HERNDON, VA – Karsun Solutions announced today it won an award from Comparably for Best Company Career Growth. The award recognizes small and medium sized businesses rated highly for career growth by their employees. An enterprise modernization company serving the federal government, Karsun provides extensive career development resources through its in-house Innovation Center.

“We are proud to see our commitment to career growth recognized through this award from Comparably,” said Badri Sriraman, Senior Vice President of the Karsun Innovation Center.

Team members have many opportunities to grow their careers through the Karsun Innovation Center. Its professional development program, Karsun Academy, provides access to workshops, brown bags and training resources so that every team member may earn industry standard credentials. Additionally, anyone may research recommended certifications and classes through the career pathing tool on the Karsun Konnect employee app.   

Karsun also celebrates and encourages team members when they put these skills into practice. Monthly Innovation Town Halls celebrate the successful implementation of emerging technologies. The Innovation Radar, also available through the Konnect app, tracks these projects from ideation to completion. Moreover, innovation weeks, hackathons and challenge teams allow employees to test their skills in implementing solutions to known customer problems.

Karsun’s commitment to career growth supports the upskilling and expansion of its teams. Many of these teams grew throughout the pandemic and even as Karsun moved to a remote-flexible model. Several teams continue hiring nationwide. Interested candidates may apply at KarsunCareers.com. 

About Karsun Solutions

Transform your career with the company transforming possible for the government. Join the workplace where the only limit to your potential is the limit of your curiosity. Thrive in a community that empowers software development, cloud and data experts. At Karsun, explore every possibility and turn your bold ideas into reality.  Expand your career potential with dynamic development resources like Karsun Academy and sponsored technical certification courses. And joining a growing enterprise means as we grow, so do your career opportunities. Take your career to the next level and play your part in powering new possibilities for federal agencies. 

Company Contact: Karsun Solutions, marketing@karsun-llc.com

About Comparably 

Comparably (now a ZoomInfo company) is a leading workplace culture and corporate brand reputation platform with over 15 million anonymous employee ratings on 70,000 companies. With the most comprehensive data on large and SMB organizations in nearly 20 different workplace categories – based on gender, ethnicity, age, experience, industry, location, education – it is one of the most used SaaS platforms for employer branding and a trusted third party site for workplace culture and compensation. For more information on Comparably and its annual Best Places to Work Awards, visit www.comparably.com.

Every day over 21,000 people use U.S. government websites. Given this, incorporating the needs of millions of users while modernizing on a large scale can be daunting. Karsun Solutions President Terry Miller joins John Gilroy and the Federal Tech Podcast to share how a product mindset combined with Karsun’s Digital Transformation toolkits enable agencies to meet their mission while meeting the expectations of its users.

The Product Mindset

In the interview, Miller describes how legacy application modernization can get bogged down by a focus on adding functionality over a focus on the product as a whole. He notes by taking a product mindset, technology teams instead consider the purpose of the product and what it is supposed to do for its users. This goes beyond adding features or modernizing to meet new requirements. Instead, product mindset oriented modernization considers the long-term vision for the product. It involves stakeholders from the beginning to ensure their vision is part of the collective vision. This includes adopting feedback loops, like those used in human centered design, to ensure consistent input from the beginning.

Toolkits Accelerate Transformation

Miller explained the second part of Karsun’s approach to design at scale is its Digital Transformation Toolkits. These resources and playbooks accelerate transformation as Karsun begins its modernization process. For example, the Digital Transformation Design Toolkit uses a system of 40 different components enabling our developers to quickly create U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) standards compliant interfaces. This allows rapid interaction from prototype to production while engaging the frequent feedback cycle needed for product mindset development. Miller mentions Karsun’s new Design for Every Next whitepaper dives deeper into this relationship. Produced by the Karsun Innovation Center, the paper examines user experience throughout the modernization process.
The podcast is out now. Tune in to the Federal Tech Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at https://www.theoakmontgroupllc.com/ep-73-how-to-build-federal-systems-for-scale-and-resilience/.

