FEATUREDApplication Development & Modernization
- SolutionsMain MenuSolutions
- Cloud
Cut through the complexity of cloud technology and unlock its full potential with multi and hybrid cloud solutions and services.
- Collaboration
Unlock collaboration that uplifts your organizations with cloud-based tools from Microsoft and Cisco to bring teams together.
- Compliance
Conquer security compliance complexities with targeted advising and assessment tailored to your company’s unique circumstances.
- Data Center
Form the foundation of more secure, more successful operations with IT data center solutions and strategies.
- DevOps & Automation
Leverage DevOps and cloud-native principles to achieve business goals, enhance software delivery, and future-proof infrastructure.
- Networking
Design a reliable networking solution around the requirements of your organization.
- Security
Implement secure, scalable, and repeatable security measures shaped to serve your specific business needs.
- Telecom & Broadband
Stay ahead of network needs and the competition with tailored optical transport and network infrastructure solutions.
- Cloud
- Success StoriesMain MenuSuccess Stories
- Application Development & Modernization
FEATUREDApplication Development & ModernizationApplication Development to Provide 360° View of Customer Data
Read MoreFEATUREDApplication Development & ModernizationApplication Development to Unlock New Financial Markets
Read MoreFEATUREDApplication Development & ModernizationOn-going Support Maintains Application Growth
Read More - Automation
- Cloud
- Collaboration
- ComplianceFEATUREDCompliance, Security
Transforming Risk Management and Compliance with OneTrust
Read MoreFEATUREDComplianceEmpowering a Leading Cloud Security Provider with BlueAlly’s Expertise in SOC 2 Compliance
Read MoreFEATUREDCase StudySecurity by Design – Meeting PCI Compliance for an Online Retailer
Read More - DevOps
- Digital Commerce
- Data Center
- Security
- Application Development & Modernization
- Insights & ResourcesMain MenuInsights & Resources
- Blog
- NewsroomFEATUREDPress Release
BlueAlly Recognized on the Prestigious 2024 CRN Tech Elite 250 List
Read MoreFEATUREDPress ReleaseBlueAlly Announces Brand Revitalization, Highlighting Recent Strategic Growth and Reaffirming Its Commitment to Clients and Partners
Read MoreFEATUREDPress ReleaseBlueAlly Acquires Corporate Armor, Strengthening Online Presence & Expanding Vendor Alliances
Read More - Markets
- Case StudiesFEATUREDCase Study
Vendor & Infrastructure Diversity Reduces Risk and Improves Security
Read MoreFEATUREDCase StudyDigital Experience (DX) Monitoring – Solving for Intermittent Performance
Read MoreFEATUREDCase StudyPoor Work-From-Home Application Performance Drives Digital Experience (DX) Monitoring
Read More
Collaboration to Unify Government Communications
A Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C) solution designed for rapid scalability, security, redundancy, and availability is critical for future-proofing IT and communications infrastructure to enable organizational growth. However, a government body such as the Office of the Sergeant at Arms (SAA) in the U.S. Senate must meet specific architecture requirements to adhere to federal regulations when completing an IT and communications transition project.
Government bodies must also contend with vast IT infrastructure spanning hundreds of nationwide offices. To meet these challenges, BlueAlly assisted in designing, implementing, and supporting the SAA’s UC&C solution. The new UC&C platform effectively replaced the SAA’s legacy enterprise voice-based communications systems, unifying communications capabilities across the organization.
Sergeant at Arms (SAA)
The SAA manages all IT hardware, software, and services required for daily operations at all Senate facilities, including the Senate floor, chambers, galleries, and associated support buildings. It also oversees the Senate’s offices and committees in Washington, D.C. and its nationwide IT infrastructure. In addition, the SAA provides communications and connectivity support for Senate staff traveling internationally.
Sergeant at Arms (SAA)
The SAA manages all IT hardware, software, and services required for daily operations at all Senate facilities, including the Senate floor, chambers, galleries, and associated support buildings. It also oversees the Senate’s offices and committees in Washington, D.C. and its nationwide IT infrastructure. In addition, the SAA provides communications and connectivity support for Senate staff traveling internationally.
The Problem
The SAA’s legacy enterprise voice-based communications system was an on-premises, redundant platform with instances in two data centers. The SAA wanted to implement a UC&C solution to support large and distributed service needs more efficiently, including approximately 7,000 endpoints in Washington, D.C., and additional endpoints in nationwide offices. The SAA’s previous, cloud-based unified communications solution was at the end of its lifecycle, with the SAA facing high costs to extend the solution while providing the same capabilities to its state offices as it had in its D.C. offices.
A project of this size presents substantial implementation challenges due to the number of systems requiring transition and the specific architecture and hosting requirements for each solution component. The SAA also had to meet significant availability requirements for “always online” connectivity while maintaining the ability to scale rapidly as the SAA’s IT and communications infrastructure grew.
The BlueAlly Solution
The SAA approved BlueAlly’s UC&C solution design and collaborated to orchestrate the implementation of a state-of-the-art UC&C solution standardized on market-leading unified communications technologies from the Cisco Unified Communications portfolio. However, the platform’s design and implementation requirements called for more complex solutions than a simple architectural design solution, necessitating many application integrations to meet federal requirements. These included over 20 third-party applications integrated into the Cisco Unified Communications and Collaboration platform, combining on-premises and cloud hosting components for Unified Communications, Voice Messaging, Contact Center, Conferencing, Microsoft Teams Integration, Systems Administration, and more.
The SAA’s UC&C solution was designed to ensure network, geographic, compute, application, and cloud redundancy, enhancing availability and resiliency. Due to federal security and privacy requirements, the SAA requested that BlueAlly design the solution to ensure the Cisco UC&C platform and all integrated applications share a common security framework and are monitored by the SAA’s existing security tools and team. BlueAlly worked closely with the SAA to provide end-user training and engineering training on implementing the SAA’s UC&C platform while planning and executing the transition of 100 Senate offices in Washington, D.C. and more than 400 Senate offices across the United States. BlueAlly currently provides ongoing operations and maintenance support for the SAA’s UC&C solution.
The Results
Through the partnership, the SAA exceeded expectations and completed its massive IT and communications transition project in 18 months, integrating its D.C. and state campuses into the same UC&C platform for the first time. The solution meets the SAA’s unique architecture requirements and is designed for rapid scalability, redundancy, availability, and security, positioning the SAA for continued growth and organizational collaboration.