Level 3 to provide LAN managed services to US DHS

The US Department of Homeland Security has awarded a contract to Level 3 Communications to deliver a complete suite of local area network (LAN) managed services for the federal agency within the National Capital Region (NCR).

Awarded under the multi-year, multi-million dollar Washington Interagency Telecommunications System (WITS) 3 contract, work under the contract also involves installation of cabling and equipment to network design, engineering, monitoring and management.

Integrating extensive network reach, expertise and management services, Level 3 will deliver a completely outsourced network technology that combines managed voice, audio and video conferencing, transport, Ethernet and IP within the NCR.

Further, the developed technology enable connecting about 60 DHS sites, which include the recently integrated DHS’ St. Elizabeths headquarters.

Level 3 Communications East Region Enterprise and Government Markets senior vice president Edward Morche said: "Today, federal agencies are facing increasing pressure to keep pace with explosive demands for actionable data and remote access to information, while also managing significant budget constraints as a result of sequestration.

"This new operating environment is compelling government IT leaders to think differently and seek outsourced solutions, where previously they may have dedicated internal resources to solving problems we address every day at Level 3."

Under the contract, Level 3 employees will also deliver on-site professional services support at the DHS Network Operations Center to carry out 24/7 remote monitoring of the network both within the contiguous US and globally.

They will oversee all network routers, switches, firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDPS), wireless access points (WAP) and private branch exchange (PBX) management.

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