Karsun Solutions DHS Portfolio Vice President Jeffrey Kramer was named a DHS Executive of the Year Pinnacle Awards Finalist. The Pinnacle Awards are presented annually by Washington Exec. Now in its seventh year, the award recognizes leaders driving innovation and technology adoption in support of government agencies and their mission.
Karsun Solutions transforms government agencies through modern software development, cloud, data, and artificial intelligence solutions. Jeffrey Kramer leads delivery and growth efforts for Karsun’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) portfolio. He brings over 30 years of experience in delivering solutions across the federal government with a specific focus on serving in key roles on some of the largest mission critical system modernization efforts in the federal civilian space. His experience spans beyond DHS to also include Department of Justice, State, Transportation, Commerce and Treasury. He is a Fellow in the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council Partners Program.
Karsun’s DHS Portfolio includes its Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Grants Management Modernization (GMM) program. Under that program it is modernizing the agency’s grants system, bringing 40+ grants programs into the cloud-based FEMA Grants Outcomes (FEMA GO) platform. The modernized platform reached full operational capability this year.
About Karsun Solutions
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.
Recording live from the AWS Summit Washington, D.C., Karsun’s Badri Sriraman sits down with John Gilroy and the Federal Tech Podcast to discuss all things AI, accelerating legacy systems modernization and hyperlocal contextualization. Badri is the Vice President of the Karsun Innovation Center. Here, teams work to eliminate or reduce friction for the agencies modernizing their legacy systems. As part of that work, they developed ReDuX AI, a toolkit using AI resources to address common issues related to modernizing these older, more complex legacy systems. Throughout the interview, Badri and John discuss the costs and security risks associated with staying on current systems and the opportunity for AI to provide insight through hyperlocal contextualization to tackle these challenges.
Addressing the O&M Problem
The interview begins by acknowledging the drag aging infrastructure has on these agencies’ enterprise systems. The issue becomes intractable when operations and maintenance (O&M) costs become so high they take up the budget that would otherwise be used for modernization and systems enhancements. A 2023 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report examined the 10 critical systems it identified most in need of modernization. Some of those systems were over 50 years old and, in total, cost the government upwards of $337 million annually to operate and maintain.
In addition to the O&M costs, complex relationships between different systems components, older programming languages like COBOL, and outdated documentation all contribute to the difficulty of modernizing mission-critical legacy systems like those studied. As Badri reveals in the interview, artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to address many of those concerns. Moreover, those same AI tools may accelerate the transition, further reducing O&M costs as agencies move away from these legacy systems.
Eating the Elephant
In the interview, Badri shares a key component of Karsun’s AI-accelerated modernization methodology, hyperlocal contextualization. In a traditional modernization project, teams typically take an incremental approach. To “eat the elephant,” teams go one step at a time, optimizing as they modernize to reduce costs. The analysis required to peel away each part of the legacy system could slow down modernization to a yearslong process in highly complex systems. Throughout the process, these teams must untangle how different parts of the system integrate and work together.
Alternatively, using AI teams still move incrementally, avoiding the pitfalls of Big Bang Modernization. However, they also use AI to identify and map these relationships within legacy systems. This AI assistance helps those teams move at a rapid pace. Working together with the human team and stakeholders, the AI can quickly create a fuller understanding of the system, its impact on the mission and provide new insights into optimization opportunities during the modernization process. This analysis is the first step in using AI for hyperlocal contextualization.
The Security Imperative
An equally pressing concern is rising security threats. The 2023 GAO report found among the chief concerns for these aging systems were outdated hardware and security vulnerabilities. The same processes that help modernization teams optimize to reduce O&M costs can also be used to move from less secure systems to more secure systems based on industry standards and best practices.
Jumping in with Hyperlocal Contextualization
With more advanced large language models (LLMs), AI tools cannot only write the code but also review, debug, and make recommendations. Powered by AWS Bedrock, ReDuX AI not only takes the insights from its eat the elephant analysis but also makes recommendations to Karsun developers using the context generated from those insights. Plus it can then incorporate best practices and security policies into those recommendations. Using a tool like ReDuX AI, the security optimization recommendations are customized to the complexities found in that legacy system, resulting in a modernization process designed to optimize costs and security. Badri discusses this hyperlocal contextualization in greater depth in the interview.
