Charles Lyons-Burt
Mark DeMerse, Carahsoft’s 5G vertical executive, spends his time building relationships with emerging and established telecommunications companies to help government agencies deploy secure private networks wherever they are needed.
Telecom and 5G technologies are inherently complex, with a wide web of manufacturers, software and hardware to sort through. DeMerse recently sat down with ExecutiveBiz to discuss efforts to simplify 5G procurements and how successful upgrades lay the groundwork for more advanced tech to come.
ExecutiveBiz: What’s your role in helping Carahsoft’s vendor ecosystem meet agencies’ needs?
Mark DeMerse: We have a very open and neutral approach to 5G deployments, with the main goal of eliminating complexity for our customers. As a technology, 5G requires multiple different manufacturers to come together to provide an overall solution. It’s very bespoke. That’s why we provide contract access and education to help simplify the procurement. We work with our subject matter experts and executives at portfolio companies to make sure that all the pieces and components that are being acquired are going to function together at the end of the day.
ExecutiveBiz: The Department of Defense has been aggressively developing capabilities in and around 5G. What are some of the most interesting use cases you have seen?
Mark DeMerse: The biggest use case is the DOD’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control initiative, or JADC2 — a shared vision of operations across all branches of the military and the intelligence community. 5G is the key to bringing it to fruition as a comprehensive, interoperable wireless network system.
We’re also seeing use cases around improved situational awareness and some really interesting augmented reality applications. Technicians on airplanes and military vehicles can use 5G-connected glasses to access instruction manuals, improving efficiency and accuracy. 5G can also enable remote controlled aircraft, ground vehicles and autonomous systems, which reduces the need for personnel to be physically present in dangerous areas.
One of my favorite applications of 5G is this concept of smart inventory management and smart warehouses. 5G-connected sensors and RFID tags can help provide accurate, real-time information about inventory levels. This can help prevent stock-outs, reduce the risk of errors and enhance overall inventory management.
ExecutiveBiz: What can civilian agencies learn from DOD efforts?
Mark DeMerse: Applications such as smart warehousing can be applied to civilian agencies, such as the General Services Administration and the Veterans Administration’s medical supplies and equipment.
But civilian uses of 5G private networks aren’t always as obvious. They can take some creativity. Agencies and all levels of government are looking for ways to improve their customer service and add future technologies like artificial intelligence. Think about internet-connected vehicles, autonomous systems and more efficient transportation systems, or smart cities with enhanced communications and improved public safety by building faster, more reliable networks for first responders.
5G enhances connectivity and really reduces latency. It’s faster. It offers significantly higher data transfer speeds compared to previous generations or other types of technologies like satellite, which makes it faster to upload and download large amounts of data to and from cloud servers. And obviously, edge computing allows agencies to process data closer to where it’s being generated, reducing the need to transfer large volumes of data back and forth to gather that same information.
ExecutiveBiz: What must vendors and agencies consider to ensure robust and secure communications?
Mark DeMerse: First is encryption, which is something that’s intrinsic to cellular technology. This includes ensuring that data is encrypted in transit and at rest, along with appropriate key management practices. Next is strong authentication mechanisms to verify the identity identities of users and devices that are accessing that 5G network. Things like multifactor authentication, digital security certificates, and access control policies can limit access to the network based on the user’s roles and responsibilities.
Supply chain security is important for not just the U.S. government, but the U.S. as a whole. Supply chain risk management should include assessments of vendor security practices, adherence to standards and transparency in the product development. We’ve seen some instances where a U.S.-based manufacturer seemed to be the right choice until we discovered they use security cameras that are not approved by the U.S. government. Supply chains are inherently complex, but it is essential that we are diligent.
ExecutiveBiz: What innovations do you see on the horizon that will shake up 5G plans?
Mark DeMerse: There are several innovations that are going to shape the future of 5G and lead into the 6G generation. Artificial intelligence is the big one. AI and machine learning are going to play a really important role in optimizing and automating various aspects of 5G networks. This includes things like intelligent network management, predictive maintenance and dynamic resource allocation based on some of the real-time data analytics that artificial intelligence offers. And then artificial intelligence is also going to further help out with native 5G capabilities, like more efficient network slicing and orchestration.
Spectrum management is also a challenge with all cellular technology. Innovations in spectrum management techniques—like dynamic spectrum sharing, which the government has investments in—will help optimize the utilization of available spectrum resources. It’s also going to help enable more efficient allocation of spectrum bands for different applications, which will help improve network capacity and performance in the long run.
As these innovations become applicable use cases and we look to the future of 5G, Carahsoft will serve as a strategic partner to both technology providers and resellers and government partners alike.