Over 21,000 people visit U.S. government websites each day. The annual paperwork burden for executive departments and agencies exceeds 9 billion hours. Adopting next-generation user experience practices can address these challenges. By considering the needs of all stakeholders, designing for scale can improve the user experience, reducing paperwork and empowering agencies to meet their mission no matter the changing digital landscape. 

In 2021, the Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government called on agencies to improve government performance while using proven best practices such as human centered design and service delivery models. We must embed the user experience in the process to meet these requirements as early as possible. It compels us to take a long view. We should take a product oriented mindset that asks not how we can introduce a particular feature or functionality but how the product itself will be used past the completion of a modernization project. 

We have applied this approach to modernization projects for our customers in the acquisitions, aviation, and grants management industries. Aligning to industry standards, some of our applications see more than 1 million registered users. Using repeatable processes, we enable User Experience/User Interface (UI/UX) on a massive scale as we modernize complex systems for our agency customers. We collect our best practices, resources, and components into toolkits used by our teams. Now we have assembled our insights into a white paper from our Karsun Innovation Center.  

Our new Design for Every Next white paper takes you step by step through this process. From building your data capabilities to effectively analyzing stakeholder needs to creating effective feedback loops. We also share best practices and strategies for leveraging emerging technologies to implement new enhancements quickly. We also share our component-based approach to rapidly iterating and prototyping interfaces. Part of our Digital Transformation Toolkits, our Design Toolkit ensures teams have the resources and expertise to accelerate transformation with a comprehensive view of stakeholder needs and wants.  Download the white paper at https://karsun-llc.com/resource/design-for-every-next-2/.

Each quarter we celebrate a special group of individuals at Karsun. These team members, nominated by their collaborators and leaders, embody our core values. Their work represents the values that drive us to deliver quality solutions to our U.S. government customers. 

A recent LinkedIn survey found 82% of U.S. workers said it is important that their company’s values align with their personal values. We know core values are important to our team members, which is why we honor our values throughout the year. And it is also the reason we take special care to recognize how excellence, innovation, teamwork, commitment, integrity, and fun all help us deliver exceptional solutions to our government customers.

Excellence

At Karsun, we celebrate excellence in all we do. That includes recognizing team members who go the extra mile to learn or enhance their skills to deliver on a critical project. We also honor team members who take on new projects and responsibilities. We recently recognized a team leader who embodied both of these qualities. He stepped in to perform hands-on work when his team needed additional support. As a result, that team exceeded customer expectations on their project. When we recognize excellence, we honor both the outcome and the initiative, time, and effort required to obtain those results.

Innovation 

In addition to our monthly Innovation Town Halls, we also recognize some of our innovators during our quarterly awards ceremony. Every team member at Karsun has access to the Karsun Innovation Center, no matter their role. In one instance, a recent winner was celebrated for her work prototyping a synthetic data solution within a short time frame. This award also promotes work that may otherwise go unacknowledged publicly because it relates to confidential or proprietary projects. We use this opportunity to celebrate the members of our challenge teams that take on additional work beyond their usual duties to support new opportunities.

Teamwork

Our team champions and experts unite to build extraordinary solutions for our government customers. We honor the champions that implement better ways for their teams to work together. One of these team leaders was recognized for updating onboarding, reporting, and standard operating procedures for one of our helpdesk/operations and maintenance (O&M) teams. These major process improvements enhanced the relationship between his team and other teams, and our customers. A team member from our finance team was also recognized for similar process improvements. We celebrated her for not only improving productivity across teams but the way she builds trust and loyalty within her own team as well.

Commitment

We are committed to building modernization solutions that are built to last. That commitment extends from our practice advocates in the Innovation Center to our delivery teams. As part of our organization-wide commitment to this cause, many of our team members pitch in to grow our company in a way that ensures we have knowledgeable experts on every team. Last fall, one of these individuals was recognized for his commitment to ensuring talented team members join Karsun during rapid growth. He dedicated his time to interviewing and was ultimately responsible for multiple new Software Development Engineers in Test (SDET) joining Karsun.