The future is bright. In a 2019 report, the GAO shared agencies provided 94 examples of successful modernization initiatives over the five years studied. While some of the most challenging projects remain, AI tools, like those used by ReDuX, create a future where the remaining mission-critical systems modernize a possibility. Check out the full interview at www.theoakmontgroupllc.com/ep-161-how-to-overcome-the-challenge-of-legacy-systems/ or visit GoRedux.AI to learn more.
Like many organizations, Karsun transitioned to a remote workforce in 2020. Beginning with that transition and throughout the last three years, it has won new awards for culture, benefits and more. Most recently, it picked up its first-ever Top Workplaces Culture award for Work-Life Flexibility. Karsun received this award in addition to repeat Technology Industry Top Workplaces and Oklahoman Top Workplaces awards. 2023 was also Karsun’s first year receiving a Comparably Best Company Career Growth award. Both Top Workplaces and Comparably are based on independent third assessments of Karsun culture based on feedback from current employees.
Chae Song, the program manager for Karsun’s GSA Fleet Program, received a FORUM IMPACT award from the industry news sites FORUM/g2xchange. Karsun continued to be recognized as a local industry leader. It received a ranking for the fifth year in a row on the Northern Virginia Technology Council Tech 100.
In addition to industry award recognition, Karsun experts and executives appeared as thought leaders in white papers, panel discussions and industry podcasts. Notably, Karsun released our Design for Every Next white paper detailing our strategy for delivering high-quality UI/UX initiatives on a massive scale and in highly complex systems. Karsun President, Terry Miller appeared on the Federal Tech Podcast to share insights from this new paper.
Finally, Karsun graduated its eleventh fellow from an American Council on Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) professional development program. Anu Pajjur, a Portfolio Lead for Karsun’s FAA portfolio, completed ACT-IAC’s Voyagers Program in May 2023. This program pairs up-and-coming leaders from industry and government in an intensive one-year program.
From work-life balance to elevating industry leaders, culture shines here. The Karsun team continues its commitment to an employee-centered culture where everyone can learn and grow. And there are new opportunities to grow as a Karsun expert. We are hiring for remote roles nationwide. To join our team and Find Your Next visit KarsunCareers.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.
HERNDON, VA- Karsun Solutions announced six key promotions within its Leadership Team. These promotions come as a result of achievements in exponential growth, excellence in customer delivery, and continued progress with innovative solutions. These promotions include:
- Terry Miller to the position of Karsun’s President
- Badri Sriraman to Senior Vice President of the Karsun Innovation Center
- Ben Marglin to Senior Vice President of Client Solutions
- Rajaji Bellamkonda to Portfolio Vice President
- Jay Kondapalli to Portfolio Vice President
- Juan Robles to Senior Director of Growth
The news follows a series of contract wins. This includes the GSA Fleet Modernization Contract with a ceiling value of $75 million and the GSA Enhanced Checkout (GECO) Modernization under the COMET BPA.
Now with more than a decade in operation, Karsun is rapidly scaling to meet its explosive growth. This includes new awards of over $278 million within 2020 resulting from both new wins and organic contract growth.
Karsun’s Innovation and Growth teams also evolved throughout 2020. In addition to its in-house research and development team, the Innovation Center expanded to include five employee-centered practice areas.
Karsun’s co-founders Sundar Vaidyanathan and Kartik Mecheri expressed excitement about the promotions. “We are proud to announce the next generation of leaders to take Karsun to even greater heights. We recognize their deep commitment to the company and look forward to their leadership,” stated Mr. Vaidyanathan.
For a complete list of Karsun executives and senior leadership bios visit https://karsun-llc.com/leadership/.
About Karsun Solutions
Karsun Solutions is a fast-growing, innovative, enterprise modernization firm. 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. Its teams deliver modern software development, cloud solutions, and data and analytics solutions to customers at government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration, and General Services Administration. It possesses a DCAA Approved Accounting System, CMMI Level 5 – DEV appraisal, and AWS Government Competency.
