AT&T awarded contract to deliver secure Internet connections to federal agencies
The Networx program — Networx Universal and Networx Enterprise — is the the U.S. federal government’s largest telecommunications program, with a ceiling of $48.1 billion over ten years; AT&T wins a chunk of Networx Universal
Good news for AT&T. The General Services Administration (GSA) announced that AT&T has been awarded the first contract to deliver secure Internet connections to federal agencies via the Networx Universal telecommunications program. AT&T will offer Managed Trusted Internet Protocol Services under the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Trusted Internet Connections initiative, announced in November 2007. The initiative aims to reduce the number of Internet connections in the federal government to fewer than 100 in 2009; the exact deadline has yet to be determined. “GSA has provided resources to assist the successful implementation of the TIC initiative and made information systems security a priority in their strategic plans,” said Karen Evans, OMB administrator for e-government and information technology. “Fewer external connections mean fewer vulnerabilities and better secured networks.”
Nextgov’s Gautham Nagesh writes that Networx Universal is an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract vehicle with a ceiling of $48.1 billion over ten years. Combined with Networx Enterprise, it is the federal government’s largest telecommunications program.
AT&T’s latest offering will include a system to detect computer network intrusions as well as a security operations center to protect agencies’ networks. GSA still is evaluating secure Internet connection proposals from Verizon and Qwest Communications, the other two vendors on Networx Universal.
