Promote Transparency is one of the three Ethical Governance Principles in the Federal Data Strategy. This 10-year vision statement drives agencies across the government to build better tools to bring valuable insights to decision makers and citizens. Nowhere is this clearer than in government dashboards and data visualizations which must clearly communicate complex information in a meaningful manner for their users.

Modernizing Legacy Dashboards

Leveraging its business intelligence and visualization expertise, Karsun recently engaged in such a dashboard modernization project with one of its government customers. This customer was charged with delivering a dashboard that provides insights to both internal stakeholders and key decision-makers outside the organization. The goal was to allow users to access the dashboard for data-driven decision-making while enhancing transparency and adhering to the Conscious Design principles outlined in the Federal Data Strategy.

An on-premise legacy application added complexity to the modernization project. Moreover, the previous dashboard was built by different vendors with a mix of features and functionality. As a result, Karsun’s customer needed to provide a new, user-friendly dashboard. It also strove to limit human error with the data submission and ingestion process while seeing a decrease in operations and maintenance costs. Using a modularized approach, the customer wanted one, coherent dashboard. The customer envisioned a streamlined data submission process while reducing the time required for making new data sets available and improving speed-to-insight.

Combining Design and Data Expertise

The Karsun Data Practice uses DataOps to bring together data platform and engineering with business intelligence and visualization expertise. In doing so, it worked with its customer to deliver a solution that not only used DataOps principles but also incorporated best practices for usability and visualizing data within the dashboard.

Working with the on-premise application and within the requirements set by another project partner, Karsun built the data objects. Backend microservices utilizing RESTful API fetched data from an API service call and prepared the visualization using the Python Plotly visualization library. Those visualizations are then delivered as a JSON object.

An additional component to dashboard modernization is user experience. The President’s Executive Order on Customer Experience compels the government to design and deliver services “with a focus on the actual experience of the people whom it is meant to serve.” As practitioners, this order draws the spotlight to a range of design methodologies intended to enhance transparency and the overall experience for all users.

This project used human centered design (HCD), putting user needs, desires, and abilities at the center of the process. This also uses iterative feedback from each step to inform the analysis. Seeking clarity at each step, it transitions the dashboard away from a mixed experience that’s difficult for users to navigate and hard for the customer to maintain.

It uses a three step process. The first step is Demand Side Analysis. This engages users at the earliest opportunity through interviews and surveys. The team also conducts a Prior Usage Analysis. Next, they design a User Centered Service Delivery Model. This incorporates Design Thinking, Service Design, and Detailed Design. Finally, they again Engage Product Users by introducing Mock-Ups, Prototypes, and Wireframes. After iterating through these three steps, the team identified and built an application layer on a PHP/Drupal framework allowing for easy content manipulation without requiring technical knowledge.

User Friendly, Data Driven Insights at Lower Cost

This modernization project sunsetted legacy infrastructure and reduced high-cost maintenance. The new dashboard application further streamlined data collection, introduced omnichannel distribution of IT data, and improved the overall user experience. Moreover, by improving the process through human centered design, the customer improved the user’s ability to make evidence based decisions.

This project not only enhanced user experience it also supported requests for better data-driven decision making in government. While modernization projects frequently address high maintenance costs, human centered design adds an additional element. Improved user experience not only saves money, it enhances transparency, delivering better government to all.

This month we’re sharing success stories from our Data Practice. Follow us on LinkedIn for more insights. Check out our Data Solutions section for more from our Enterprise Modernization Experts.

Karsun Solutions modernizes enterprise systems enabling agencies to make the next technological advancement their next opportunity to elevate mission capability. IT solutions from Karsun are tailored to meet agencies’ unique needs and optimize operations. These solutions adapt and stay relevant to current trends while using secure, digital architecture built to last. It is a proven modernization partner whose expertise elevates agency capabilities and ensures every next opportunity is within reach.

Update: Since this article was published Karsun was named among the Top 100 Companies for Culture by Comparably.com.

Karsun received its first workplace and culture awards this year. These include both Top Workplaces USA’s Top Technology Industry Workplace award and Comparably’s Best Company Happiness, Outlook and in Washington, D.C. The awards honor the growing enterprise modernization company serving customers at government agencies such as DHS, FAA and GSA. They also netted mentions in Business Insider, iHeartRadio’s CEOs You Should Know, Human Resources Director and on employee ranking site Comparably. Covered in stories on flexibility, mentorship and workplace happiness, Karsun stands out as a company where team members are empowered and ready to Do Extraordinary.

