IT Support for Government Contractors & Consultants
One of the primary watchwords of working as government contractors is competition. While every industry has its own degree of competition, each company vying for their share of the market pie, competition is generally even fiercer with those seeking contracts from the government. The lucrative and reliable nature of these types of contracts make them highly sought after by contractors of all types and sizes.
Over the past several years, available contracts from the government have been on the decline, with more and more contracting agencies all bidding on a decreasing number of available opportunities. This has caused a marked shift from the focus of quality and proficiency, to considerations based primarily on cost. This can lead to an influx of riskier contracts, simply to keep money flowing in on a continuous basis.
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With this change in operation comes an increasing need for reliance on technology, to streamline operations, make them more efficient, and to help shore up defenses against problems that can leave an organization’s capabilities severely damaged. As such, there is a growing demand for IT support services that can meet these increasing needs, a prime example of which would be Network Depot.
For over 20 years, Network Depot has been offering quality and specialized service to many contractors working all throughout the Washington D.C. Metro area, each of which are available at a convenient and cost-effective flat rate. Network Depot can assist you in many different areas that involve the industry of government contracts exclusively. These include the following services:
Cloud Services vs. Dedicated Server
One critical IT decision your company has to make is where to store your Email, files, and business applications and how you can most effectively access these functions. Your decision in each case will be one of the following: using a dedicated server, using a cloud solution, or using a hybrid solution.
The following articles explain the pros and cons of each method and will help your company make the decision that works best for your unique needs.
Not All Clouds are Created Equal
Business Applications- Server vs. Cloud
Backup and Continuity
As with many of today’s industries, regardless of which area of business they operate in, data compiled over the span of the business’ existence is the lifeblood on which it operates. This may even be more true for a government contractor, with personal, private, and even classified information part of virtually all government contracts. Losing this data, or losing the ability to access it when you need it, would be an absolute disaster. As such, proper and effective data backup solutions are a must for any contractor working with the government.
The types of storage, backup, and continuity options available to government contractors are threefold. These would be a cloud solution, equipment on site, or a combination of the two.
Compatibility with government systems is extremely important, which makes understanding all the intricacies they include of vital importance. For example, the White House’s Federal Cloud Computing Strategy states that around $20 billion of their budget will go to a full migration of government systems to the cloud. This could tip the scales in favor of implementing this type of setup into your own operation, the matching setups potentially giving you a leg up over those with a different solution. As with most things in business, knowing more than your competitor is always an excellent way to reach the top.
Network Depot has much experience in dealing with the ins and outs of bureaucracy, and can provide valuable insight on how exactly to set up your company’s network. We can quickly and easily assess the level of storage your company will require, and offer the most suitable solutions of each type to match.
Network and Data Security
It would be difficult to overstate just how important it is to keep information on government contracts completely safe and secure. State-sponsored and lone wolf attackers both find government information and data to be some of the most attractive targets to gun for, given its heightened value on the black market. Security has, as a result, become more and more the focus for many support companies working with those who handle this type of data. The goal is to achieve FedRAMP certification, a federal program that standardizes the conducting of security authorization and assessment, and the correct way to continuously monitor all cloud services and products.
Network Depot is proud to count a wide array of government contractors as part of our client lineup. Our ongoing experience with this type of environment has allowed us to reap untold insights on how best to handle sensitive, and oft-times classified, government data and files.
The following Network Depot blog post gives useful information on how to achieve your security objectives by focusing on two main keys: 1. Employee Education and 2. Network Protection. Two keys to Keeping Your Company Secure
Remote Work
One of the hallmarks of government work is the increasing need to have the capability to work remotely. Many of the tech advancements we have seen over the last decade have allowed a seamless process with remote work, which can allow a much greater degree of flexibility in the hiring and deploying of the organization’s workforce.
It is important, however, not to get ahead of yourself when it comes to working remotely. A solid and effective network setup and operation is invaluable in ensuring that all data is kept safe in transit, as well as traveling as efficiently as possible. Network Depot can help you come up with a plan to deal with all of these considerations, so your employees have the utmost accessibility and security when working outside the office.
Working as a government contractor brings with it many rewards, all of which are only further enhanced by the presence of a comprehensive and effective IT support solution. If you would like to know more about what Network Depot can do for you specifically, or just have some general, IT-related questions, we urge you to give us a call or contact us online at your earliest convenience.