As SilverEdge CEO, Robert Miller looks across the federal landscape, particularly in the intelligence space, and sees agencies struggling with data ⏤ not just the volume of information, but the way it’s handled.
“It’s data overload and platform overload,” he said. “There’s so much data out there, and so many different platforms, both legacy systems and new systems, all trying to do that same thing.”
SilverEdge is helping agencies to cut through the clutter, to make faster and more effective use of the data on hand in support of mission outcomes.
“We’re modernizing digital transformation and outcome-based delivery through workflow automation,” Miller said.
Of course, that’s a common refrain throughout the GovCon community, particularly among those contractors looking to support the intel and national security missions. What differentiates SilverEdge in this arena?
As Miller describes it, size and corporate structure give the firm its edge. As a private-equity backed “mature startup,” he said, SilverEdge occupies a somewhat unique space.
“Our strength lies in our ability to be radically agile, to move with speed and intention,” he said. Unlike the very-large GovCons, with their complex business processes and multiple layers of management, “we are running relatively flat.”
With 400 people, the company has technical bench strength and a broad range of capabilities, but it’s small enough to have organizational flexibility. That allows it to focus on end results and not get mired down in its own procedures.
“We defend the outcome, not the process,” Miller said.
The SilverEdge growth strategy today is focused on broadening and deepening the firm’s current engagements.
Across the intel agencies, “we are actively listening to our current customers’ challenges, and we see a lot of opportunity to help them automate, to transform legacy systems, and become more operationally effective,” Miller said.
A series of recent acquisitions helped position SilverEdge to take advantage of those opportunities.
For example, one acquisition brought into the fold a firm that provides ServiceNow capabilities in the federal space.
“If you think about a digital transformation, workflow automation, low-code solutions ⏤ ServiceNow underpins that kind of a system,” Miller said. “It’s a good example of how we’re helping customers on their digital transformation journeys.”
To prove the effectiveness of the approach, SilverEdge leverages these same digital tools internally to improve its own processes.
“We are using that system of engagement to automate our workflows within our own company,” Miller said. “That goes for onboarding, security, financials, growth: we’re using visualization and self-service analytics so we can spend more time working on the business, rather than in the business.”
The firm then makes those same tools and capabilities available to its customers to help them manage effectively between tight budgets on the one hand and increasing mission demands on the other.
“In this inflationary environment, their dollar is not going as far and they’re forced to do more with less,” Miller said. “It’s a perfect time for us to bring digital solutions that free up human labor. When we automate a workflow, our customers recap that money and spend it elsewhere.”
SilverEdge’s solutions also open the door for more expansive engagements.
“Because we listened and solved their challenges, they repeatedly come back and ask us to continue solving their hard problems over a longer period of time,” Miller said.
To fully capitalize on this vision, SilverEdge needs to ensure the gears turn smoothly. That can be a challenge when expanding by acquisition.
“The hardest thing is communication and culture,” Miller said. “And there’s not a ‘one size fits all’ approach, there’s no perfect formula for how to integrate. But there is a framework. It’s about making sure every decision is in the best interest of our employees, staying focused on the customers, and making sure the decisions we’re making are also impacting our investors in a positive way.”
That’s a lot of boxes to check.
“Sometimes, I’ll get two out of those three. Sometimes I’ll get all three, sometimes I’ll just get one,” he continued. “But in the end, as long as we put our employees at the forefront of every decision that’s made, it’s going work out in the long run. Our people are our brand. When somebody asks, ‘who is SilverEdge?’ ⏤ you can tell them about all the capabilities, but what you’re really talking about is the people.”
A Navy veteran, Miller has spent some two decades in the GovCon space. He joined SilverEdge in April 2022 and found special satisfaction in the rapid pace of acquisitions.
“When you’re growing at such a fast clip, you’re creating opportunities for current employees and future employees,” Miller said. “It’s a unique experience to be able to watch people grow not only professionally, but also personally.”