Total 643 words used.
THE CHALLENGE:
In 1969, U.S. Department of Defense researchers successfully connected four computers across three college campuses in California and one in Utah1. This connection catalyzed rapid advancements in telecommunications that later culminated in web-based platforms like Cisco WebEx, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Zoom. These products revolutionized the workplace and provided hybrid/remote work that became critical during the COVID pandemic of 2020.
Despite the exponential growth of these products, their limitations became increasingly apparent as workplace dependence on them grew. Each web-based meeting platform came with distinct specifications, required separate software deployments and licensing agreements, and some relied on proprietary hardware investments. Above all, none of these systems communicated with one another and collaboration between institutions using different systems was a challenge.
TACKLING THE CHALLENGE:
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) met this challenge with the motto, “Any time, any place, any platform,” and quickly went to work on a solution that would cleanly integrate all products and save taxpayer dollars. To do so, the Network Services Team worked with staff from Operations and IT Security to analyze DOL’s telecommunications infrastructure and develop a plan of action.
Prior to 2020, DOL provided multiple web-based collaborative tools, including Cisco Videoconference Lines (VCLs) and WebEx, Microsoft Teams, and Skype. Each tool was required to meet specific needs like virtual small group meetings, virtual meetings for 10,000+ attendees, or hybrid meetings. No single tool was standardized across DOL’s enterprise and none of the tools communicated with one another. At the beginning of the pandemic, OCIO implemented Microsoft Teams as its standard for virtual meetings. This led to the question: “How do we have a hybrid meeting in our conference rooms with those that are remote?”
THE SOLUTION:
In March 2022, the Network Services Team completed a successful DOL-wide deployment of a product from Pexip that allowed all standard web-based virtual meeting platforms to interconnect. For the first time, DOL staff working from onsite Cisco VTC stations in conference rooms could communicate with remote staff using Microsoft Teams.
The successful rollout of Pexip was a huge improvement for DOL. Prior to implementation, Cisco-enabled conference room meetings could only communicate with other Cisco-enabled conference rooms and with others that had the conference bridge information. This setup prevented remote workers using Microsoft Teams from meeting with onsite workers in conference rooms with Cisco video endpoints. This all changed when Pexip integrated with Microsoft Teams. Users on Microsoft Teams could finally communicate with those users that are in the office and vice versa. Also, DOL staff could now fully collaborate with both internal and external customers and all meetings could be scheduled through Microsoft Outlook – DOL's enterprise tool for email and calendar management.
THE BENEFITS:
Aside from the collaborative benefits resulting from the integration of web-based meeting platforms, the rollout of the Pexip tool also provided tremendous logistical and financial savings. Because all standard web-based meeting platforms can now integrate with the already installed Cisco VTC platform, DOL did not have to invest in additional hardware installations, software deployments, and additional licensing fees to upgrade in-house conference rooms. Additionally, DOL sponsored Pexip for FedRAMP certification. As a result, the Telecommunications Team saved DOL $2 million in hardware upgrades and over $1 million in installation labor. Furthermore, the ability for onsite staff using Cisco VTC to collaborate with remote staff using Microsoft Teams allowed DOL to quickly act on President Biden’s 2023 initiative for government workers to return to meaningful in-person work. It also reduced illness downtime by allowing staff with minor illness to collaborate remotely without spreading germs to others. Overall, the Pexip tool provided many benefits to DOL in addition to a seamless collaborative solution that is used at the highest levels of the department.
1. Early sketch of ARPANET's first four nodes - Scientific American
Nomination Title: Network Services Team