Awarded for Growth, Awarded for Culture

These new achievements for culture and workplace reflect what many industry groups and publications also recognize, Karsun Solutions is a premier IT consulting firm. This year it earned its seventh consecutive Inc. 5000 award and additional recognition from Inc. as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the Washington, D.C. region. The Northern Virginia Technology Council also awarded Karsun its third consecutive Tech 100 award. Meanwhile, Comparably, which bases its awards on the ratings of current employees, selected Karsun for both Best Company Outlook and Best Company Washington, D.C. awards.

Leadership Begins Within

Leadership and professional development programs start with the Karsun Innovation Center (KIC). The KIC leverages an in-house research and development unit, employee-centric practice areas and Karsun Academy which supports certification and training. The R&D team prototypes new technologies and is often the starting point for participants in Karsun Internship Program. This year’s intern class experimented with tools supporting asynchronous workdays. It was also featured by Comparably for companies offering flex internships. Many interns later transition to support client and delivery work at Karsun.

Practice Areas not only act as centers of excellence supporting initiatives like Karsun’s recent AWS Migration Competency but also empower teams through resource libraries, access to industry experts and opportunities to share experiences outside their team or organization. One popular program is Karsun’s Brown Bag series which includes both technical topics and sessions on soft skills like mentorship and virtual presentations.

Preparing Industry Leaders

Brown Bags, in addition to Karsun Academy’s Dojo workshops, serve as training grounds to prepare experts to present at outside events. The KIC’s Data Practice hosts the DataOps NoVa Meetup which previously included presentations from Karsun delivery team members, interns and experts. Government and public sector technologists may now also join practice experts for Karsun led AWS Immersion Days. And as hybrid and virtual industry events dominate calendars speakers from Karsun appeared at events like All Day DevOps.

In addition to events featuring our practice leaders, Karsun corporate leaders also shared their experience scaling and growing with Karsun. Senior Vice President Ben Marglin presented on this topic as part of an ACT-IAC panel. He later spoke on Acquisition Innovation at the organization’s annual Executive Leadership Conference (ELC). Senior Director Raminder Saluja was recognized at the same event as Karsun’s 11th graduate of the organization’s prestigious Partners professional development program. Director Jason Marceau likewise continued his ongoing relationship with the University of Southampton. Here he participated in a series of talks on the growing data field while sharing with students opportunities to grow in their tech and data careers.

Internally and externally Karsun’s dedication to building a workplace where teams grow with it was reflected in a series of workplace awards this year. With employees and industry rating it highly it truly is among the premier technology contractors serving the federal government. With growth expected to continue throughout 2022 new team members can join the journey now. Karsun’s hottest jobs include Data Engineers, Full Stack Developers, SDETs and UI/UX Designers. Apply for open positions at KarsunCareers.com.

Karsun experts and innovators took the stage at Imagine Nation Executive Leadership Conference (ELC) 2021. The annual conference for the American Council for Technology – Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) is the organization’s marquee event. In addition to graduating Karsun’s 11th ACT-IAC Fellow, Raminder Saluja, Karsun Senior Vice President Ben Marglin joined a panel on Exploring the Next Generation of Acquisition Innovation. Also an event sponsor, Karsun is a longtime supporter of ACT-IAC. Its leadership acts as mentors, experts and participants in its industry programs.

Raminder Saluja Graduates from the Partners Program

In a recognition ceremony held at ImagineNation ELC, Karsun Solutions Senior Director Raminder Saluja graduated from the prestigious Partners Program. Over the last two decades, the Partners Program has been ACT-IAC’s premier professional development program. Participants are selected among rising senior executives. Karsun boasts one of the largest cohorts of Partners alumni in the industry.

At Karsun, Saluja leads the modernization strategy for its Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) portfolio. He internally steers technical delivery teams to leverage AWS and Azure infrastructure and DevSecOps frameworks. With over two decades of technology experience, he is also well versed in working with agencies within NATO, the Intelligence Community, and Immigration services. His core belief is that innovation and technology are tools to solve business problems and not constraints around which processes are reorganized. This often resonates with customers seeking modernization and upkeep of their legacy systems.

