From Sea to Shining Sea: Connected Government at Work

Federal News Radio sat down recently with three subject matter experts from Avaya Government Solutions: Don Turner, DoD technology lead for Avaya’s engineering team; Mitch Robinson, senior manager of business development and David Moss, director of Avaya’s federal healthcare practice.

Avaya is uniquely able to offer assistance at many levels. They have garnered a hard-earned reputation for knowledge of communication systems; Avaya has leveraged that starting point to provide the ability to manage networks, improve security, and reduce the cost of the transition to the cloud.

Don Turner is a technology lead who addressed the way Avaya can assist in managing IoT as well as improving network security through segmentation. Avaya can give your network the ability to “sense” when a small device, a sensor, or anything that comes under the banner of IoT is active on the network. A network designed with the assistance of Avaya can give you the tools to control the activity of any device on a network.

Sometimes the correct structure of the network can provide security. Turner described the way Avaya can provide “safe zones” through a concept called network segmentation. There is truth to the statement that network perimeters have dissolved. We must adapt to a new environment and select new methods to provide security.

Mitch Robinson discussed how a network can efficiently manage physical infrastructure as well. The federal government is seeking ways to reduce costs. Today’s modern networks can use sensors to save energy and improve physical security as well.

Few companies can show how a well-managed network can improve patient outcomes as well as reducing costs in a hospital. David Moss told a compelling story of exactly how Avaya has helped reduce food costs to save millions of dollars in a large hospital. Sensors on beds can help improve service given to patients as well.

The Avaya Government Solutions story is one of taking existing technology and applying innovation to help federal agencies accomplish the serious business of reducing cost and increasing flexibility while improving cybersecurity.

Moderator

John Gilroy, Host of Federal Tech Talk, Federal News Radio

John Gilroy has been a member of the Washington D.C. technology community for over twenty years. In 2007 he began weekly interviews on Federal News Radio called “Federal Tech Talk with John Gilroy.”   His 428 interviews provides the basis for profitable referral business. In 2009 he created a successful breakfast club of previous radio guests called The Technology Leadership Roundtable. He has been instrumental in two of his guests forming their own radio shows:  Derrick Dortch with “Fed Access” and Aileen Black and Gigi Schumm with “Women in Washington.”

In 2011 he began teaching a course in social media marketing at Georgetown University; in March of 2014, John won the Tropaia Award for Outstanding Faculty.  John conducts monthly corporate training for large companies on how to leverage social media to generate revenue.

Panelists

Don Turner, Technology Lead, Engineering Team, Avaya Government Solutions

Don Turner is currently the DoD Sales Engineering Manager at Avaya Government Solutions.  The Sales Engineering Team provides technical guidance to DoD customers worldwide.   His key role is to evangelize technology trends and industry-wide shifts to create engaging, collaborative solutions for audio, web, and video technologies that meet the demanding security requirements of the DoD.

Throughout his 19-years with Bay Networks, Nortel and Avaya, Don has built a reputation for understanding many technology areas and how they directly relate to solving customer needs.  He assists in developing business strategies, marketing programs, and whitepapers to reinforce the accurate positioning of collaboration solutions to the Federal Government customer segment.

Embracing the core values of integrity, innovation, and growth, Don is constantly involved in presentations at major events like Enterprise Connect and International Avaya User Group (IAUG) conferences.  He also consults with Avaya’s business partners to ensure that they have a clear and concise understanding of the application of technology to solve customer problems.

Mitch Robinson, Senior Manager, Business Development, Avaya Government Solutions

Mitch Robinson has more than thirty years’ experience developing products, organizations, and teams and is passionate about applying innovative technologies to improve the business of public and private sector organizations.  With a particular focus on next-generation networking, Mitch sees tremendous potential for advanced Software-Defined Networking and its ability to integrate with exciting new technologies—from the evolving Internet of Things (IOT) to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related cognitive technologies

Prior to joining Avaya, Mitch founded and developed a number of start-up companies focused on a range of technologies, from global satellite deployment to telecommunications management, to wireless and information systems implementation.  Among these assignments, he served as President of Maryland-based Telecore, President and CEO of Cerona Networks, and President and CEO of ViaCast Networks.  He also has tenure as a Program Manager with Hughes Network Systems and as a Business Development Executive with Raytheon.

Mitch has an active role in Avaya’s just-announced alliance to support the development of a “smart city” of the future in Ashburn, Virginia.  He seeks opportunities to collaborate with customers to help modernize operations, apply the latest technologies, and consider new ways of meeting business and mission objectives.

Mitch served ten years as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and he holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Information Systems from National University.

David Moss, Director of Federal Healthcare Practice, Avaya Government Solutions

David Moss is focused on process improvement, helping customers determine how to solve complex problems with modern technologies and proven deployment strategies.  He is particularly experienced with integrating collaboration tools and techniques within existing and emerging workflows to improve patient and provider outcomes.

With more than 30 years’ experience in the information technology and telecommunications industries, David brings a diverse expertise to advancing the quality of healthcare programs across the public sector.

During his tenure with Avaya, David has supported the needs of healthcare providers supporting diverse requirements across both the public and private sectors.  Prior to this assignment, he held positions of increasing responsibility with Siemens, where he focused on global collaboration strategy, and Tandberg (a division of Cisco), where he served as Vice President of Sales for the public sector.  David has a strong track record in developing effective teams focused on customer satisfaction.

Previously, David was Vice President of Sales (Americas) for VCON, a developer and manufacturer of software and collaboration solutions.  He holds a Bachelor of Communications from Trenton State College.

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.