Integrity

We conduct ourselves with honesty and fairness. That means doing the right thing for both our employees and our customers. That also includes acting proactively to ensure we do things the right way every time. We recently recognized a member of our quality assurance team for his management of our Software Process Engineering Group (SPEG). Under his management, that group is responsible for designing and executing quality assurance programs across Karsun teams to ensure we continually meet audit standards and best practices.

Fun

From day one, Karsun celebrated fun as one of our core values. That includes both a commitment to spending meaningful time together through events such as family picnics and team celebrations to ensuring our teams use their time in the way that is most efficient for them. Several of our core value award winners were recognized for going beyond one of the core values described above to improve the culture of their team. Nominations for our awards frequently mention how these stellar individuals improve team morale, bring empathy to their projects and improve the overall experience of working at Karsun.

Our core values inspire us to deliver extraordinary solutions to our government customers. These values are important to us, and we hope they might be important to you. If these stories inspired you to join a team where we honor and recognize strong values, then it is time to Find Your Next at KarsunCareers.com.

The Great Resignation is out, and the Big Stay is in. At least according to a recent report from ADP, which observes many people are opting to stay in their current roles rather than risk an unsteady job market. However, at Karsun, we are still growing and want you to grow with us! 

Here growth is about more than moving up (though if that is important to you, we hope you do that too!). It is also about growing your expertise and technical skills in government technology projects. We are an information technology consulting company, but our teams exclusively serve the federal government. If you want to grow your career in public sector IT, there is no better place to be than Karsun. 

Grow to Serve the Mission

We support important missions at agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). We prioritize training to ensure our support of the mission continues. We proudly recall several examples when our teams persevered, despite external constraints. During the 2019 Government Shutdown, rather than send our teams home, we created a training program focused on developing the skills and tools that would best support our agency customers the moment the work stoppage lifted. Likewise, during the early days of the pandemic, one of our teams not only continued delivery on their current project but due to their expertise in enterprise modernization and grants management systems onboarded a new program to support first responders. 

Because our training programs anticipate the needs of our agency customers, we can ensure they meet their missions. And as our customer wins, our teams share in those successes while growing their experience in new technologies and tools. Our Innovation Center has dedicated technical practice areas and experts focused on modernizing Acquisition, Aviation, Grants, and Fleet management systems. These same practice leaders work with our Karsun Academy team to develop tailored training programs to support the needs of our customers and our teams serving them. 

Grow with our Industry

In addition to our in-house resources, we also proudly support local industry organizations like the American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC).  In fact, eleven Karsun leaders are ACT-IAC fellows, graduating from one of its exclusive professional development cohorts.

Join our team and not only grow your technical skills but grow your knowledge and experience in public sector IT. In fact, you do not have to be based in the D.C. region to utilize our resources. Karsun hires remote roles nationwide, and all of our team members have access to Karsun Konnect, our virtual portal where they can access the same Innovation Center resources available to our local employees. Many of these tools and courses are designed for remote/asynchronous learning. Visit our Career Development page to learn more about growing with Karsun or apply today at KarsunCareers.com.

HERNDON, VA – Karsun Solutions was named a finalist in the 2023 Moxie Award. The award recognizes the boldest most innovative organizations in the D.C. region. A complete list of finalists can be found at https://moxieaward.com/finalists/. Finalists were recently announced by Katie Jordan, the 2023 Moxie Award chair.

“This year’s finalists truly represent the spirit of Moxie, and we are excited to help tell the stories of how they have conducted their businesses in new and exciting ways,” Jordan said. “We look forward to revealing the winners at the 2023 Moxie Award celebration on October 25, 2023, at The Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner.”

“We are honored to be recognized for our bold and innovative approach to enterprise modernization,” said Badri Sriraman, Senior Vice President of the Karsun Innovation Center.

Based in the Washington, D.C. metro area, its Herndon, Virginia headquarters is home to the Karsun Innovation Center. In addition to its research and development unit, the center includes Karsun Academy, which trains team members on the latest technology and best practices, and its practice areas, which connect subject matter experts to industry partners and resources. The prototypes, toolkits and resources developed by the Innovation Center are available virtually for Karsun’s remote teams nationwide.

