Our Work in Practice
The examples below shed light on our portfolio and highlight the nature and impact of the work we do.
Transforming Economies Through Digital Infrastructure
For billions of people across the globe, the transformative potential of digital technologies remains tantalizingly out of reach—for reasons that span economics, technology, and regulation. We help to realize that potential by connecting the building blocks of high-impact digital infrastructure projects and thriving technology ecosystems. Simon Everett has helped prepare dozens of technology initiatives for success, accounting for more than $4B in planned investments in over 30 countries in the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Europe. We work diligently to assess the commercial and technical feasibility of telecommunications infrastructure deployments, including terrestrial backbones, fixed wireless access networks, fiber-to-the-premises networks, 2G/3G/4G/5G mobile networks (including open RAN), satellite communications, and subsea cable systems. We also advise on cybersecurity, smart cities and internet of things technologies, data centers and cloud computing, and emergency communications.
Mapping and Strengthening Cybersecurity Ecosystems
Protecting critical infrastructure from digital threats is fundamentally a technical challenge—but it also a policy challenge, a capacity challenge, and an investment challenge. But too often, approaches to cybersecurity are dominated by the question of technology at the exclusion of other critical inputs. Our view is different. We develop comprehensive strategies to bridge the chasm between cybersecurity need and the capacity of enterprises, governments, and communities to meet that need—now and in the future. For governors, we may develop a detailed gap analysis of their state’s cybersecurity industry and a roadmap to strengthening it. For business executives, we may identify and develop strategies to replace untrusted or noncompliant suppliers in their corporate networks. For community leaders, we may redesign economic development and educational programs to attract cybersecurity entrepreneurs and train security professionals.
Training Practitioners of Foreign Affairs
In our increasingly interconnected and complex world, a diplomatic crisis in one region can trigger cascading effects across trade relationships, security alliances, and financial markets worldwide, while cultural nuances and historical grievances often complicate seemingly straightforward negotiations. This complexity demands that practitioners of foreign affairs possess deep regional expertise to navigate both obvious power dynamics and subtle cultural contexts, enabling them to anticipate how local political and economic factors might ripple outward to affect broader international relationships. On behalf of the Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute, we design and deliver area studies courses that prepare U.S. diplomats and other U.S. Government officials for their professional assignments. We draw on an extensive network of subject-matter experts to address regional and country-specific issues including economics, politics, society, history, culture, security, and trade.