Jennifer Eley, Senior Federal Channel Manager, LG Business Solutions USA
Victoria Sanville, National Sales Manager Government and Education, LG Business Solutions USA
When the COVID-19 pandemic turned everything on its head earlier this year, practically every industry was affected, and the federal government was no exception. Many agencies were forced to look teleworking in the face and learn how to step into that environment more quickly than ever before. Two of the biggest challenges to making the mass exodus to remote work were continuity of operations and security. The federal government can’t risk any gaps in operations or a lapse in security. Partners like LG Business Solutions (LGEUS) are among the many organizations that jumped into action to assist the federal government to help minimize disruptions in productivity and maintain their security mandates.
LG is by no means a newbie when it comes to providing hardware and electronics to the world. Established over 60 years ago, LG is considered one of the leading consumer electronics companies in the world. It aims to be the number one manufacturer of choice for government agencies and contract holders to deliver IT and AV solutions to meet strategic goals, budget performance, and mission-critical requirements. When it came to providing the US federal government with the capabilities it needed to make the large switch to working remotely, LG was ready with its secure supply chain of essential TAA-compliant hardware, including virtual desktops, ultra-wide displays and video conferencing solutions, to help the government meet the challenge successfully. “The pandemic has driven a more rapid shift to remote work for government agencies; manufacturers have a responsibility to make available the right technology for this unique remote workforce: technology that protects valuable data and assets without disrupting daily mission-critical communication,” says Victoria Sanville, National Sales Manager Government and Education.
LG’s strategy for the federal government is three-fold:
- Enabling Collaboration and Connectivity
- Creating Flexible Spaces and Optimizing Use of Space
- Designing Resilient Solutions for Business Continuity
Enabling Collaboration and Connectivity
Being able to connect to any device from any location is intuitively the essence of being able to work remotely. LG provides products that suit safe and resilient government facilities, virtual training and meeting environments, command and control centers, secure on-site or WFH (work from home) environments. This spectrum of options allows for great connectivity and opens the door for collaboration, which is critical when working from various locations.
Creating Flexible Spaces and Optimizing Use of Space
Every organization and its needs are different. In addition, federal agencies require that every need is met while being done safely and securely. LG’s capabilities allow federal leaders to design their own spaces to help make sure that every agencies’ requirements are met.
“Two thirds of our focus for the federal government is our VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) environment and our virtual training centers. We developed technology specifically for secure training rooms and meeting environments so that government employees and active military personnel can train and accomplish their missions from wherever they are,” explains Jennifer Eley, Senior Federal Channel Manager for LGEUS. “An example of this would be from our application of a virtual training center for United States Military Academy West Point. Cadets were able to take the same training in several different environments that would normally happen on a video wall but are now being done socially distanced.”
Another example of the flexible space options is command and control (the third core focus for LG’s government portfolio). Government officials can leverage secure hardware, such as LG’s latest line of 0.44mm even bezel video walls and LED signage technology, to provide centralized monitoring, command and control of any situation which can make or break a mission. LG also provides non-Wi-Fi displays approved for SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) use so it doesn’t limit how officials put these collaboration tools into play. LG’s hardware is secure and TAA compliant to make adoption seamless for government use.
Designing Resilient Solutions for Business Continuity
“The crucial piece of all this is having the flexibility to design the right solution for each federal customer,” says Sanville. “If you have tailored technology for accomplishing your unique mission and meeting business goals, it creates a fluidity of operational continuity, and in today’s environment of constant change because of the pandemic, this is absolutely imperative for the federal government to have.
“Business continuity is more than just hardware. We are very successful working with teammates such as Iron Bow, a strong deployment and integration partner. Their decades of technology expertise and helpdesk support is critical to ensuring the investment goes above and beyond the piece of equipment. Iron Bow’s capabilities help optimize our products with the critical installation and integration know-how to help ensure an enhanced user experience with our technology.”
In summary, all three of these offerings overlap from an application perspective. You need all three in order to allow the federal government to make the most out of this remote workforce and telework environment we find ourselves in today. Pairing LG’s robust portfolio of government-mandated secure products with Iron Bow’s decades of technology expertise and services, the federal government can now realize not only a successful remote work place but also an efficient way to accomplish their mission-critical actions.
*Originally posted on the Iron Bow TechSource Blog