The U.S. Department of Defense recently awarded Texas-based Dell Federal Systems, a company that deploys technologies that meet strict government requirements, a five-year, approximately $9.7 billion Microsoft Department of War Enterprise Software Agreement (ESA) II Core Enterprise Technology Agreement (CETA).
The ESA II CETA will provide the department with seamless access to Microsoft 365, advanced cloud subscriptions, and critical on-premises licensing capabilities. The technologies support the secure connectivity required for Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control.
“To dominate the modern battlefield, our warfighters must be armed with the most secure solutions the commercial sector can produce,” Kirsten Davies, Department of Defense chief information officer, said. “This $9.7 billion agreement is a foundational investment in decision advantage and to operate at the speed of relevance. We are fundamentally restructuring our Microsoft environment — shattering communication silos, aggressively driving efficiency, and employing a unified, collaboration environment required to defend, outmaneuver and defeat any cyber threats.”
The agreement provides the technology needed for instantaneous, cross-domain intelligence sharing as well as accelerate the deployment of combat-critical artificial intelligence and data analytics.
“It allows us to bypass fragmented procurement cycles and directly arm our Sailors and Marines with the resilient zero-trust cloud infrastructure required to fight and win in the digital battlespace,” Barry Tanner, Department of the Navy personnel performing the duties of the chief information officer, said.