With over 450 employees, Karsun experts serve federal civilian agencies. Its government modernization and digital transformation projects span the acquisition, aviation, grants and fleet management sectors. It is currently hiring full stack developers, solution architects, DevOps engineers, software developers in test and other corporate roles. Most of its job openings are either remote or hybrid. Interested candidates may apply at KarsunCareers.com.

Anu Pajjur, a Portfolio Lead at Karsun Solutions, graduated from The American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) Voyagers Program this week. Voyagers is ACT-IAC’s professional development program for rising leaders in government and industry. Pairing government and industry leaders one-on-one, the program prepares mid-level leaders for future roles serving the nation.

Graduates of this professional development program become ACT-IAC Fellows. Karsun is an ongoing supporter of both the Voyagers and Partners programs. With participation in these programs spanning more than a decade, leaders across Karsun programs and portfolios are ACT-IAC fellows. Anu is the 11th fellow from Karsun. She joins a network of 1200+ leaders serving the federal government.

Graduation was held during ACT-IAC’s annual Emerging Technology and Innovation conference. One of ACT-IAC’s flagship conferences, this year’s event addressed trends such as artificial intelligence, Quantum Technology, smart city platforms, robotics and nanotechnology, intelligent automation and 5G. In addition to Anu, Karsun leaders joined conference attendees to collaborate, network and discover the future of government information technology. 

About Anu Pajjur

Anu is a Portfolio Lead at Karsun Solutions. She manages modernization projects from conception through implementation with a focus on building high-performance teams that deliver business solutions in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

A seasoned professional with 20 years of experience, her work spans the software development life cycle, including Project Management, Business Analysis, and Software Development. She has industry standard certifications, including SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) and Professional Scrum Master (PSM1), and is engaged in groups like ACT-IAC for continuous learning and sharing opportunities.

Anu is currently leading a multi-million dollar initiative supporting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Anu’s team began work on Karsun’s FAA Software Solution Delivery support services contract in 2017. The contract provides technical support services and assists in implementing and continuing support of enterprise-wide software application and database development. Under this contract, Karsun also performs maintenance and sustainment of existing systems.

digital architecture built to last. It is a proven modernization partner whose expertise elevates agency capabilities and ensures every next opportunity is within reach.

NIST 800-63-3 is a set of guidelines published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for digital identity management and authentication. These guidelines provide recommendations for digital identity proofing, authentication protocols, and federation models. NIST 800-63-3 is widely recognized as a valuable resource for organizations looking to improve the security of their digital identity systems and reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft.

It is also essential for government agencies because it works. For instance, state governments using solutions aligned with NIST Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) standards saw a significant decrease in fraudulent COVID-19 unemployment claims. Whether adapting to changing mandates or incorporating industry standards such as NIST 800-63-3, Karsun has a solution to ease the adoption of security best practices during modernization.

The NIST 800-63-Standard

NIST 800-63-3 was released in June 2017. The guidelines were intended to improve online identity verification’s security and usability while addressing new threats and challenges that have emerged in recent years.

The guidelines are organized into three parts:

1. Digital Identity Guidelines: Guides establishing digital identity proofing and authentication procedures.
2. Authentication and Lifecycle Management Guidelines: Describes implementing and managing identity credentials and authentication.
3. Federation and Assertions Guidelines: Provides guidance for federated identity systems and how to use assertions to share identity information between systems.

Since introducing NIST 800-63-3, these standards have become industry best practices for identity management. In addition to NIST 800-63-3 compliance, agencies are prioritizing Zero Trust as a key component of securing the User and App pillar. For example, the FAA’s 2022 AIT annual report states, “[its] network environment now operates within a Zero Trust security model, which requires users to be authenticated, authorized, and continuously validated to be granted access to a network, system, or application.” The agency’s cybersecurity-related improvement activities support the transition to Zero Trust, as well as its implementation of a new multi-factor authentication (MFA) service for users who would like to access the FAA’s network, systems, and applications.

