Spectrum Enterprise has entered a multi-year contract with the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration to offer its portfolio of network, internet connectivity and cybersecurity solutions to government agencies and educational institutions.
While the company has been providing some technology solutions to these types of organizations in Wisconsin over the years, this new contract is a “significant development,” said Spectrum’s Rajat Mukherji, VP of vertical markets. Spectrum, a part of Charter Communications, Inc., is a provider of fiber technology solutions that serves businesses and communications service providers (CSPs).
Becoming a state-approved vendor allows Spectrum to streamline the procurement process for eligible groups to access solutions in its portfolio.
“As an approved state technology vendor under this contract, there will be greater visibility to the complete portfolio of Spectrum Enterprise products and services,” Mukherji said. “When we grow our client base, we are also simultaneously growing our network. This makes us a more competitive alternative for enterprise businesses in Wisconsin and beyond.”
The company’s complete portfolio of services is available on the State of Wisconsin VendorNet platform, including Ethernet, distributed denial of service (DDoS), managed router, switches, Fiber Connect Plus, SpectrumU, fiber internet access and network edge. Interested organizations can complete a form on the Spectrum website to be contacted by one of the company’s “government experts.”
Spectrum requires its local account managers in Wisconsin that service the public sector to take special training and become certified by the Center for Digital Government as State and Local Government Market Professionals. Employees who work with educational organizations are also “encouraged” to become certified as Education Market Professionals.
Mukherji noted that Spectrum was the first company to achieve these certifications from the Center for Digital Government.
“When our sales team has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that our clients are facing, they are better able to engage in meaningful conversations and are more readily able to offer solution recommendations that not only address a client’s current operational needs but also future plans,” Mukherji told Fierce.
The curriculum for the certification program is delivered by government and education professionals providing teams with “direct insight into those sectors,” Mukherji noted, which enables Spectrum's account managers to forge a smoother pathway with clients as they move through IT solutions design and procurement processes.
Spectrum participates in other state contracts including in California, New York, Ohio and Texas.
Cybersecurity needs and network management
In addition to network and internet connectivity services, Mukherji said Spectrum is seeing an interest in both cybersecurity protections and managed IT services across these industries.
“With the uptick in cyber threats, secure networking is more important than ever before since many organizations are leveraging private networks and accessing public cloud connections,” he added. “For over-stretched IT teams without a dedicated security lead, protecting the network and valuable data is a constant challenge.”
That said, a managed cybersecurity service can provide design, implementation and monitoring that protects network and data so personnel can focus on other priorities.
Mukherji said having “one trusted provider for managed services to perform multiple functions enables the extra pair of hands around the clock for protection from complex cybersecurity threats found in today’s working environment.”
Spectrum offers fully or co-managed services to help IT teams streamline operations and reduce the burden of network administration.