HERNDON, VA – Capitalizing on rapid growth across its portfolios, Karsun Solutions, an enterprise modernization firm serving the U.S. government, announced the appointment of multiple IT industry leaders to key business development and client solutions roles. Those appointments include industry veterans Neal Smith to Senior Director of Digital Transformation, PJ Henry to Director and Megan Mattingly to Capture Manager. Karsun Solutions also announced an expansion of Director Jason Marceau’s responsibilities into the firms expanding Business Solutions Practice.
Karsun Solutions serves customers at agencies including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Transportation (DOT) and General Services Administration (GSA). The firm won multiple $100 million plus contracts growing its revenue by more than 1500% over its first ten years. In September 2019 it moved into a new 75,000 square foot headquarters, a reflection of the more than 2400% growth in headcount.
“As a rapidly growing company, Karsun Solutions exists in a space different from more established firms with similar-sized contracts,” said Senior Director of Business Development Juan Robles. “Growing our capture and solutions teams gives Karsun the ability to leverage resources not typically available to smaller organizations.”
With a strong pipeline, leadership at Karsun Solutions is prioritizing the growth of its capture and solutions infrastructure as it launches into the next decade. The Karsun Solutions Capture Team adds industry veteran PJ Henry. Henry, a 25-year industry veteran, joins as a Director of Business Development. With extensive public sector experience, his resume includes time as a capture lead for the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and Department of Transportation at Booz Allen Hamilton. Henry was also previously a senior business development lead for the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and the State Department at LMI.
In addition to a growing capture infrastructure, Karsun Solutions has also named Neal Smith a Senior Director of Digital Transformation in its Business Solutions Practice. Smith is a seasoned digital transformation executive. Prior to Karsun Solutions, he served at Salient CRGT and Maga Design. Smith has over 23 years of experience in IT services sales, delivery. Smith brings together customer focus and technical innovation to solutions for the federal government.
Megan Mattingly also recently joined Karsun Solutions as a Capture Manager. Bringing nine years in capture and business development, her background includes deep experience in Mergers and Acquisitions.
About Karsun Solutions
Karsun Solutions serves customers at agencies including DHS, DOT and GSA. It is guided by an innovation-based and performance-driven culture. Its teams deliver extraordinary software development, cloud and advanced analytics solutions to its customers.
In November 2019 GSA awarded the company a spot on its COMET BPA. It also has work at GSA under the $35 million Database and Middleware Systems (DMS) Task Order awarded in October 2018. Last year the company also began work in its FEMA GMM program. DHS awarded Karsun Solutions this five-year single award BPA with a ceiling value of $80 million. It was the first award won by Karsun Solutions under a Full and Open Competition. The company also continues to work under the FAA SSD contract, a five-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a $145 million ceiling value.
Growth across the firm’s public sector portfolios resulted in a bevy of national and regional awards. This includes both repeated recognition on the Inc. 5000 and in the Washington Business Journal. Its commitment to quality includes a DCAA Approved Accounting System, AWS Government Competency, a CMMI Level 5 – DEV appraisal plus ISO 9001, ISO 20000 and ISO 27001 certifications.
Continuing the momentum from the celebration of its first ten years in operation, Karsun Solutions’ leadership laid out its 2020 vision at a recent employee All Hands event. Employees gathered at the company’s new 75,000 square foot headquarters in Herndon, Virginia. Speaking to groups gathered in the new training rooms Co-Founder Kartik Mecheri and Sundar Vaidyanathan, along with the Karsun executive team, detailed an ambitious plan for 2020.
In their introduction the Mecheri and Vaidyanathan praised Karsun teams, observing they were responsible for the company’s rapid growth. They revealed organization-wide headcount grew by over 2400% and just over 1600% by revenue since its founding ten years ago. In preparation for the next decade, they discussed the company’s expanding senior leadership, strengthening of infrastructure, and planned roadmap.