Complementing Secure By Design Architecture

At Karsun, incorporating NIST 800-63-3 standards is part of designing secure digital architecture. Incorporating these guidelines into a secure by design architecture involves creating systems and applications with security considerations at every stage of the development process, from design to deployment.

The guidelines recommend using risk-based authentication (RBA) to assess the risk associated with each access attempt. We design systems and applications with RBA in mind and implement automated risk assessment tools to make real-time decisions about access requests.

Key to our solutions is NIST 800-63-3 adherent identity proofing. This process involves verifying user identities using multiple sources of data. We incorporate these guidelines into the design process to ensure that user identities are verified before granting access. We also consider federation and assertions. We integrate NIST 800-63-3 standards into the design process if the system or application interacts with other systems or applications.

In addition, NIST 800-63-3’s guidelines on digital identity proofing can help organizations implement identity verification procedures consistent with the zero trust principle of “never trust, always verify.” By using a risk-based approach to identity proofing, organizations can better assess the trustworthiness of each user and device and limit access to sensitive data and applications only to those users and devices verified to be trustworthy.

We design systems and applications with secure coding practices in mind and follow best practices for secure coding throughout development. In our implementation, we automated mobile testing via functional testing tools like Appium. We used code scanning and container image scanning tools to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities earlier and address those issues before deployment.

By incorporating NIST 800-63-3 guidelines and a zero trust framework into a secure by design architecture, agencies can develop systems and applications that are secure by default and can better protect sensitive data and resources.

Complexities to Implementing Authentication

While adhering to these standards is essential to building a secure application, it introduces added complexity to modernization projects. The standards specify appropriate authentication approaches based on different risk levels. Each has extensive rules, and the requirements for various authenticators may be overwhelming, unclear, ambiguous, and conflicting. Addressing each of these Authentication Levels across devices effectively can hinder the successful adoption of the security standards.

Identity Reference Framework

To meet this challenge, Karsun introduced an Identity, Credential and Access Management (ICAM) reference implementation. We customized the Keycloack open source tool via a specific Service Provider Interface (SPI) to address the complex NIST authenticator requirements while accelerating the adoption of those standards. Our team began with a risk based assessment, identifying the authentication workflows and their requirements based on risk level.

Next, using Keycloak, we created custom implementations for each workflow. Using these workflows, we created custom templates for new user sign-up forms. We also adapted these custom templates to adhere to US Digital Services (USDS) standards. This approach created a repeatable identify framework we could implement as a plug-in that can be deployed over an open source Keycloak container. 

Not only does this approach reduce complexity, but it is also a more secure implementation. It allows the user, when appropriate, to use authentication other than a simple password. When using an authentication type such as FIDO2, the user enters a PIN or uses biometrics to authenticate successfully, then the authenticator uses the key in the device to sign the challenge from the identity provider. Thus the key never leaves the device. Using this highest-level-without-password/passwordless approach was more secure while simultaneously providing a better user experience.

Additionally, by using Keycloak to build our own identity reference framework library, we addressed a common concern with implementing open source tools. Using a template library created a clear separation between Keycloak and our ability to update the plug-in. We designed the library to keep the templates up to date and maintain the application’s security rather than relying on Keycloak itself.

Accelerating Identity and Access Management Adoption

Like many Karsun toolkit components, these identity reference framework resources are available to our team members to use through our InnerSource library. Evolving from an Innovation Center research and development project to a validated implementation, it can now be used as one of our readymade toolkits. All Karsun teams now have access to these vital resources and ensure that our teams can accelerate the implementation of emerging identity and ICAM standards in your agency’s modernization efforts. 

Content from this post initially appeared from Pavan Kurkal as part of Karsun’s Monthly Innovation Town Hall series. These events present innovative solutions from our delivery teams across Karsun. Pavan is an engineer with the Karsun Innovation Center specializing in identity and access management.

