Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – Unified Communications (UC)
The Client
The Department of Veterans Affairs serves America’s Veterans and is their principal advocate to ensure that they receive medical care, benefits, social support, and lasting memorials. The Department promotes the health, welfare, and dignity of all Veterans in recognition of their service to this Nation. The Agency has define three strategic goals:
- Empower Veterans to Improve Their Well-being
- Enhance and Develop Trusted Partnerships
- Manage and Improve VA Operations to Deliver Seamless and Integrated Support
To help in the attainment of these goals VA is implementing its Unified Communications (UC) Strategy to further leverage common services and reduce its IT footprint through the convergence of our facility voice, contact center, video, audio conferencing, and collaboration environments into a single platform and operational model. UC will help streamline communications and enable Veterans to manage their relationship with VA in a unified manner – with both, the Veteran and the VA employees serving them – able to access and maintain a holistic view of the Veteran’s complete profile along with services entitled, available, and provided.
Scope of Work
Ventura conducted comprehensive data collection across VA, gap analysis studies, and recommendations, These are some of the many tasks accomplished by our Team:
- Data collection and analyses at each VA Medical Center, and at 1,800 offices, agencies, and divisions; developed multiple recommendation reports for reengineering and best practice improvements.
- Performed analysis of the current state of the VA’s voice, data, video infrastructure, and related functional, business, and capacity (human and technical) capabilities and needs.
- Assessed, through interviews, surveys, and review of technical data, VA’s current telecommunications’ operations and maintenance program; the study covered 17 major categories including OneVA (the VA’s enterprise network), teleconference systems, RF management, satellite communications for emergency response, COOP, and a wide range of telecommunications systems and networks.
- Developed performance measures and metrics through analysis of existing staffing, business processes, IT operations, risk management, and many other criteria.
- Conducted an Analysis of Alternatives for hardware and software solutions which addressed architectures, supportability, business processes, goals, business cases, program structures, and governance supported by detailed cost-benefit data.
- Developed a comprehensive Risk Management plan with specific performance measurement tools to track risks accurately and monitor predictors; all risk categories were identified in the OMB 300 format, including those for steady state investment.
One of Ventura’s most important contributions on this project was our recommendation for an incremental approach. As technology continually evolves and, as VA organizations are better prepared to implement the business proceses and workflows, they will be able to take advantage – more effectively and efficiently – with the incremental adoption of technology.
The Results
As a Service Disabled, Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOB), Ventura is proud of the work we have done for VA and its everlasting impact at the Agency. The Director of Enterprise Network Services, Office of Information and Technology said the following about Ventura:
“Ventura’s contribution has enabled VA to further its goals of providing quality medical services and benefits to the veterans through IT enabled healthcare, rural healthcare initiatives, and telemedicine.“.
He also remarked the following “The strategic guidance and tactical services provided by Ventura have benefitted VA’s programs immensely. Ventura understood and applied technology to VA’s applications, assessed and planned for challenges and resource obstacles, and efficiently and effectively, in partnership with VA, laid the foundation for a robust future service delivery.”
“The Ventura Group business insight is refreshing and continually inspiring”Director, Enterprise Network Services. Office of Information and Technology. Department of Veterans Affairs
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