Presidio recently announced the launch of a new wholly owned subsidiary aimed at supporting the government space. Presidio Government Solutions LLC, branded as Presidio Federal, is an IT services and solutions provider focused on federal mission outcomes.
“The move fulfills regulatory requirements. But more than that, it gives Presidio a powerful new means of addressing the government marketplace,” said General Manager Clara Conti.
A $3 billion company, Presidio had been public, and then was taken private about 1.5 years ago. Foreign ownership in the form of U.K.-based equity meant the firm needed to spin off its government business — a move that aligned nicely with Presidio’s overall strategy.
“We made a conscious decision to brand ourselves as Presidio Federal to better resonate with our customers and the citizens that they serve,” Conti said.
A value-added integrator, Presidio Federal is a Cisco gold partner and an Amazon premier partner.
“I am inheriting that book of business and those phenomenal relationships,” Conti said. “My goal is to continue with those relationships and expand that business, while also doing a ‘transformational pivot,’ since the company is now focusing on offering more services to our government customers, especially around cloud and cyber and digital infrastructure, as well as collaboration, automation, and augmentation.”
By establishing the federal side as its own entity, the company lays the groundwork for a renewed focus on government needs.
“We’ve got a concentrated group of folks that are focused on the federal market,” Conti said. “We are continuing to recruit world-class business development team members who can take advantage of the enormous opportunities that are out there right now.”
Those opportunities lie in digital transformation, as government seeks to modernize legacy systems.
“By focusing on that, we can support both our government customers and also their customers,” Conti said. Through modernization, “we are not only supporting the [Department of Veterans Affairs], for example, but also the veterans as well,” she added.
As part of cultivating federal opportunities and further expand its presence, Presidio Federal will leverage its capabilities as well as those of its extensive partner network.
“We already have this fantastic installed base across the federal government, through our partners,” Conti said. “We’ve had people on the ground for a decade or more in some of these federal agencies: They know what’s going on, they know what’s working and what’s not working.”
Those existing relationships could form the basis of future expansions.
“I am inheriting those partner relationships, and I’m also inheriting a partner engine: We match our reps with their reps. We do weekly cadences with them,” Conti said. “It’s a model that has worked well for Presidio for a number of years.”
At a time when social distancing has created new challenges around ongoing communications with partners and clients, Presidio Federal also will be looking to leverage digital media as a way to stay connected.
“We have established something called ‘Digital Dialogue,’ which is about utilizing social media, utilizing the internet for better outreach,” Conti said. “How are you going to reach customers when there may or may not be the opportunity to meet face to face? We have developed that conversation online, in conjunction with our partners. That is one of our biggest strategic initiatives.”
At the same time, Presidio Federal also will be focusing on talent acquisition, which Conti described as an ongoing challenge.
“There is definitely a war for talent,” she said.
While she’ll be looking to use a range of recruiting strategies, she said that employee referrals remain one of her strongest talent-acquisition tools.
“The best employees are the ones who are referred in by another employee,” she said. “We know that model works, and that is something that helps build our brand.”
To that end, financial incentives help to drive an internal referral program. In terms of longer-term strategy, the company is keeping an eye open for potential acquisitions.
“We are continuing to look for other companies to fold in,” Conti said.
What makes a good fit? Well, it’s complicated.
“There are a lot of synergies that have to be firing on all cylinders, whether that’s past performance or delivery or a particular customer niche. A lot of things have to come together in order for it to work,” she said.
A 20-year veteran of the GovCon space, Conti said she takes special satisfaction in supporting the federal mission.
“For me personally, there’s no better feeling than serving others and serving the needs of our federal customers,” she said. “I feel very strongly about that. I have family members who have worked in different federal agencies over the years, and I understand the struggles. I can think of no better way for me personally to fulfill what I believe to be my purpose.”