How thinking outside of the box helped the FBI advance its IT during challenging times

As the author Napoleon Hill said, “A resourceful person will always make opportunity fit his or her needs.” Resourcefulness is an invaluable trait for business leaders. It may come more naturally to some than others, but it’s a skill every leader must practice and refine.  

This is especially true in today’s world: Budgets are tight for many organizations, and economic and geopolitical instability fuel market uncertainty. Every company is under pressure to do more with less, maintain a high level of agility, and simultaneously drive innovation.   

At the same time, big changes are on the horizon. The Defense Department recently released a new strategy on its use of data analytics and artificial intelligence as it pushes for additional AI investment. It’s no secret that AI will impact every industry as it continues to proliferate. It’s just one more reason why companies need to be resourceful: So they have the budget and flexibility to take advantage of game-changing technologies as they emerge.   

My own resourcefulness was put to the test during my time working for the FBI during the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost overnight, an organization that had historically required employees to work in an office setting (with the exception of fieldwork), had to pivot to a fully remote model without disrupting countless critical objectives that were underway.  

It was a formidable challenge, but I was ultimately able to help the FBI’s IT program leapfrog forward in its strategy. Here’s how I made it happen, and how other organizations can think outside of the box in the face of big change to come out ahead.   

Ask simple questions to establish a vision

It’s not hard to imagine how a landmark event like a worldwide pandemic could throw an organization into complete chaos. At the FBI, there was an immediate need to procure thousands of laptops so employees could work remotely, and they also needed the ability to work from their personal devices in the interim. Security was of paramount concern given the sensitive nature of much of the work being carried out. On top of all that, we were dealing with a budget shortfall and frequent equipment failures.   

When going up against a significant challenge, it’s important to take a step back and ask simple questions. It can be tempting to, as the saying goes, “throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks” in a frenzied attempt to find a quick solution, but asking questions to establish a clear vision first is critical. Without one, it’s nearly impossible to get buy-in from CFOs, other key stakeholders, and users. People need to understand the why in order to get on board with change.   

Get curious and ask some pared-down questions: What is the business’ core function? What is the most pressing need at this exact moment? For the FBI, it all came down to mobility: Employees urgently needed the ability to work securely from anywhere since there was no telling how long the pandemic would last. By asking these simple questions, we were able to determine a clear vision, get buy-in, and act quickly.  

Bring in different minds to solve complex problems

Once a vision has been established, it’s time to execute. My team and I solved the FBI’s mobility challenge by bringing different types of thinkers together each week for open-forum conversations. Everyone from highly technical engineers to purely operational folks played a role in devising our plan of action.   

Less technical people can provide value in the form of bold ideas that aren’t limited by a deep technical understanding, whereas a technologically inclined cohort can offer out-of-the-box solutions for things like reducing technical debt. In our case, the FBI was rapidly purchasing devices to support mobility and needed ways to consolidate, reutilize and repurpose equipment as much as possible (more on this in a moment).  

It’s this diversity of thought that makes solving complex problems feasible. Prioritize bringing people with different strengths and expertise together to have conversations — there’s no telling where it may lead.   

Strike a balance between consolidation and redundancies

Leaner budgets, fewer employees and less overall resources mean organizations need to get crafty with what’s available to them. As the FBI procured an astonishing amount of mobile equipment during the pandemic, my team and I came up with strategies on how to consolidate it and simultaneously use the opportunity to overcome some of our existing technical debt.  

Organizations should take regular inventories of their equipment, processes and technologies to analyze whether they’re leveraging their resources to their fullest potential. A good first step is looking at funding to determine where the money is going. From there, a company can identify where it may be inadvertently doubling up on efforts and right the ship accordingly.  

The other side of this is that redundancies are sometimes necessary. If a system is consistently going down, for example, the organization needs to determine the root cause and provide backup as necessary. Striking a balance between consolidating resources and introducing new solutions/additional support as needed is essential for balancing budget and keeping operations running smoothly.   

Work with vendors on tailor-made solutions  

Finally, companies can lean on vendors for more than just readymade solutions. With the help of the FBI’s engineering team and key vendor partners, we were able to create customized solutions to fit the FBI’s specific needs. These solutions empowered employees to work freely from anywhere — whether that was home, a car, the office or deep in the field — while maintaining security and essential functionality.   

Every business has its own unique set of challenges it’s set out to solve, but many times a vendor’s solution can only get them part of the way there. Don’t be afraid to push the envelope when it comes to innovation: Sit down with vendors and have discussions about where the business is currently and where it needs to be. Vendors generally have significantly more deep, technical engineering resources than businesses, so take advantage and watch innovation flourish.  

No one could’ve predicted the changes that rocked the world in 2020, and new challenges are constantly emerging. There’s no telling what the future holds, but one thing is certain: Businesses need to be resourceful to thrive in today’s market. Despite what obstacles may lie ahead, businesses can stay resilient by heeding the advice above and thinking outside of the box.  

Dean Phillips is a retired FBI senior executive and board member of Noname Security. 

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