Welcome to the future: SRA CIO Brian Michl extends the welcome mat to next generation millennial workforce





They’re coming. A new generation of workers. And SRA International’s Brian Michl is gearing up to create the kind of environment that meets their needs.

It’s an enterprise in which mobile devices that support texting and video will supersede standard infrastructure computers, networks, and phones.

“When you think about the millennium generation, coming forward, they’re going to expect that kind of real-time rich access to systems,” says SRA CIO Brian Michl.

“My challenge as a CIO,” he adds, “is to migrate our systems and service offerings to support those capabilities, support those incoming workforces, and do so securely.”

Clearly, not a simple task but one which Michl and his team are excited about. “And one,” he adds, “that we feel we’re well-positioned to attack.” Thanks, in large part, to a long view approach.

Long view

Michl’s perspective comes courtesy of 13 years at SRA, 10 of them on the business side. Those years offered an “important vantage,” as Michl puts it, into processes that could support company growth. Along the way, SRA has seen 13 acquisitions, with a presence that now extends into 22 states and four countries. It’s backed, meanwhile, by more than 7,100 employees.

Now, nearly two years into his role as vice president and CIO, Michl’s focus remains strongly fixed on one target. “My focus is not only on supporting our business but positioning us to support the needs of our future business and future workforce,” he says.

Toward virtualization

In reaching that larger goal, Michl is leveraging virtualization, to support many basic corporate services. “We’re focused on assuring that we have a good set of services described,” he says, “and that we’re able to provision those to the business quickly and adeptly.”

“When you have a virtualized infrastructure, and you have a clear understanding of the service that you provide, the technology allows you to provision those standard services quickly,” says Michl. That approach  also helps accommodate future workforce needs — fast. As Michl puts it: “If, for example, you need to stand up additional video server capacity to meet the needs of that upcoming generation, you can provision a supporting virtualized environment within minutes, rather than having to procure new hardware, which can take weeks.”

Michl’s focus on virtualization is also helping to benefit external customers, themselves tasked with standing up agile and collaborative services, such as an enterprise wireless strategy. Toward that end, SRA manages full-scale enterprise deployments, from BlackBerry handhelds to RFID, 802.11 to satellites. The company has also created One Vault Voice for BlackBerry, an application which allows the mobile device’s users to  initiate secure, encrypted voice calls.

Cyber strong

Along with a more virtual infrastructure, cybersecurity, naturally, remains a strong focus — especially, when, on top of existing cyber challenges, new generations of workers come with their own approach to the issue. Some reports suggest they’re less rigorous than older employees in upholding IT security policies.

To which Michl has one response: education.

“Cyber security — for any generation — requires education and awareness, in addition to the use of security technology,” says Michl. “When people truly understand the risks and how they affect them, they can do more to increase security … for our next generation, education and awareness remain key.”

Meanwhile, maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture occurs on two fronts. “We’ve been working to enhance our visibility and then,  focus our security enhancements in the areas of highest risk,” says Michl. “The second dimension,” he says, “is related to intimately understanding and anticipating the threats — this is only possible through collaboration with industry peers and the government.”
Best places to work in IT

Michl’s forward-looking approach continues. “We’ve laid out a roadmap to address the challenges of the future,” says Michl, “and to position SRA not only for business success but to ensure that it’s a great place to work, where our employees have the tools they need to be successful and motivated.”

That collective initiative is paying off. Recently, ComputerWorld included SRA in its “2010 List of Best Places to Work in Information Technology.”

“We know that, in order to be successful in technology, you have to be willing to embrace change,” says Michl, adding, “we value people who bring a wealth of experience, new ideas, and a passion for optimizing a company through technology.”

With an eye toward the next generation of workers, SRA is well underway.

Posted by Lisa Singh on Monday, August 23rd, 2010. Filed under Executive Spotlight, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry