From service desk to secure collaboration

Client overview/vision:

• A large government agency is responsible for keeping the nation secure and stable across a range of services, including cyber and critical infrastructure, emergency response and citizenship
• In addition to achieving the government’s goals, the agency is also dedicated to becoming a top employer of choice by creating better experiences for its staff with digital workspaces and cutting-edge technology

Objectives:

• Meet the technology support needs of 18,000 staff and their 30,000 desktops, laptops and tablets
• Upgrade a legacy biometrics solution to fulfill the growing demand for and volume of biometrics data gathered and analyzed every day
• Implement new solutions as needed to help teams across the agency perform more efficiently and achieve greater employee satisfaction
• Scale solutions and adjust technology strategies quickly in response to new threats and shifting global dynamics

Solutions: 

• Deployed digital workplace solutions, including Unisys Next-Generation Service Desk, to provide 18,000 users with technology support
• Integrated cybersecurity solutions and data and analytics solutions such as Unisys Digital Identity and Access Management and Unisys Data Center Management to manage and leverage biometrics technology and data

Why Unisys?

Unisys services and solutions, which have integrated Unisys experts as part of the agency’s teams since 2007, have:

• Developed a nationwide border security system that includes multi-factor identity management and authentication to streamline and track traveler processing and enables secure data sharing among government agencies
• Maintained a longstanding history of service desk support, field services, desktop endpoint support, project services and other offerings that have helped keep the agency running despite a shrinking budget
• Created pulse surveys and opportunities for open feedback to improve engagement and ongoing collaboration

Results and benefits:

• Transformed a low-volume, single-purpose biometrics system into a powerful multipurpose platform that has scaled with growth and can handle 100,000 transactions every day
• Strengthened collaboration between Unisys experts and the agency’s teams and third-party vendors to develop solutions that improve how staff work and fulfill the agency’s goals
• Established an on-call, 24/7 field support model for high-priority incidents and escalations that also improves resource management and fulfills staffing needs during peak periods

A large government agency responds rapidly to a changing landscape of threats. It’s responsible for central coordination, strategy and policy leadership spanning cyber and critical infrastructure resilience, emergency management and securing the nation’s sovereignty and citizenship. With a growing list of responsibilities and a shrinking budget, the agency turns to a partner who can provide more than just IT support — it can also enable a new technology strategy fit for the future.

Enabling stability, security and prosperity for a diverse nation

Doing more with less — that’s the challenge confronting most government agencies worldwide today. For one public sector agency, this challenge grows alongside the threat of foreign interference, organized crime, natural disasters and much more.

In addition, the agency is an active participant in its country’s prosperity and unity, managing and delivering migration, humanitarian and refugee programs. To promote social cohesion, it enables multicultural programs and settlement services and manages and confers citizenship.

The agency does all this with a budget that shrinks more each year. Despite underfunding and budget cuts, it’s moving toward a flexible and remote workforce, one that’s prepared to enable a better future for the country. Along the way, it knows it needs to improve efficiencies, stabilize operations and make proactive technology investments that can support its key objectives.

For example, a low-volume system designed to prevent illegal fishers from entering the country’s waters needed to transform into a large-scale biometrics solution that could handle as many as 100,000 transactions every day.

Empowering a government with ongoing support and a modern strategy

Since 2007, this large government agency has achieved its most important outcomes with Unisys as a partner in technology support and strategy.

Unisys serves as both an ongoing support partner and a strategic collaborator. Tailored on-demand support spans the service IT desk, desktop end support, field services, midrange hardware support and classified network support. Unisys also empowers the agency with project services to develop cutting-edge technology solutions that keep the agency ahead of new threats and shifting global dynamics.

Through the service desk, the agency has 24/7 access to support to keep the agency’s vital systems running. It’s the first point of contact for IT support for all 18,000 of the agency’s users, powered by Unisys Next-Generation Service Desk and additional solutions and services for the digital workplace. Specifically, the agency uses Unisys Unified Endpoint Management, Unisys Frontline Field Services, Unisys Enterprise Service Management and Unisys Hardware and Software Asset Management solutions. All these offerings come together to create a comprehensive, integrated technology approach.

With Next-Generation Service Desk, more than 65% of the agency’s requests are fixed on first contact with the user.

The success of this partnership is built on Unisys solutions and a dedicated network of Unisys resources. Through Unisys, the agency can access 120 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff. In addition to the help desk, Unisys also provides:

• Field services: Site-based support at ~150 locations nationwide covers over 30,000 desktops, laptops and tablets.
• Desktop endpoint support: More than 20 engineers collaborate with the agency’s teams and third-party vendors to deliver integrated solutions that improve how users work.
• Midrange hardware support: Server management, hardware maintenance, firmware updates, and around-the-clock incident management keep the agency running more securely.
• Project services: A wide range of projects begin on the fly to meet the agency’s needs as they emerge. These include system upgrades, software and application developments and domain migrations.
• Service management: Engagements with all areas of the agency, its vendor ecosystem and partners provide incident management, asset management, reporting and dashboarding services as well as change management and knowledge support.

In 2024, the agency turned to Unisys for classified network support. This improves service to users by offering an on-call, 24/7 field support model for high-priority incidents and escalations. It also provides a new level of resource management to better fulfill staffing needs during peak periods.

This and other services are supported by Unisys Data Center Management, Unisys Digital Identity and Access Management and Unisys Secure Segmented Network Access.

Collaborating on solutions that respond to emerging threats in real time

In 2023, Unisys completed more than 20 projects for the agency. This is part of a longstanding culture of collaboration that brings together Unisys and agency experts to find on-demand solutions to new problems facing the nation.

Unisys worked with the agency to create a unique biometrics matching system, one of their first engagements. Designed in 2007 to combat the issue of illegal fishers entering the country’s waters, Unisys has since scaled the solution to meet the growing demand for biometrics in a wide range of government operations.

The new border security solution is fit for volumes of up to 100,000 transactions per day. It ramps up the use of biometrics for the border and visa system, enabling people crossing the border to be accurately identified.

Unisys developed and deployed the solution to match, collect, store and analyze biometric data, including fingerprints, faces and parts of the eye. The system empowers the agency with in-the-moment decision-making for visa processing, refugees, protection claimants, border clearance, enforcement activity and citizenship matters. This enhances experiences for visa holders as they enter the country, which improves what is often people’s first experiences with the nation and its government. In addition, the solution creates a foundation to expand biometrics data to other agencies, upholding national security.

The transformation from a small single-use solution into a cutting-edge platform capable of scaling with massive demand represents the powerful outcomes of the agency’s collaboration with Unisys. This partnership has enabled cost savings through more efficient operations and overall service improvements.

Operating within budget and without worrying about its technology empowers the agency to focus on what matters most: keeping the nation and its citizens safe and secure.

To explore how an integrated partnership with Unisys can help meet growing demand with strained budgets, visit us online or contact us today.