HERNDON, VA – Karsun Solutions received a Top Workplaces 2023 Culture Excellence Award for Work-Life Flexibility. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage, LLC. This confidential survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization: including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

“Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “That’s something to be proud of. In today’s market, leaders must ensure they’re allowing employees to have a voice and be heard. That’s paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends.”

At Karsun, a people-first culture drives collaboration. Its flexible roles, many of which have fully-remote options, empower teams to select the work arrangements that work best for them. Those teams located near its Herndon, Virginia headquarters offices may utilize onsite Innovation Center resources and co-working spaces as they build enterprise modernization solutions for their federal government customers. Remote teams may access the Karsun Konnect employee app for virtual training, career tools and chat with subject matter experts. Through Konnect, Karsun team members may also participate in virtual fitness classes and other employee groups.

“We are honored and proud to be among the companies leading the way in work-life flexibility,” said Kelly Demaitre, Karsun Solutions Chief People Officer.

Karsun previously received awards for its culture from Top Workplaces, The Oklahoman and employee-rating site Comparably. Most recently, it received Best Company Perks and Benefits and Best Company Outlook from Comparably. Shortly after winning its Perks and Benefits award, it announced enhanced paid time off and parental leave benefits. An information technology company hiring remote roles nationwide, it inspires future team members to “Find Your Next” at Karsun. Interested candidates may apply at KarsunCareers.com/jobs.   

About Karsun Solutions

Transform your career with the company transforming possible for the government. Join the workplace where the only limit to your potential is the limit of your curiosity. Thrive in a community that empowers software development, cloud and data experts. At Karsun, explore every possibility and turn your bold ideas into reality.  Expand your career potential with dynamic development resources like Karsun Academy and sponsored technical certification courses. And joining a growing enterprise means as we grow, so do your career opportunities. Take your career to the next level and play your part in powering new possibilities for federal agencies. 

Media Contact: marketing@karsun-llc.com

About Energage

Making the world a better place to work together.™

Energage is a purpose-driven company that helps organizations turn employee feedback into useful business intelligence and credible employer recognition through Top Workplaces. Built on 14 years of culture research and the results from 23 million employees surveyed across more than 70,000 organizations,  Energage delivers the most accurate competitive benchmark available. With access to a unique combination of patented analytic tools and expert guidance, Energage customers lead the competition with an engaged workforce and an opportunity to gain recognition for their people-first approach to culture. For more information or to nominate your organization, visit energage.com or topworkplaces.com.

Governments and corporations alike have adopted fleet electrification as a cornerstone of their plans to curb carbon emissions and head off climate change. As part of a pledge to make the federal government carbon neutral by 2050, an executive order from President Joe Biden targets an all-electric fleet by 2035. That is a fleet of 645,000 vehicles driving a whopping 4.5 billion miles a year. 

Electric Fleets: Beyond Environmental Impacts

Among our fleet management projects, Karsun supports the modernization of GSA’s Advanced Fleet Platform. Karsun is proud to participate in this vital work preparing our nation for a changing climate. By using an electric fleet, governments can reduce their carbon footprint and help combat climate change. Electric vehicles also produce fewer pollutants than traditional vehicles, which can lead to improved public health. By reducing air pollution, governments can help prevent respiratory illnesses and other health problems associated with poor air quality.  Moreover, electric vehicles can be powered by a variety of sources, including renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. By using an electric fleet, the government can reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and increase its energy security.

Envisioning the Future: Empowering Local Communities

Fleet electrification is a unique opportunity to provide tangible impacts and community impact while addressing our changing climate. Federal agencies can lead by example and demonstrate their commitment to sustainability by committing to all electric fleets. This can inspire other constituents and localities to follow suit and make similar changes. 

As an expert in both fleet management modernization and grants management, Karsun offers a unique opportunity for agencies to lead from the front on these initiatives. Our fleet and grants experts can help agencies modernize their systems to flow down grants to their constituents to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and other initiatives. Connect with us to learn more about our Fleet Management solutions or schedule a conversation with one of our enterprise modernization experts.