From the trenches: Five essential lessons for federal IT modernization

Having spent nearly a decade leading digital infrastructure and technology initiatives at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), I’ve had a front-row seat to the opportunities and challenges federal agencies face in their modernization journeys. During my tenure as Associate CIO for Digital Infrastructure Technologies, overseeing the IT backbone for 17,000 users, I learned that successful transformation isn't just about the latest tech: it’s about strategic vision, collaborative execution and a willingness to learn from experience.

The federal landscape is unique, demanding both agility and accountability. As agencies leverage IT, AI and innovation to enhance operations, here are five foundational lessons from my time at GSA.

1. Enlist Your leadership as co-pilots

Modernization initiatives are expeditions, not solo journeys. Without consistent and visible backing from the C-suite, even the most innovative projects can lose altitude, grounded by resource constraints or internal friction.

• Build Your Coalition: Cultivate a "coalition of the willing" early, engaging leaders who become vocal advocates.
• Leverage Policy Levers: Use mandates like FITARA or the President’s Management Agenda to align executive support.
• Display Value – “The Single Pane of Glass”: Executives are more likely to support projects when they have visibility. Utilizing a centralized management portal to track inventory, usage and billing across all technology assets provides the transparency leadership needs to stay engaged.

2. Translate vision into visible returns

The federal audience is under constant pressure to justify spend and outcomes to the OMB and Congress. It’s not enough to paint a picture of future possibilities; you must demonstrate a clear roadmap to cost avoidance and service improvements to the taxpayers you serve.

• Target "Quick Wins": Modernization doesn't always mean “rip-and-replace." For instance, digital POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) replacement solutions are a high-impact "quick win" that replaces expensive, failing copper landlines with networked IP systems. This can reduce costs by as much as 30% while ensuring critical life-safety lines—like those in elevators and fire alarms—remain compliant and resilient.
• Quantify Efficiency: Frame proposals around shifting budget from "keeping the lights on" for legacy tech to funding innovation.

3. Harmonizing people, process and technology

Treating technology as a silver bullet, separate from its operational context, is a common pitfall. A solution is only as effective as the ecosystem it inhabits.

• Flatten the Network: Modernization often requires moving away from rigid, legacy structures. Integrating Managed SD-WAN acts as the "glue," tying together disparate connection types—from MPLS to 5G—into a unified, secure architecture.
• Address your Operating Model: As you modernize, focus on upskilling the workforce and analyzing your organizational processes. Moving to a Managed Network Service model allows your internal teams to focus on mission-critical strategy rather than the day-to-day "break-fix" of systems and hardware.

4. Leverage collective expertise

No agency needs to reinvent the wheel. The federal community is a "shared brain trust" where proven roadmaps already exist for complex challenges like remote connectivity and migrating from legacy technology.

• Look to the GSA EIS Contract: Use established vehicles like the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract to access pre-vetted, advanced technologies.
• Adopt Proven Innovation: We are seeing more agencies successfully deploying Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity (like Starlink) alongside Zero Trust architectures. By utilizing an authorized partner to manage these satellites, agencies can achieve high-speed, low-latency access even in the most remote field offices—without the technical debt of managing a new constellation themselves.

5. Be prepared for unexpected lift-off

Success often stems from proactive preparation. While fostering audacious visions, simultaneously build the infrastructure for their realization.

• Scalability on Demand: Engage proactively with federal and  industry partners to design flexible contracting vehicles that are outcome oriented and scalable for emerging technology needs.
• Be "Shovel-Ready": Ensure your leadership and teams are ready for special appropriations, TMF funds or unanticipated program funds. Whether it is migrating thousands of voice lines to the cloud or deploying rapid-response satellite kits that can fit in an airplane overhead bin, the goal is to have meticulously planned proposals ready the moment the funding window opens.

Erika Dinnie is a recognized leader in federal IT modernization with nearly ten years of experience at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), where she served as Associate CIO for Digital Infrastructure Technologies. She previously served as Assistant Commissioner for Workplace Services and Chief of Staff of the Public Buildings Service (PBS).

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