Connecting the U.S. Department of the Interior

The article was co-written with Tony Bardo, Assistant Vice President of Government Solutions at Hughes.

For the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), protecting the country’s natural resources, including national parks and tribal lands, requires a coordinated effort across 70,000 employees, 280,000 volunteers and 2,400 locations. Keeping that ecosystem and sites connected is no small feat, especially as the agency depends increasingly upon cloud-based and online systems and applications. To optimize its network for today and tomorrow, the DOI is undertaking a 13-year $1.6 billion network modernization effort  with CenturyLink, who partners with HughesON™ Managed Network Services to support DOI and their remote offices and sites.

Many DOI field offices  – such as those for the National Park Service; the U.S. Geological Survey; the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; and the Bureaus of Indian Affairs, Land Management, and Reclamation –  are located in areas that are unserved by traditional terrestrial connectivity options. At treasured sites like Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore, satellite broadband offers one of the only options to deliver reliable, high-speed connectivity. In other branch locations, offices can take advantage of multiple transport technologies.

Using the best-available transport at each site, the HughesON solution leverages a mix of cable, fiber, 4G, fixed wireless and High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) and, using the Hughes HR4860 branch gateway at each site, interconnects seamlessly with the overall DOI network managed by CenturyLink. The HR4860 is a single device that combines next-generation firewall security, routing, and broadband optimization, plus SD-WAN functionality into one easy-to-deploy and manage platform that offers dramatic cost savings over multiple box solutions.

“We welcome the opportunity to partner with CenturyLink to help modernize the Department of the Interior’s network across the United States – ensuring fast, reliable, and efficient high-speed broadband for civic services enjoyed by millions of Americans every day,” said Tony Bardo, assistant vice president of government solutions at Hughes. “Connecting so many Department of the Interior agencies across the country is a complex undertaking, and the selection of HughesON Managed Services will ensure the DOI has the right expertise and resources in place as part of the push to modernize its vast network infrastructure.”

“This network modernization project is a major undertaking on the part of the Department of the Interior, and we’re proud to have Hughes on board as our partner for the years ahead,” said Dave Young, CenturyLink Senior Vice President, Public Sector. “This is not a ‘one-and-done’ arrangement – we’re focused on ensuring long-term success for the DOI’s network infrastructure, and we know Hughes is the right partner to make sure we achieve our goals.”

From managing National Parks to mapping the country and restoring beaches, the work of the DOI impacts all Americans. The Hughes and CenturyLink partnership will help ensure the department can continue its important work in the modern era with fast, reliable and efficient high-speed broadband virtually anywhere in the country.

Learn more about CenturyLink’s government network solutions.

Learn more about Hughes government solutions.

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