Network Appliance focusing on feds
- By Diane Frank
- Oct 25, 2000
Navy Marine Corps Intranet contract award announcement
Network Appliance Inc. announced Monday that it has created a federal subsidiary
to focus on a growing segment of the company's business.
"We think the opportunity in the government is potentially larger than any
commercial opportunity we have," said Howie Wilcox, chief architect for
the new subsidiary, Network Appliance Federal Systems Inc.
Network Appliance products — which include storage, Internet caching and
system backup technologies — are being used in more than 40 agency locations,
particularly in the defense and intelligence agencies.
The company is also on several governmentwide contracts, including the General
Services Administration schedule, and often partners with larger companies
on systems contracts, such as Electronic Data Systems Corp.'s recent win
of the $6.9 billion Navy Marine Corps Intranet.
But Network Appliance is largely unknown outside specific Army bases or
national laboratories. The company's biggest challenge is to spread the
word throughout the agencies that already are using its products, said Jay
Chabrow, general manager of Network Appliance Federal Systems.
The federal subsidiary will have offices in Washington, D.C., Denver and
San Jose, Calif., but it will be offering worldwide service and will expand
its offices to Europe and Asia next year.