Ben Marglin Explores Next Generation Acquisition Innovation

Earlier at the conference, Karsun Solutions Senior Vice President of Client Solutions Ben Marglin spoke during the panel discussion on Exploring Next Generation Acquisition Innovation. Adopting the overall theme Adventures in Change, the conference examined the impact of innovation on the federal IT industry. This talk was included as part of the Changing the Way We Work track. The collaborative session examined if accelerating IT modernization and innovative acquisition practices supported agencies’ goals to meet mission critical needs faster, cheaper and more efficiently.

During the panel, Marglin briefly described Karsun’s novel approach to enterprise modernization with its acquisitions customers. Karsun’s Acquisitions Modernization domain is not only one of its most innovative, it is one of its original offerings. Past solutions include analytics platform modernization, cloud migration and legacy application modernization from an on-premise database. Karsun currently performs work acquisition innovation under the GSA COMET BPA.

About Karsun Solutions

Karsun Solutions is a fast-growing, innovative enterprise modernization firm. Recently awarded Best Company Culture by Comparably.com, its teams deliver modern software development, cloud, and data solutions to customers at government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and General Services Administration. Leveraging GoLean, Karsun teams drive digital transformation and help its government customers Do Extraordinary. Learn more at Karsun-LLC.com.

After winning several new contracts in 2020 Karsun Solutions continued its rapid expansion. It recently ranked for the seventh year in a row on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies. Sharing his plan to include employees in that growth Karsun Solutions CEO Sundar Vaidyanathan joined I Heart Radio’s CEOs You Should Know.

“When we grow, they will grow,” Vaidyanathan says in this short fifteen-minute snapshot into the growing IT modernization firm.

Throughout the interview, he underscores Karsun’s investment in a people-first experience. He discusses the company’s employee journey process which emphasizes key touchpoints throughout team members’ careers at Karsun. This journey mapping is integral to his vision for the future of the company.

Vaidyanathan explains how Karsun integrates core values into the employee experience.
With more than 270 employees based in the DC area and a total headcount including subcontractors topping 700 people, he recognizes Karsun’s growth comes as a result of the innovative work performed by its teams. Indeed, innovation, teamwork and fun are all core values supported through activities like company picnics, group recognition events and innovation center town halls.

To fuel this ongoing growth Karsun is currently hiring IT professionals across the country. Most positions are available both locally in the Washington D.C. region and remotely. From wellness classes to workshops on the latest technologies the company ensures teams stay connected regardless of location through its Karsun Konnect employee app. Current job openings may be found at KarsunCareers.com.

Listen in on M&T Bank Presents CEOs You Should Know.

About Karsun Solutions

Awarded for culture and driven by innovation, the Enterprise Modernization Experts at Karsun Solutions deliver innovative technology solutions to customers throughout the government. The Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Washington Business Journal and Inc. all recognize us among the fastest-growing companies in the Washington, D.C. region. Our modern software development, cloud, and data solutions are found at agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration, and General Services Administration. For the latest job openings visit KarsunCareers.com.

Karsun Solutions, the Enterprise Modernization Experts, announced the rollout of Konnect Anywhere. Konnect Anywhere is an employee-centric approach to today’s adapting work environment with an emphasis on collaboration, innovation, and delivery excellence.  This new approach enables multiple options for Karsun employees. Team members may remain remote, utilize Karsun collaborative workspaces in Northern Virginia, continue onsite support for specific customers or use a hybrid approach.

The Karsun Solution Headquarters is scheduled to re-open as a collaborative space in September 2021. Employees opting to spend part of their time in the office may reserve workstations using a hoteling tool included as part of the Karsun Konnect employee app. Teams may also reserve collaborative spaces. Video conferencing-equipped rooms include access to digital workplace tools created by the Karsun Innovation Center (KIC) designed to support mixed remote and in-person teams.

Karsun Teams have been remote since March 2020. Over the past year, Karsun invested heavily in digital workplace innovations to support its new remote-friendly environment. The Konnect Anywhere initiative represents a long-term commitment to supporting flexible, remote work for modern software development, cloud and data solution teams. It is also an extension of the 2021 #GrowWithKarsun program, an employee-centered professional development initiative. This program, when combined with the new Konnect Anywhere initiative, allows team members in any location to share and participate in Innovation Town Halls, Karsun Academy training workshops and Practice Areas lead by experts embedded with frontline delivery teams.

As part of this commitment Karsun will also continue its virtual recruiting program. As one of the region’s fastest growing companies it is hiring nationwide for both IT and development roles. From job fair to interview a Talent Acquisition specialist will guide prospective candidates throughout the virtual recruitment process.

Karsun currently hosts several Virtual National Open House events throughout the year. Prospective team members may receive information about upcoming virtual events by registering for the Talent Community located at KarsunCareers.com. Candidates may also browse the careers site for positions ranging from Full Stack Developer to Cloud Data Architect.

About Karsun Solutions

Karsun Solutions is a fast-growing, innovative, enterprise modernization firm recently named a Technology Industry Top Workplace and one of the Best Places to Work in Washington D.C. Its teams deliver modern software development, cloud and data solutions to customers at government agencies such as DHS, FAA and GSA. The Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Washington Business Journal, and Inc. all recognize Karsun Solutions among the fastest-growing companies in the Washington, D.C. region. It is an established firm with a DCAA Approved Accounting System and CMMI Level 5 – DEV appraisal, plus both the AWS Government Competency and AWS Migration Competency designations. It also holds ISO 9001, ISO 20000 and ISO 27001 certifications.

When our leadership revealed its vision for the next decade at the start of 2020 they could not anticipate the challenges of a global pandemic. Nevertheless, even then Karsun had already created the infrastructure to allow our teams to grow remotely together. This year we celebrated continued recognition as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. As we scaled in this remote environment we also affirmed our commitment to team member development welcoming new intern cohorts, sponsoring professional development programs, and introducing virtual training programs.

Longtime Programs Adapt to Virtual Work

Through New Remote Program Interns Grow with Karsun

Through our Karsun Innovation Center (KIC) Internship Program each of our interns has a voice in the future of our company. These interns support the Research and Development teams rolling out new tools and processes across our organization. Interns learn and grow during their time with us. Shadowing team members in our Innovation Center and customer delivery teams, they participate in cross-functional projects, sharing their insights with teams across the company.

Coffee with Leadership Goes Online

Launched in 2017, Coffee with Leadership is a longstanding monthly tradition at Karsun. During this open discussion, executive leadership hosts a small gathering with frontline team members. In this open forum anyone may share their experiences, make suggestions or discuss opportunities to improve work at Karsun. This year saw a transition to a remote format for Coffee with Leadership and the addition of a second monthly Brunch with Leadership group expanding the breadth of feedback across management levels. We included these breakfasts in Karsun’s new remote environment to ensure all employees have the opportunity to contribute to our vision for growth.

DataOps NoVa Launches Virtual Series

Hosted by Karsun’s Data Practice, DataOps NoVa is a monthly Meetup designed to introduce best practices and tools to the data, analytics, and IT community. Its DataOps 101 series was among the last of Karsun’s in-person training events at our Herndon, Virginia headquarters. This first series included discussions and demonstrations from DataOps vendors and an introduction to data encryption using middleware components presented by our Innovation Center.

After taking a short break from in-person events, the Meetup returned virtually in August. The new series will cover topics like data fabric, analytics foundations for MLOps, and vendor demos. The new format also allowed the team to expand outside Virginia hosting data experts from around the world. These new virtual sessions are published on the DataOps NoVa Meetup Page.

Karsun Leaders Grow Through Industry Groups and Fellowships

Karsun Executives Recognized as Industry Leaders

As Karsun celebrated its tenth year in operation and its tenth year supporting the American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) our President, Terry Miller, was recognized in part for his leadership within the organization. In March 2020 Miller was named to FCW‘s prestigious Federal 100 list. This list includes 100 men and women who personify what’s possible in federal IT. He also served as the 2019 Industry Chair of ACT-IAC’s highly regarded Partners Program. This training and professional development curriculum pairs “rising star” leaders from government and industry. New under Miller’s leadership, the group formed three challenge teams to provide direct solutions to government agencies (GSA, NASA, SBA). He is also a graduate of the Partners Program and was the Chair of the Management of Change (MOC) event in 2013.

Also early in 2020, the College of Engineering Guindy Alumni Association of North America (CEGAANA) named Karsun CEO Sundar Vaidyanathan its 2020 Chairman of the Board. Sundar is committed to making the organization a self-sustaining entity. His ultimate goal is strengthening collaboration between students, the college and the alumni network.

Satish Alluri Graduates from Selective Fellowship Program

Meet Satish Alluri, the Deputy Program Manager for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Grants Management Modernization initiative. He graduated in 2020 from the selective ACT- IAC Voyagers Professional Development fellowship. In September we spotlighted this longtime Karsun team member. Over the course of his career he grew from a Senior Business Analyst to a leader in both our DHS FEMA and GSA programs. Learn how Satish grew with us here.

Karsun Concludes 2020 with Virtual Team Recognition Events

Both our FEMA and KIC celebrated successes transitioning from in-person to virtual work through team recognition at the end of 2020. While our FEMA program hosted team lunches, our Innovation Center recognized our Karsun Academy and Practice Area mentors during an Innovation All Hands event in November.

As an organization Karsun Solutions also celebrated with a holiday lunch in December 2020. Every team member had lunch delivered to them as Karsun looked back on contract wins, team events and other small victories throughout the year. It was a final opportunity for our leadership to say “Go Team Karsun! Thank you for all your hard work!”

At its final All Hands event, Karsun Solutions celebrated the more than 1400 hours of training, professional development, and certifications earned by its team members in 2020. This incredible accomplishment was driven by the Karsun Innovation Center (KIC) and its newly launched Practice Areas. These employee-centered teams introduced a series of Dojos, Brown Bag, and certification workshops to ensure all teams had the experts they need to Do Extraordinary while Defying Assumptions.

The KIC was first introduced as an in-house Research and Development unit. Later, in 2016, it added Karsun Academy, a professional development program aimed at supporting team member technical certifications. In 2018 it introduced the first of five Practice Areas. These currently include Solution, DevSecOps, Lean, Data, and Development Practice Areas.

These areas span Karsun offerings with a dedicated lead for each and a core set of practice advocates in every delivery program. They also drive excellence through the creation of reusable assets and toolkits, the establishment of guidelines, industry certifications and technology partnerships, and the enablement of active collaboration among employees. It is through these industry partnerships, with vendors like Red Hat, AWS, and StreamSets, that the center offers a full training curriculum designed to familiarize teams with the latest enterprise modernization technologies and solutions.

Subject Matter Experts Share Experience in Multiday Dojos

Karsun Practice Leads introduced Dojos as a format to deliver multiday, hands-on training to delivery teams. These in-depth workshops bring team members up to speed on best practices and emerging methodologies. While initially created as in-person events, the Innovation Center quickly enhanced its digital workplace tool suite, Karsun Konnect, to offer these events in a remote environment.

DevSecOps Practice Adapts Ansible 101 to Virtual Workshop

Karsun is a long-standing Red Hat Ready Partner. Karsun Academy previously hosting multiday in-person workshops led by Red Hat experts. This year the KIC adapted some of this training into an Ansible 101 Digital Dojo. Led by Samir Bham, the Director of the DevSecOps practice, this virtual workshop allowed team members to log in remotely, gain hands-on experience with a subject matter expert all while learning best practices.

Employee to Employee Sharing in Weekly Brown Bags

Brown Bags, hosted by any Karsun team member, spotlights team member expertise in short, one-hour presentations. The training and professional development team introduced these shorter sessions to augment Karsun Academy certification courses. Today, sessions cover a range of professional development topics from new vendor solutions to soft skills.

Lunchtime Workshop Focuses on Migration & Disaster Recovery

Madhu Chellappa, of Karsun’s DevSecOps practice, led one such workshop on Migration and Disaster Recovery. This short, one-hour session discussed a solution using Cloud Endure. This highly automated rehosting solution from AWS simplifies and expedites migration.

Certification Programs Ensure Expert Teams Ready on Day One

Certification programs formed the original backbone of Karsun Academy. This provided employees with industry-standard certifications. Through this program, for instance, the Innovation Center ensured over 40 Karsun team members are AWS certified!

DataOps NoVa Hosts StreamSets Certification Workshop

The Innovation Center also hosts DataOps NoVa through its Data Practice. Members in that Meetup group attended a three-day data engineering workshop from StreamSets alongside Karsun team members. Participants enhanced their data pipelines skills with a combination of vendor-led presentations and hands-on challenges using the StreamSets DataOps platform. After the workshop, most participants had the opportunity to be fully certified as Expert StreamSets Developers.

Karsun Solutions is repeatedly recognized for growth by publications like the Washington Business Journal and Inc. Magazine. Innovation Center Practice Areas ensure team members will continue to Grow with Karsun. These programs in turn create a pipeline of Enterprise Modernization Experts ready to solve difficult government transformation challenges. To learn more about how Karsun’s modern software development, cloud solutions or data solutions complete the form located here.

Karsun Solutions strengthened its relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS) through its Innovation Center Data Practice this fall. The center hosts the DataOps NoVa Meetup, a professional development group that introduces the Northern Virginia data and IT community to the latest practices, vendors and solutions for DataOps. The Meetup partnered with AWS for two events.

The Zen of DataOps

On October 22nd the Meetup featured a virtual presentation on The Zen of DataOps. The event began with a brief overview of Karsun’s Data and Cloud Practices by Shaunak Ashtaputre. Next, it welcomed AWS expert Stephen Moon. This virtual presentation dove into AWS Lake Formation and the Data Supply Chain Pipeline.

AWS and Dataguise Help Karsun Customers Improve Data Governance

Shaunak Ashtaputre, Director of the Data Practice and Co-Founder of DataOps NoVa, was invited to share a case study at an event co-hosted by AWS and Dataguise in November 2020. This webinar delved into a specific data governance solution, built with Dataguise on AWS, for one of Karsun’s public sector customers. Learn how these offerings can Reduce Sensitive and Personal Data Risk and Enable Compliance here.

AWS Resources Beyond Data

Karsun Solutions is a proud AWS Advanced Consulting Partner. As such it offers complete cloud solutions in addition to modern software development and data solutions. Current cloud solutions include cloud migration, cloud platform buildout and serverless computing.

Cloud Runway

Included in Karsun’s migration solution is the Cloud Runways toolkits. This enables cloud first organizations to systematically migrate legacy systems to the cloud. The Cloud Practice uses a proprietary multi-criteria decision support framework to perform a robust assessment of the solution providers’ key characteristics. Considering characteristics such as interoperability, flexibility, SLAs and security allows the team to make an optimal selection on the providers. Karsun’s cloud experts also focus on balancing private, public, and hybrid cloud options based on economics, functionality, and security.

Through relationships with vendors like Dataguise and AWS Karsun offers high-quality cloud and data solutions. Its Data, Solution and Development practice backs up each of these resources through employee-centered training and enablement. Learn more about Karsun’s AWS offerings here.

Meet Satish Alluri, the Deputy Program Manager for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Grants Management Modernization initiative. He recently graduated from the selective ACT-IAC Voyagers Professional Development fellowship. A longtime Karsun team member, he has held several positions including Senior Business Analyst and Scrum Master serving both our DHS FEMA and GSA programs.

We sat down with Satish Alluri to hear his advice on advancing your product, delivery, and program career. Learn about his tenure at Karsun plus his secrets for growing as an enterprise modernization expert.

Life as Program Manager at Karsun Solutions

How would you describe your role at Karsun?

I am currently serving as the Deputy Program Manager for our FEMA GMM modernization contract and assist in the overall program management. My key responsibilities include employee engagement, motivating the team towards successful and continuous Product Delivery and also provide operational oversight for the Process and Product Management disciplines within our program.

How did you end up at Karsun?

Over the past several years, I had worked in various consultant opportunities and one of those stints gave me a chance to work with some of the now seasoned Karsun employees. This past relationship paved the path for me to join Karsun in 2015. I joined as a Senior Business Analyst and gradually progressed in my career. During my current tenure, I supported the GSA program in different roles as a Senior Business Analyst, Scrum Master, and now supporting the FEMA program.

What is your main goal or focus?

Given my background, I have always been aligned with Product Strategy and Delivery. My career goals have been getting into Program Management, Product Management, seeking an opportunity to lead, collaborate, and oversee a big team and eventually run a successful program.

What gets you excited to come to work here?

Coming to the office gives me the opportunity to talk and collaborate with my peers. That’s pretty much what excites me. The kind of work that we do, the things that we deliver, it’s an evolutionary process. The key aspects are meeting people, talking to people, and helping things get delivered for the federal government.

What do you love most about the culture at Karsun Solutions?

I think there’s a certain openness within the company. I can openly collaborate with my peers on different ideas at Karsun. Whether it is my supervisor, colleagues, or the CEO, I can walk around and find somebody to share that idea. Even if it doesn’t get implemented, the conversation that happens is engaging enough for me to go back and think through it and come back with more food for thought. The openness of these conversations and the support structure around us employees is personally the favorite part of the culture here.

Do you have any unique traditions that you feel embody Karsun’s culture?