Ben Marglin, Vice President Client Solutions, emphasized Karsun’s continued commitment to its customers across the U.S. government. Current customers include the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, and General Service Administration. Marglin praised delivery wins in all of the organization’s portfolios. He highlighted continuing growth among the delivery teams and the strength of Karsun’s staffing pipeline. He concluded with a commitment to support these core programs through the expansion of the Innovation Center and PMO resources.
Terry Miller, Chief Operating Officer, outlined plans for investment in Karsun’s next growth phase. The company continues to lead with a competency-based approach. This places capabilities in modern software development, cloud solutions, and advanced analytics at the forefront of the firm’s strategic vision. To grow these areas the organization plans to nurture proposal, capture, and solutions units including ramping up staffing and training initiatives.
Included in this competency-based plan is a continued commitment to the Karsun Innovation Center (KIC). Badri Sriraman, Vice President Innovation Center, concluded the session by delving into new campaigns from each of the center’s five practice areas. As of 2019, Karsun announced publicly two practice areas, Data and DevSecOps. Under the new plan, KIC will establish an additional three practice areas Lean, Solution, and Development. Each of these is employee-centered, offering Work from KIC days, monthly Innovation Town Halls, and employee-led training. In order to connect all employees to the wealth of resources available through the KIC, participants were invited to take a quiz, pairing them with their ideal practice area.
As it cements its place among the contracting community, Karsun Solutions continues a commitment to enterprise modernization expertise. Beyond its founders’ broad vision it has a dedicated commitment to quality and innovation. In 2019 it was appraised at CMMI Level 5- DEV, a feat achieved by just over 50 teams at the time of its appraisal. It was also recognized by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Washington Business Journal, and Inc. for continuous year over year growth. As an emerging player, it was named to the Northern Virginia Technical Council Tech 100 and in early 2020 G2xchange’s NXT UP 2020 list. With continuing confidence in its key practice areas, Karsun Solutions is poised to Do Extraordinary in 2020 and beyond.
HERNDON, Va.- Karsun Solutions, an IT modernization firm serving the U.S. government, named Ben Marglin as Vice President of Client Solutions. Marglin has over 20 years of professional experience. He will be responsible for building trusted long-term relationships with senior Federal clients and leading Karsun delivery teams to achieve high-quality results.
“Ben’s deep knowledge and connection to the federal IT sector is invaluable,” said Karsun Solutions Co-Founder and Chief Architect Kartik Mecheri. “His presence on our executive team ensures the needs of our customers continues to guide Karsun decision making.”
Marglin previously worked as a Principal/Director at Booz Allen Hamilton for over 17 years, serving in leadership roles for the Digital team within the Strategic Innovation Group (SIG) as well as in the Civil/FED market, leading teams of 200 plus staff and agency portfolios with approximately $100M in annual revenue for clients such as General Services Administration (GSA) and National Science Foundation (NSF.) He served as Booz Allen’s corporate representative to ACT-IAC and also led collaborative projects with the Partnership for Public Service. Prior to his career with Booz Allen, he worked for American Management Systems (AMS) providing IT management and consulting services to state and local governments.
“Our high performance teams already deliver exceptional outcomes to our clients.” said Marglin. “I look forward to fortifying Karsun’s delivery framework as awareness of our innovative approach to IT modernization permeates the public sector.”
Marglin joins as the organization adds leadership infrastructure to support their rapid growth. In early April they announced the award of the $80 million FEMA Grants Management Modernization BPA to Karsun Solutions. In March KHS, a Karsun Solutions/Mindcubed Mentor Protégé, announced they were selected for the SEC One IT contract vehicle. In addition to their recent contract wins, their fast expansion earned them a spot on Inc. 5000 four years in a row. The firm currently has over 100 open positions ranging from Project Management to DevOps, Data and Security Engineers.
“Ben’s presence comes at a critical time for Karsun,” said Chief Executive Office Sundar Vaidyanathan. “He joins as we meld innovation, customer experience, and employee growth into our expansion strategy.”
Karsun Solutions is a premier IT modernization firm delivering a portfolio of services to its federal and commercial customers. Its core competencies include Modern Software Development, Cloud Solutions, and Advanced Analytics. The organization’s quality, development, and information security practices include CMMI Level 5 DEV, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 20000:2011 and ISO 27001:2013 certifications.
