Ensuring seamless and secure user experiences for federal hybrid employees

Government IT experts say federal agencies are seeing tangible productivity and security benefits from investing in agile and secure network access that supports federal employees, whether they’re working at home, remotely or in the office.

In a new FedScoop video interview, Office of Personnel Management CIO Guy Cavallo and industry experts from Verizon and Cisco discuss how modernized network technology solutions enable agencies to accomplish their missions more effectively by ensuring secure and seamless user experiences.

Cavallo says OPM’s commitment to supporting a hybrid workforce has not only allowed the agency to hire top technologists nationwide but also to increase productivity through robust technology deployment​.

“Whether they’re plugged in at the facility or using their home internet, we have a secure connection that we’re able to monitor, manage, control the whole time,” he says. We’ve really closed the gap on what’s the difference of working in the office versus working remotely.”

Making all this possible are technologies such as Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), as well as zero trust principles, which allow for reliable and secure network environments. “This is the dream of all administrators,” says Verizon Distinguished Solution Architect Scott Andersen.

He also illustrated the potential of AI-driven networks to dynamically adjust to the needs of federal employees, ensuring optimal performance during critical times like all-hands calls or end-of-month accounting crunches.

Steve Vetter, senior global government strategist at Cisco, added that the integration of these technologies over the past few years has been instrumental in maintaining operational resilience and allowing civilian agencies to deliver on their missions.

He also stressed the need for continuous improvement in modern technology to support a hybrid workforce. “Industry should be making the investments in order to drive better capabilities,” says Vetter. “It’s absolutely critical to continue to work with our partners and drive forward in that area.”

By embracing these technological advancements, federal agencies will not only continue to improve their service delivery and employee satisfaction but also ensure they remain effective and resilient.

The panel discussion also touched on ways agencies might continue to advance their efforts to empower today’s hybrid workforce.

This video panel discussion was produced by Scoop News Group, for FedScoop and underwritten by Verizon and Cisco.