United States Air Force
Redundant Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Modernization
76th Software Engineering Group
Tinker Air Force Base
Contract 47QTCA21A001Z // FA813623F0073
Contract Type: Firm Fixed Price BPA Call
Contract Value 2,890,000.00
Period of Performance May 23, 2023 through July 31, 2023
NAICS 443120
Prime Contractor Paragon Micro
Executive Summary
Paragon Micro designed, engineered, and delivered a mission-critical VDI solution for the United States Air Force 76th Software Engineering Group at Tinker Air Force Base.
The solution supported 1,600 users across a multi-site architecture and provided secure, scalable, and resilient remote computing capability aligned with USAF Command, Control, and Compute requirements.
Paragon fulfilled 100 percent of the technical and schedule requirements, with no deviations or waivers.
Mission Challenge
The USAF required a redundant, multi-site VDI architecture capable of supporting 1,600 users across geographically separated environments.
Key requirements included:
• Multi-site active architecture
• Support for 1,600 end users
• Encrypted data at rest
• Integration with existing external storage
• Budget constraint adherence
• Scalability for future growth
• Secure remote access for globally dispersed operations
Initial competitive pricing exceeded available funding. The requirement remained mission essential.
Engineering Strategy
When the initial RFQ process was halted due to budget constraints, Paragon proactively partnered with the 76th SWEG to redesign the architecture.
Over twelve months, Paragon:
• Built and demonstrated multiple solution alternatives
• Tested varying Intel processor tiers
• Modeled RAM configurations
• Demonstrated storage density options
• Evaluated Cisco switching architectures
• Modeled cluster sizing scenarios
More than 25 revisions were completed to refine performance, redundancy, and budget alignment.
Final Architecture Delivered
Paragon recommended Dell VxRail hyperconverged infrastructure using VMware vSAN.
The solution included:
• Multi site active active management clusters
• Separate user clusters supporting 800 users per site
• Integrated compute and storage within each node
• Simplified expansion path for user growth
• Encrypted data at rest
• Compatibility with existing external storage
Hyperconverged architecture improved workload management, simplified scalability, and reduced operational complexity.
Integrated OEM Coordination
Paragon coordinated solution validation with:
• Dell
• Cisco
• VMware
• Nvidia
• Thales
This ensured technical accuracy, security compliance, performance validation, and extendability.
Preferred OEM pricing and federal partnership discounts enabled immediate cost savings and minimized long-term operational expenses.
Acquisition and Execution
The solution was procured using Paragon’s prime 2nd Generation Information Technology BPA.
Paragon provided no-cost acquisition and pre-sales engineering support, including:
• Compute and storage validation
• Network connection verification
• Backend data center compatibility review
• Bill of materials accuracy validation
Paragon’s engineering eliminated the USAF’s burden of coordinating across multiple OEMs and the cost of redefining requirements to meet budget constraints.
Performance Metrics
• 1,600 user VDI capability delivered
• Multi-site architecture implemented
• 100 percent technical compliance
• 100 percent schedule compliance
• Zero technical deviations
• Zero waivers required
• Delivered within budget constraints
Operational Impact
• Enabled secure remote work capability
• Improved resilience across two operational sites
• Established encrypted data at rest
• Supported the USAF cloud journey foundation
• Reduced OEM coordination burden on government
Why This Matters
VDI environments supporting Command, Control, and Compute operations require architectural precision, security assurance, and discipline in scalability.
Paragon Micro demonstrated:
Complex architecture engineering
Budget-constrained solution optimization
Integrated OEM orchestration
Zero deviation execution
This engagement reflects Paragon’s ability to deliver integrated product and solution-based services aligned with SEWP Category A requirements and complex DoD computing environments.