A confluence of trends has federal agencies accelerating the pace of modernizing their networks. As if rising costs of multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), and T1 technologies coupled with ever-increasing commercial cloud adoption didn’t push change, the advent of mass telework has further altered the concept of the network.

The defined network perimeter has been fading for a long time. Now the need to accommodate hundreds of thousands, even millions, of mobile and remote users, and their devices, has agencies evaluating what their next generation of network should look like. That, and the need to accommodate new applications like artificial intelligence, digital services and the integration of siloed systems for better mission-related decision making.

In this exclusive executive briefing, the following federal IT executives provide insight into the future of their networks:

• Kenneth Bible, Assistant Director, Command and Control, Marine Corps
• Luis Coronado, Executive Director, IT Operations, Department of Homeland Security
• Mike Mestrovich, Principal Deputy Chief Information Officer, Department of State
• Andrea T. Norris, Director, Center for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, National Institutes of Health
• Chris Ransbottom, Director of Defense Segment, Ciena Government Solutions Inc. (CGSI)
• Chief Warrant Officer 5 William Robinson, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Technical Advisor, Army
• Rob Sears, Director of Enterprise Network Program (NWAVE), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Jim Westdorp, Chief Technologist, Ciena Government Solutions Inc. (CGSI)