Challenges for Government Agencies—Transforming Networks to Improve Performance
Transforming networks to deliver better performance in an era of rapidly changing technology is a huge challenge.
Government agencies are facing many challenges this fall—everything from the end of the fiscal year, to budgeting for the next fiscal year, and planning for a new administration. What a tall order for these agencies and their staff. The Hughes Government team discussed these issues with government decision makers and technology leaders during recent federal and state conferences. These meetings focused on helping government create strategies that can help government agencies better serve their constituents, stay connected with their remote offices, and make sure that their networks provide reliable and responsive operations, that, most importantly, maintain security. The following information explains how new technologies including 5G and managed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services can create networks that operate more efficiently, provide improved, geographic reach and ensure greater security.
Real-time, high-speed connectivity for staff and constituents
Government agencies want to keep citizens informed, providing access to real-time communications. Throughout a distributed network and inside local facilities, communications must be reliable and provide enough bandwidth for every user from early in the morning on a weekend to late at night during a weather emergency. Hughes provides enterprise-grade, LEO satellite services that are low latency so law enforcement officers, for example, can share critical video streams to keep citizens safe. This LEO technology delivers high-throughput connectivity as part of a managed service. This means government teams can rely on Hughes and the network to operate reliably, with minimal downtime during an outage, to maintain the contracted quality-of-service level and to access critical network updates when they are available.
Keeping your remote offices connected no matter the location
Robust government networks need to reach every staff person and citizen, from sites in small towns across the country to mountainous areas where installing communications technology is challenging and very expensive. Once again, Hughes managed LEO services can meet this challenge. With the Eutelsat OneWeb constellation that has more than 600 satellites orbiting the globe, users at these far-reaching, often disconnected sites receive the same reliable enterprise-grade service as sites in urban locations. In addition, Hughes can create a hybrid communications network where LEO services can support real-time applications like video calls and video sharing, while another communications path like Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites, can provide bandwidth for less latency sensitive applications such as email or Internet surfing.
Advanced, high-speed mobile connectivity with enhanced security
Next-generation wireless connectivity, most specially 5G, is moving ahead very quickly, and government users who are on-the-go all day need to leverage this capability. 5G technology supports mobile networks that can be designed to connect virtually every person, every organization and every “thing” together, including machines and devices. For example, 5G can help staff who need to download files while on the road away from a city or help a citizen share photos of their location with emergency support staff. We can easily imagine these applications as they are part of our everyday life. What about applications like supporting the Department of Homeland Security when they are on a small island that does not have strong wireless connectivity. Hughes can provide a 5G Standalone network that will enable this homeland security team to pursue their mission quickly and resiliently as the 5G network ensures high-level security based on Zero Trust security architecture technology.
In addition, the 5G Standalone networks have technical features that include:
- Modular, open systems approach with edge cloud processing
- Latest 5G SA network system features including network slicing
- Full spectrum threat detection and mitigation
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning support for network and security operations, and user applications
- Geostationary (GEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite backhaul and backup for deployment worldwide
Hughes knows that government teams need powerful, strong and secure networks for today’s missions and those on the horizon. The Hughes team looks forward to discussing your government network requirements and the efficiencies that you need to achieve.