ACT-IAC Networks and Telecommunications COI March 2024

Join the ACT-IAC Networks and Telecommunications COI member meeting for a discussion on "SD-WAN - The Road to the Future: A Vendor’s Perspective."  Hear from SD-WAN providers - Juniper, Cisco, Fortinet Federal - as they discuss:

• What are government customers asking for?
• What are some of the challenges in supporting agency deployments?
• What lessons have been learned over the last couple of years?
• What’s next for your company’s SD-WAN solution? What are new technologies that will shape SDWAN 3-5 years from now?

Panelists

Felipe Fernandez, Federal CTO, Fortinet Federal
Don Troshynski, CTO Global Sales, 128 Technology, Juniper Networks
Tom Vail, Engineering Leader, US Public Sector, SD-WAN at Cisco

Moderator: Robert Sears, Director of NOAA's N-Wave Program and Government Chair of the Networks and Telecom COI.

If you missed the meeting with government agencies discussing their SD-WAN journey, watch the recording below.

About the Moderator

Mr. Robert Sears is the Director of N-Wave, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Enterprise Network program. N-Wave operates within the NOAA Office of the Chief Information Officer to align and execute on NOAA's strategic plan for network transport and optimization. It offers a diverse portfolio of enterprise networking services, including a NOAA operated and managed national and international wide area network, NOAA Trusted Internet Connection Access Points, and multiple nationwide NOAA campus networks. Through these services, N-Wave supports critical operations and research missions for NOAA, Department of Commerce bureaus and other government agencies through highly available, secure, high-speed network transport and services. Robert also serves as the Chair of the Federal IPv6 Task Force and the Federal Network Representative Co-Chair for the Cloud and Infrastructure Community of Practice (C&I CoP).

Mr. Sears has 32 years of combined military and federal service. His Naval career involved supporting Submarine Squadron Twenty-Two during Operation Desert Storm as an electronics calibration technician; duty assignment with Command Second Fleet on the USS Mount Whitney supporting meteorological systems, communications and surface and air RADAR; and a transition to networking and IT services at the Naval Atlantic Meteorology and Oceanography Center. His career with NOAA spans 22 years with over 10 of those years leading the N-Wave program. Mr. Sears’s background and degree are in electronic engineering and communications.
 

About the Panelists

Felipe Fernandez is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Fortinet Federal, Inc (FFI). With more than 20 years of networking and cybersecurity experience, Felipe leads a team of security architects and engineers to provide mission-critical cybersecurity solutions for Federal Civilian, Department of Defense, and Intelligence Community applications. In addition to his role as a team leader, Felipe also oversees the U.S. Federal product strategy and certification process for the Department of Defense Information Network Approved Products List (DoDIN APL) and the National Security Agency’s Commercial Solutions for Classified (NSA CSfC) program. Prior to joining Fortinet, Felipe served for 12 years with U.S. Marine Corps as a Cyber Security Engineer.

Don Troshynski is a leading expert on the Juniper Session Smart Routing platform. After joining Juniper Networks as CTO, 128 Technology, he continues to work with the world’s premier enterprises, government agencies and service providers deploy AI-driven, session smart SDWAN solutions. Mr. Troshynski has over 30 years of experience in the networking and telecommunications industry with companies such as 128 Technology (SDWAN/routing/security), Versa Networks (SDWAN/security), FORE Systems (scalable switching), Avici Systems (core Internet routing), and SRA International (Federal clients). He has a BS in Electrical Engineering (focused on Computer Engineering) from Michigan Technological University and an MS in Computer Science from George Washington University.

Tom Vail serves as the SD-WAN Systems Engineering Leader for the US Public Sector at Cisco, where he’s been able to demonstrate his technical expertise and leadership for more than eight years. His tenure at Cisco began in the Federal Scientific Region as the lead Systems Architect for the USDA. Subsequently, he expanded career by assuming the role of SD-WAN Technical Solutions Architect for the Federal Civilian Operation, a precursor to his current leadership position.

Prior to his contributions at Cisco, Tom gained valuable experience in private sector, working at a multinational retailer and a credit card-focused bank. His career began at a regional service provider, equipping him with a board experience in different sized organizations.

Based in Colorado, Tom balances his professional endeavors with a passion for the great outdoors, which he enjoys with his family. His commitment to community service is reflected in his previous roles as a volunteer firefighter and EMT, roles that highlight his dedication to public service.

In addition to his primary responsibilities, Tom is an active member of Cisco's Disaster Incident Response Team (DIRT). His deployment to a forest fire in Arizona to provide essential connectivity support at the base camp underscores his dedication to leveraging his technical skills in critical situations. His multifaceted expertise and community involvement make him a valuable asset to Cisco and the communities he serves.