Bringing Together FSIs and Emerging Tech Innovators

During the 40 plus years I’ve worked in the government technology arena, I’ve watched IT transform from an afterthought to a mission-critical component of national security, citizen services and every facet of government operations.

As the challenges become increasingly complex, partnerships between large federal systems integrators (FSIs) and smaller, emerging companies have proven to be an important element in mission success. FSIs reduce the risks involved in developing complex, expensive systems because of their documented past performance on other government projects, and they are particularly skilled at bringing together multiple technologies to deliver a comprehensive solution.

Emerging technology companies enable FSIs to stay on the leading edge, ahead of new threats and new service requirements. They also collaborate with FSIs to help the government design more creative and cost-effective ways to deploy systems.

The partnership between FSIs and emerging tech companies comes at a time in which something new is always happening. Major upgrades to platforms occur every six to nine months, capability acquisition and company merging happens two to three times per year: —all of this is caught up in the speed of change. It’s therefore vital for these partnerships to not only anticipate, but drive innovation and modernization, because both will see benefits for their government customers. Having FSIs and smaller tech companies together in one ecosystem is ultimately a game changer for the government as a whole.

When Carahsoft hosts Emerging Technology Days that put FSI leaders in the same room with up-and-coming technology companies, it’s amazing to see the light bulbs come on and the enthusiasm increase as these problem-solvers discover new innovations that can help meet the needs of the government as a whole, which tracks all the way down to the individual citizen. FSI leaders bring their performance experience to the table, and up-and-coming tech companies bring in flexibility and new ideas to the public sector. In the end, everyone benefits and stays ahead of the curve.

These partnerships enable the capabilities that make the government more effective, reduce operational costs, improve the quality of services and keep cyber threats at bay. That’s why Carahsoft is proud of the role we play in bringing these teams together.