Sean Connelly: Cybersecurity Now Central to GSA’s EIS Contract Vehicle

Sean Connelly, program manager of Trusted Internet Connections at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, noted that cybersecurity is now at the core of the General Services Administration’s requirements for the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract vehicle. 

Speaking at the Cybersmart 2020 event, Connelly said that with CISA’s help, GSA was able to design the EIS vehicle to quickly adopt emerging security features as they come out. From Connelly’s perspective, the EIS vehicle’s focus on cybersecurity features, among other things, provides a better view of the whole system architecture, enabling agencies to troubleshoot and optimize efficiencies during the transaction process, MeriTalk reported. 

According to Jim Russo, the GSA’s technical director of the EIS program, some agencies have already tested out the new software defined wide area network service on the EIC contract amid the pandemic. Russo explained that the adoption of the EIS contract’s SD-WAN service coincides with a federal-wide effort to embrace modernization while keeping continuity of service. He added that the release of the SD-WAN service was meant to signify the ease at which the GSA can currently provide such services. 

Overall, Russo touted the flexibility of the EIS vehicle, citing its ability to add new capabilities, services and solutions as tech advances.

As indicated in previous agency announcements, the GSA intends to migrate from the legacy Networx, Washington Interagency Telecommunications System 3 and Schedule 70 contracts and fully transition to the EIS contract in 2021.

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