Not for the Faint of Heart
- By Dan Myslewski
- Oct 01, 2011
Providing security in the government sector is not for the
faint of heart or the uncommitted. The government sector
requires expertise in high-level security applications,
advanced compliance requirements and the challenge of
securing funding.
I’ve been working in the government sector for more than a
decade and would say that these challenges are present constantly,
though they change a bit from year to year, committee to committee
and administration to administration. Thus, integrators must
be fully staffed and trained on design, integration, installation
and maintenance of physical security systems and solutions for
government customers.
As I’ve done in the past, this year I found myself navigating the
government procurement process, though it was a unique year due
to the funding issues facing Washington. Many government clients
did not have access to funding until late into the fiscal year because
Congress was passing a series of continuing funding resolutions
rather than a comprehensive budget that covered the whole year.
Budgeting constraints such as these provide an especially important
reason to stay close to government clients, because they cause clients
to have to prioritize their needs.
We worked closely with end users to maximize their budgets and
increase transparency. Also, our government program worked to
enhance the existing customers’ security platforms in unique ways to
maximize their investment.
When providing products and technology for the government
sector, a balance of innovative and proven solutions must be
delivered. Yes, the government sector in many instances is able to
pay for the highest security products and technology and also tends
to seek the newest, most innovative use of technology. However, just
as with all security customers, the end result has to be a product
and technology that is proven, reliable, stable and able to meet the
demanding everyday use of government facilities.
Right now, we are working on an exciting new product technology
offering for the government sector: an in-motion, at-a-distance, iris
biometric management solution. It offers the highest level of identity
management access control for areas, rooms, vehicle entry points and
especially high-throughput gates.
The product is made by the Hoyos Group, and we are working
with the company as an exclusive provider in the United States,
Canada and the United Kingdom. The government has already used
the product, and we are working to secure approval for additional
government agencies and applications.
The key to our success will be collaboration with government
agencies on their compliance requirements for this innovative and
game-changing technology.
Our government program works closely with decision-makers in
Washington, D.C. For that reason, we have an office in Washington,
so we can collaboratively interact with our government customers.
Our national footprint allows us to work closely with the regional
security decision-makers on their specialized needs, as well.
Multiple contracting vehicles are helpful in developing government
agency contracts that can quickly be completed as the government
fiscal year comes to a close. One must understand that the speed of
procurement, a tangible ROI and transparency are of the utmost
importance. We work with our government end users to tailor
solutions that fit their needs.
I have found that, in the same manner government customers
balance innovative technology with proven products, government
security end users are looking for a national provider with local
resources—someone who can work with the government customer
on unique application needs and local compliance requirements.
Forming strategic partnerships with government programs to
develop services and solutions greatly decreases the turnaround time
of proposal acceptance, installation completion and final project
certification approval. A government program needs to focus on
HSPD-12 and high-security solutions for our clients.
This article originally appeared in the October 2011 issue of Security Today.
About the Author
Dan Myslewski is the vice president of the national accounts government program at Stanley Convergent Security Solutions Inc.