Zscaler VP Lauds IT Leaders’ Excellence During Pandemic

Stephen Kovac, vice president of global government and head of corporate compliance at Zscaler, considers the performance of information technology across the federal enterprise amid the pandemic as “a shining moment for IT leaders and their teams.”

In an article for MeriTalk, Kovac, a member of the Potomac Officers Club, attributes the continued operation of government services largely to technology, as it has enabled remote work, connected teams and ensured network and data security.

Modern tools, in particular, gave federal agencies new, secure options, such as direct-to-cloud security-as-a-service models and zero trust architecture, Kovac added, which kept employees productive and secure and citizen services operational, according to an article published on MeriTalk.

Kovac further lauded IT leaders for sparking the “golden moment for technology leadership” and overcoming significant challenges, introducing new ideas and fostering collaborations during the pandemic.

He acknowledged Maria Roat’s leadership at the Small Business Administration, where she led a $500B emergency loan program for small businesses. Roat, a 2020 Wash100 winner, also tripled staffing in light of the pandemic and scaled website capacity to address a 100-fold traffic spike.

In addition, Kovac recognized Ashley Mahan’s efforts at the General Services Administration, mainly in expediting the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program process to facilitate modernization across the federal government.

Kovac also hailed Anil Cheriyan, deputy commissioner of GSA’s federal acquisition service and director of the technology transfer service, for leading the charge in helping the Department of Health and Human Services rapidly set up its telehealth website. The support enabled the HHS to meet almost 1K FedRAMP reusability requests and meet spiking demand on USA.gov.

The Zscaler VP expressed hope that the strides in IT leadership would help make lasting changes for the benefit of all.