The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is planning to deploy more Edge computing as part of its latest IT strategy
The recently published IT strategy lays out the CBP's plans for the period between 2024-2028.
Notably, the strategy pushes for greater use of Edge computing under "Goal 3" for operation and information technology.
The strategy states that the CBP has been centralizing its IT capabilities for years into "national data centers and, more recently, into the cloud," but that "the environment has changed with vast amounts of data created and consumed at the Edge, and new IT-related mission challenges have surfaced."
The strategy goes on to state that the CBP has established an Operational Technology (OpsTech) organization to deal with this, adding: "OpsTech will directly support the CBP operational components by gathering requirements, developing technical solutions that focus on mobility, autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities, integrated Edge computing technology, and deploying operational technology to the field through cloud-modernized services."
In order to achieve this, the CBP plans to establish an Edge capability framework for Edge locations and develop an Edge model based on this framework.
The department has further separated Edge into four categories: Hybrid cloud/Fog Edge, Hardwired Network Edge, Mobility Edge, Device/Sensor Edge.
Details about potential Edge deployments have not yet been shared.
In total, the CBP has an IT budget of $1.8 billion and is the largest IT organization within the Department of Homeland Security. The department is going through a cloud migration.
In September 2023, FedScoop reported that CBP was close to having migrated its passenger systems application to the cloud - with everything to be migrated by 2025. The plan is to then close down CBP's physical data center.
In March 2023, Accenture Federal Services won a $380 million contract to help CBP modernize its IT infrastructure operations.
Last month, DCD reported that the Department for Homeland Security had awarded Equinix a colocation contract for its Homeland Security Enterprise Network.
