Executive Mosaic is honored to unveil Steve Harris, senior vice president and general manager of the public sector group at Dell Technologies, as a recipient of the 2021 Wash100 Award, the most prestigious award in all of government contracting (GovCon), for advocating the potential benefits of modern computing systems and information technology partnerships to the government.
This marks Harris’ sixth consecutive Wash100 Award. He oversees the consolidated groups that were part of the Dell EMC Federal organization and is responsible for a full portfolio of client support, enterprise systems and software offerings for the federal, state and local government sectors as well as education and public health care segments.
“Steve Harris has logged over 23 years at Dell Technologies and leads one of the largest public sector operations in the U.S. that touches virtually every integrator and agency in the Fed, State and Local landscapes, said Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award. “Steve works tirelessly to advance Dell’s massive operation and is among the most visible leaders in the entire industry.”
In his current capacity, Harris works to ensure the delivery of end-to-end Dell Technologies capabilities designed to support agencies’ digital transformation goals.
The 23-year Dell veteran highlighted the importance of technology-driven best practices in May 2020 as government organizations adjusted to their “new normal” with a remote workforce. “Agencies should assess how initial tech solutions are functioning and scale or replace solutions as appropriate,” he noted.
Harris wrote that agencies should create an access portal that would make it easier for employees to use digital technologies during telework and implement security tools to protect collaboration and communication among federal users.
“Technology, security and culture are essential for a connected, remote workforce. While there’s uncharted territory ahead, federal agencies have made unthinkable progress. Let’s continue to progress forward, learning from recent experiences and reimagining the future of work.”
He said in a July 2020 interview that Dell can help agencies manage operating costs associated with the adoption of software-based cloud and edge computing platforms.
“Most users and providers agree that the best approach is to ensure any edge computing solution is optimized, modernized and orchestrated to make the most of the agency’s mission,” Harris was quoted as saying.
Dell was among the several vendors that provided information technology equipment for the 2020 Census and Harris spoke to Zachary Schwartz, deputy division chief in the communications directorate for the Census Bureau, last year to discuss technology partnerships that supported the decennial count.
“One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned working with big technology companies is that they have instituted excellent data security best practices and approaches to ensure technology meets user needs,” Schwartz told Harris in their Q&A session.
“The private sector has invested in developing technologies the public will use. Since we have similar goals in providing secure technology to benefit the public, working together is very valuable.”
Harris focused on SLED and health care sales when he first joined Dell in 1998 and later elevated to the positions of public business group executive, assistant VP for the state and local government and education unit and head of the federal systems group.
In February 2020, the global technology firm moved to simplify its business structure and product portfolio by selling the RSA business to a Symphony Technology Group-led consortium for $2.1 billion in cash. RSA, which markets cybersecurity and digital risk management products, was among the businesses under the Dell Technologies brand formed by the $67 billion Dell-EMC merger in 2016.
Dell also announced last year a potential spinoff of its 81 percent stake in VMware to create additional value for shareholders, partners and customers.
Executive Mosaic offers its congratulations to Steve Harris and the Dell Technologies team for their selection to receive the 2021 Wash100 Award. Harris securing his sixth consecutive Wash100 Award demonstrates an elite level of success that Harris has achieved for his company and the GovCon community over the years and into the year to come.
About The Wash100
This year represents our eighth annual Wash100 Award selection. The Wash100 is the premier group of private and public sector leaders selected by Executive Mosaic’s organizational and editorial leadership as the most influential leaders in the GovCon sector. These leaders demonstrate skills in leadership, innovation, achievement and vision.
Visit theWash100 site to learn about the other 99 winners of the 2021 Wash100 Award. On the site, you can submit your 10 votes for the GovCon executives of consequence that you believe will have the most significant impact in 2021.
