx and other existing contracting vehicles, EIS offers a means to take that next step. By working in close cooperation with a telecommunications and technology service provider, agencies can leverage EIS to drive digital transformation forward.

Challenges to transformation
Agencies face challenges as they move to revamp their communications-technology strategies to support emerging work models. First and foremost, there’s a cultural shift underway. In the past, the biggest question facing federal IT leaders typically was how to pay for their telecom modernization efforts. With an influx of pandemic-related funding, many now have the means to support their telecom upgrades. Upgrading telephony from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud, for example, is necessary, but it’s not an end unto itself. Rather than focus merely on the tools, agencies need to think about the value they’re creating, as well as how these upgrades are reshaping employee experiences and improving productivity.

How EIS drives modernization
Whatever role an agency sees telecom technology playing in the future, EIS can help bring that vision to life. With a vast array of pre-vetted products and services offered through pre-qualified vendors, the contracting vehicle can support telecom modernization by “simplifying and streamlining processes, promoting full price transparency and standardizing the buying experience of agency customers,” according to the GSA.

“We can deliver an array of services and expertise. The challenge for agencies is in thinking through what they want that experience to be,” O’Brien said. “It’s time to talk about what you can do in that cloud environment.”

Click here to read the full article.