Terry Miller, Chief Operating Officer at Karsun Solutions, will serve as Industry Chair of the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council’s (ACT-IAC) 2019 Partners Program. ACT-IAC is a non-profit educational organization created to encourage collaboration between industry and government. In its 22nd year, the Partners Program pairs leaders from both government and industry. Participants are selected among rising senior executives. The program is one of three fellowship programs from ACT-IAC.
Support for ACT-IAC’s professional development programs has long been a component of Karsun Solution’s support for the federal IT contracting community. Terry is a graduate of the 2010 Partners Program and was the Chair of ACT-IAC’s Management of Change (MOC) event in 2013. Graduates of the program automatically become ACT-IAC Fellows. Additional Karsun Solutions ACT-IAC Fellows include CEO Sundar Vaidyanathan (2010), Badri Sriraman (2015), Rajaji Bellamkonda (2016), Juan Robles (2017), Jay Kondapalli (2017) and Chae Song (2018). Sudhir Duggineni is a current member of the 2019 ACT-IAC Voyagers Program.
About Terry Miller
Terry is the Chief Operating Officer of Karsun Solutions. Terry works with the operations, business development, and technology teams to prepare Karsun for customer delivery excellence. Prior to joining Karsun, Terry served as the Public Sector COO for Visionary Integration Professionals. He also held various leadership positions at CSC and Harris Corporation. Prior to joining private industry, Terry served as the Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at The White House. In this capacity, he was the liaison between the President and state and local government elected officials.
About Karsun Solutions
The federal IT modernization experts, Karsun Solutions enables enterprise transformation for its government customers. Premier customers include the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration, and General Services Administration. An innovation-based and performance-driven culture, Karsun Solutions delivers extraordinary outcomes for their customers. Team members are empowered by Autonomy, Accountability, and Advancement. Karsun Solutions is an established firm, with a DCAA Approved Accounting System, CMMI Level 3 – DEV appraisal, and ISO 9001, ISO 20000 and ISO 27001 certifications. Partnering with Karsun Solutions ensures the nimbleness, agility, and access to decision makers of a small business without sacrificing the scalability, capabilities, and experience in modern software development, cloud solutions and advanced analytics of a large firm.
The Karsun Solutions Executive Team recently joined Federal News Radio’s executive editor Jason Miller on his Views from the Corner Office program. During the interview, CEO Sundar Vaidyanathan, Chief Architect Kartik Mecheri and Chief Operating Officer Terry Miller share how IT modernization is opening the door for disruptors. They reveal insights on the state of the federal market, innovation-centric procurement trends, and opportunities for growing small businesses.
The Show Don’t Tell Approach to IT Modernization
When discussing the state of the federal market, both Sundar and Kartik highlight the role of small, innovative disruptors. Kartik, in particular, identifies the ability of such organization to quickly adapt and demonstrate IT modernization requirements. For Karsun Solutions these include expanding opportunities within the commercial cloud and artificial intelligence space.
The Karsun team commends the trend toward innovative procurement processes. Reflecting on Karsun Solutions recent growth the team adds, the organization benefits from matching opportunities to competencies. In describing the approach, COO Terry Miller notes, “what we’re really seeing that’s very different is ‘prove it to me, come in and do a demonstration to show me exactly … what your capabilities are.”
Views from the Corner Office brings together federal executives, lawmakers and other industry experts for insights into trends and challenges facing the Federal sector. The thirty-minute Views from the Corner Office program offers a private industry glimpse into public sector contracting. If you missed the original broadcast listen in here. Alternatively, tune in throughout October to hear the interview on WFED 1500am.
About Karsun Solutions
Karsun Solutions is a premier consulting firm delivering a portfolio of enterprise modernization services to its federal and commercial customers. Its core competencies include Modern Software Development, Cloud Solutions, and Advanced Analytics. Its proprietary GoLean® software development methodology combines Agile, Lean, Kanban and DevOps practices throughout the software development lifecycle. The GoLean.io Software-as-a-Service provides a lean management tool-kit combining the best of these practices.