When I was supporting our GSA program, we used to follow the national day program and that pretty much set the mood for that day. Another of my favorite traditions are the Plank challenges in our FEMA program and also the potlucks at the office. Our last Thanksgiving Potluck was very successful and gave us an opportunity to be relaxed and work in a casual environment. Although the recent situation has disrupted some of these traditions, I am looking forward to getting back into the office and engaging more in-person fun activities with my colleagues.

Envisioning a Future at Karsun

What are you most excited about for the future of the company?

When I joined Karsun, it was a small business and while I was supporting the GSA program, we were awarded the FAA contract and now the FEMA contract. As we are turning towards becoming a large organization, the prospects that I see for myself within this growth is what excites me the most.

What is your experience with professional development at Karsun?

For myself, when I approached my supervisor regarding certain certifications, it was welcomed. Actually, after joining Karsun, I went through a couple of certifications: Certified Scrum Product Owner, Certified Agile Leadership, Certified Scrum Professional, and the Voyagers Program. This states what the company gives its employees. If an employee can speak up, there are always opportunities here.

What is your relationship like with your manager?

It is a great relationship. Some of the things I have done at Karsun would not be possible without his cooperation. His openness and upfront attitude towards giving timely feedback helped me improve certain things. When there were aspects I did not do what had to be done, he was quick and upfront about it. He gave constructive feedback and gave me guidance on how I could fix it.

What can you tell us about Mentorship with Karsun?

It’s the relationship that you have with your supervisor. It’s your career. Tell them what you want to further enhance your career. There was a dialogue with all my supervisors across the different programs. They tell me what I could do, and I ask them questions. I think it comes back to employee openness and finding a way to connect with your supervisor and senior colleagues.

Advice to Future Team Members: Be Open, Be Honest

What is one quality people need to be successful at Karsun?

At a company like Karsun, you have to be open, communicative, and responsive. If you are somebody who just sits at your cubicle, you might find it tough to be successful at this company. You need to open up and say this is what I can do and how I can contribute towards company success. The reason I say that is because it is a growing company and as we are growing from a small to a large organization every employee will have a way they can contribute to that growth.

What advice would you have for a candidate coming to interview?

The one piece of advice I would give is to be honest. As I said, Karsun is a growing company. It is important that the people we are hiring are as they present themselves in the interview. There’s a decent opportunity for growth based on the skillset you present in the interview. Being honest in the interview, saying what you have done in the past and what you can do is very critical. Just keep it straight.

Solving difficult problems drives the work at Karsun Solutions. One of those difficult problems included transitioning Karsun’s internship program, formerly based out of its Herndon, Virginia Headquarters, to a fully remote program. In this new virtual internship format, interns join a mentorship centered program designed to keep them connected and innovating even as they work remotely.

At Karsun Solutions the Internship Program is affiliated with the Karsun Innovation Center or KIC. As part of their virtual internship, each participant pairs up with a mentor from the KIC. Beyond introducing them to an innovative IT modernization culture, mentors provide continuous feedback so that interns may further develop and improve their skills.

Building a Digital Workplace with Karsun Konnect

As members of the Innovation Center, interns will envision the future of remote work. They will work directly with Karsun’s new digital workplace initiative, Karsun Konnect. This is a real-world application, designed for Karsun employees, which is created and maintained by the KIC. Upon completion, Konnect will include both an InnerSource library and provide workflow enhancements to the corporate functions serving Karsun teams.

Their work will involve collaborating with various stakeholders within the Operations, Talent, Human Resources, and Business Development teams, to identify areas of digital transformation. As part of this experience, interns will identify business requirements. Then they will learn to implement low-cost and efficient solutions within the identified constraints. Based on the business needs and feasibility, they next select appropriate software solutions. These solutions might include chatbots and other applications developed on no-code/low-code frameworks available under the Konnect platform.

An Immersive Innovation Center Experience

Interns will also participate in daily remote stand-ups and demo their projects weekly to Innovation Center leadership. Although remote these interns will also have the opportunity to present and engage with Karsun’s monthly virtual Innovation Town Halls. They may also participate in virtual training through monthly dojos and brown bags hosted by the KIC.

Some may continue their projects after completing their program. Graduates of three previous intern classes now continue their projects in the Karsun Innovation Center as full-time employees. Several of these former internship participants plan to participate as mentors or advisors for this year’s class. The KIC internship program is one of several outreach events designed to engage future IT professionals. In addition to engaging in other college hiring programs the organization previously sponsored a senior capstone project at George Mason University and hackathons at the University of Oklahoma and University of Southampton. Karsun accepts internship applications in the spring.