Force3 Forges Ahead With Network Management in a Software-Defined Future

Force3 is an IT solutions provider, with an emphasis on the federal government. Our federal contracts grant us access to our customers, allowing us to deliver IT solutions to the government. We have differentiated ourselves with two things: software-defined networking, and security – primarily around Cisco Identity Services Engine, and companies such as Palto Alto Networks.

Software-Defined Networking

Software-defined networking is basically abstracting the management and control plan from the network and centralizing it. This helps in a couple of ways, for instance, centralized management allows for the automation of certain tasks. Currently, in the networking space, engineers are configuring each device individually, whereas, software-defined networking takes a more centralized approach.

Many security breaches are due to configuration errors, so it also minimizes the number of tweaking – touch it once and the network is configured. Another area is macrosegmentation, where we segment different networks or services from each other.  

Typical Clients

We were recently acquired by Sirius Computer Solutions, and they are primarily in the commercial space. Force3 is the federal arm, as a subsidiary to Sirius Computer Solutions. Our main focus is federal civilian and the Department of Defense (DoD).

Impact of Acquisition by Sirius Computer

The acquisition has had very minimal impact on our operations to date. Sirius has a very large commercial presence and Force3 has had a primarily federal presence. Actually, the two companies complement each other very well, with a lot of the same technologies and methodology. The main focus of Sirius has been commercial, which is why Force3 has continued to run as a subsidiary, in the federal space.

Rate of Adoption by Federal Agencies

We have done 71 deployments with regards to Identity Services Engine around security in particular. Software-Defined Networking is brand new, and even though we are doing some deployments for some customers, it is still so new that we are evangelizing. For Force3, software-defined networking is an architectural discussion with customers, and we have talked to a number of DoD agencies, as well as civilian agencies.

Resellers

We are resellers of a number of different items – too many to list, but our main focus has been around technologies such as routing, switching, unified communication, data center technologies, security and software-defined networking. These are really where we have our biggest capabilities.

Biggest Partners

Some of our partners include Cisco, VMware, Splunk, F5, EMC. Cisco has been our bread and butter for a number of years – in fact, our office is directly across the street from their Herndon office in Va. Right now, about 65 percent of our business is Cisco.

Current Focus

Our biggest focus is on our software-defined networking, which is centered around Cisco’s Application Centric Infrastructure, and VMware’s NSX (virtualized network platform) product. Both are focused on network virtualization and software-defined networking.

Projecting the Future

With the number of engineers that Sirius Computer has on staff, I can certainly see Force3 growing their federal presence. At the last count, Sirius had about 17,000 employees, whereas Forec3 has 200. Force3 has brand recognition in the federal space, as well as security clearance – a clear facility that we will continue to maintain as a Sirius Computer subsidiary.

 

Profile

Speaker: Steve Garcia, Business Development Manager at Force3

As the Business Development Manager, Steve is focused on accelerating the adoption of Software-Defined Networking (SDN), both from a hypervisor and an infrastructure perspective. He is helping develop this business across all verticals: Federal Civilian, DOD, Commercial, and SLED.

force3About Force3

Force 3 is a Network Security Company.  They provide infrastructure services to design, deploy, support and maintain their clients’ technology needs. Their team of passionate experts includes industry-leading security professionals, with the highest levels of certifications, proficiencies and experience. They also boast the only dedicated support service offering in the Federal market, ensuring optimal uptime to keep your infrastructure running efficiently. Whether an enterprise network, mobility, collaboration, data center or next-generation solution – Force3’s highly trained engineers and strategic partnerships enable them to deliver secure solutions for agencies who demand value and reliability.