Jane Edwards
A new Deltek report says federal agencies spent an average of at least $24.3 million annually on unified communications, virtual desktop infrastructure, messaging tools, voice over internet protocol systems and other communications platforms from fiscal 2014 to fiscal 2016.
Deltek’s analysis also shows that federal agencies’ spending on cloud-based email/bundled communications tools rose to $26 million in FY 2016, up from $10 million in FY 2014, Alex Rossino, a principal research analyst at Deltek, wrote in a blog post published Tuesday.
Rossino noted that agencies have begun to adopt cloud-based platforms that have core messaging features that work across all hardware.
Civilian agencies recorded $61 million in modern communications spending in the last three fiscal years, compared with $12 million posted by defense agencies, according to the report.
Rossino said that most defense agencies have started to use the Defense Information Systems Agency’s legacy Defense Connect Online and Defense Enterprise Email platforms, which will soon be replaced by a unified communications system – Defense Enterprise Office Solution.
The report also showed that the Department of Health and Human Services spent $14 million on modern communications capabilities in the last three years, followed by the Justice Department at $13 million and the Department of Veterans Affairs at $12 million.
