Oakton Archives - Virginia Business

Telecommunications 2023: MAGGIE HALLBACH

In May, Verizon Business announced a $145.7 million contract to help the U.S. Postal Service transition to a cloud technology platform as it modernizes. Hallbach said Verizon’s network-as-a-service offering will help USPS’ customer support systems run more efficiently. The Postal Service is among Verizon Public Sector’s federal, state and local government customers.

Verizon Public Sector is the telecommunication company’s government contracting arm, responsible for products such as Verizon Frontline, a 5G communications service for first responders that says it serves 30,000 public safety agencies.

Hallbach has been with Verizon since 2006, joining the company as executive director of strategy and sales development. She held a variety of positions, including regional vice president and vice president, before taking her current position in 2022.

A graduate of Brown University, she earned an MBA from the University of Maryland. She serves as a board director for the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the United Service Organizations’ National Capital District. Hallbach also supports organizations dedicated to inclusion for special needs children and adults, including U.S. Youth Soccer’s TOPSoccer.

AT&T wins $725M task order from Veterans Affairs

AT&T’s Oakton-based Public Sector organization secured a $725 million, 12-year task order to modernize the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ data network, the company will announce Wednesday.

The contract is to deliver a modernized data communications platform that will serve as a foundation for innovative Veterans Affairs (VA) technology capabilities, according to the announcement. The task order falls under the General Services Administration’s Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract for federal agencies. AT&T’s Public Sector has won nearly three dozen such awards, the company says.

The VA’s network is used to help manage the country’s largest integrated health care system, serving 9 million enrolled veterans annually at 1,255 health care facilities.

“It is a special honor to win the opportunity to help VA modernize its mission in the service of our many heroes,” said Chris Smith, vice president of Civilian and Shared Services, AT&T Public Sector and FirstNet, in a statement.

AT&T says it will work with the VA on such capabilities as wide area networking, virtual private networking and managed network services. Work includes making health care records digitally accessible in near real time, replacing paper records.

AT&T Public Sector wins $175M transportation contract

AT&T Inc. announced Tuesday it has been awarded a $175 million contract from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to modernize its voice and data networks. AT&T’s Public Sector organization, which is based in Oakton, landed the deal.

The 12-year contract was awarded through the General Service Administration’s Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions technology procurement program. Dallas-based AT&T will modernize network services supporting approximately 55,000 DOT workers.

AT&T plans to deliver an IP-based communications platform which will provide the DOT with secure cloud technology that will support the agency’s increased demand for employees to be able to work remotely and will allow the agency to create IP-based apps.

“DOT’s vital mission to deliver the safest, most efficient and modern transportation system in the world requires a reliable, fast and highly secure communications platform,” Chris Smith, vice president of civilian and shared services for AT&T Public Sector and FirstNet, said in a statement. “We’re honored to have this opportunity to transform and modernize DOT’s voice network.”

Well acquainted with working with the federal sector, AT&T announced in March it had won a $231 million contract from the U.S. Department of Treasury to modernize its voice and data networks.

AT&T inks $231M U.S. Treasury contract

AT&T Inc. announced Tuesday it has been awarded a $231 million contract from the U.S. Department of Treasury to modernize its voice and data networks and provide cybersecurity protections. The contract was landed by AT&T’s Public Sector organization, which is based in Fairfax County’s Oakton area.

“Hats off to the technology leadership and team at Treasury for making a deliberate and comprehensive commitment to network modernization,” said Chris Smith, vice president of civilian and shared services for AT&T Public Sector, in a statement. “We look forward to working with Treasury to help transform its communications capabilities and help ensure it is future-ready for further innovation.”

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Ariz. company acquires Oakton risk management firm

Oakton-based risk management firm TalaTek LLC announced Tuesday it has been acquired by Arizona-based cybersecurity company Cerberus Cyber Sentinel.

A transaction amount was not disclosed.

Talatek will remain based in Northern Virginia. Founded in 2006, Talatek provides risk management, security and compliance services that help companies to meet Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and other privacy standards. Cerberus Cyber provides cybersecurity consulting and management services.

“TalaTek is an excellent fit for the Cerberus portfolio of companies,” Cerberus Cyber CEO and Founder David Jemmett said in a statement. “TalaTek’s attractive model for managed security services and consulting services with a focus on the federal government and related security standards provides a clear and synergistic fit with our culture and business.”

Under the agreement, TalaTek has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cerberus Sentinel. TalaTek President and founder Baan Alsinawi will become a managing director with Cerberus Sentinel under the terms of the acquisition agreement.

“With our strong growth trajectory, we expect the combination of TalaTek and Cerberus Sentinel to accelerate our progression of becoming a leading provider of risk management services for the federal government and small- to mid-sized businesses,” Alsinawi said in a statement. “Our people, processes and technology offer clients an unmatched option for delivering risk management services that are tied to business outcomes.”