Securing mobile devices; ensuring everyone in the enterprise has good service in their area and sufficient data plans; pushing policy as regulations are updated — managing mobility can be a significant challenge.

The Office of the Comptroller of Currency, for one, has decided to get out of the game. The agency announced a new partnership on Oct. 6 for end-to-end mobile device management that turns administrative and support services over to a commercial partner.

"We're seeing a trend — especially on the civilian side of the federal government — looking for a systems integrator to provide them end-to-end mobility," said Kathleen Urbine, executive vice president of DMI's Government Mobility and Managed Service Group.

After users chose a device and carrier through the online portal, the phone is shipped to DMI offices to have the MDM system installed, allowing OCC to manage the devices remotely, including pushing down specific policies, restricting what applications can be added and wiping the device if it is lost or stolen.

The contract also allows for better security, as DMI will manage application vetting for all new apps being put in the OCC store.

"Basically they have a one-stop shop to take care of all their mobility needs," Urbine said, pointing out that the contract offers access to all major smart phone manufacturers, as well as the top carriers, making DMI more of a broker than a single solution provider.

The DMI solution chosen by OCC includes a virtual management platform developed by Citrix and hosted in the FedRAMP-approved AWS GovCloud.

"The administrative burden is completely off of the government," Urbine said. "They get the service that they require without the burden of having to have the facility and the hardware and the software and the staff to run it."

Urbine also noted that consolidating procurements for the entire OCC leads to cost savings, as the office can take advantage of economies of scale to get better pricing than it would if regional offices purchase devices on their own.

"OCC is very forward thinking and they did it the right way," Urbine said. "Having a turnkey solution and having somebody provide them the solution with SLAs to ensure they're getting the services they require and doing it with a pilot first — proving it, having everybody comfortable with it and then moving to a full rollout."

The contract has the potential to run for 10 years, with a one-year base and nine one-year add-on options.

About Aaron Boyd

Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.

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