Executive Summary

Paragon Micro delivered secure colocation, hardware integration, and cloud connectivity services to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data Center Modernization Strategy and Migration initiative.

The engagement established a dedicated off-premises data center environment designed to support CDC’s transformation to a modern, scalable, and cloud-connected infrastructure. The project enabled CDC’s Data Center of the Future vision while maintaining operational continuity during peak COVID conditions.

Mission Challenge

CDC required a secure, off-premises, dedicated data center environment capable of:

• Supporting flexible and scalable power and cooling requirements
• Providing modern facility infrastructure
• Establishing direct connectivity to major cloud providers
• Enabling long-term IT portfolio rationalization and modernization
• Supporting mission-critical public health operations

The initiative was part of a broader three-year transformation to modernize CDC’s IT environment and establish secure access to cloud fabric and brokerage services.

Technical Scope and Solution

Paragon Micro delivered:

• Dedicated colocation services
• Hardware integration and rack deployment
• Secure cloud connectivity architecture
• Cloud switchboard configuration
• Direct interconnect provisioning

The solution established ten dedicated cloud connections to Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure through the colocation switchboard.

The environment provided scalable space, power, cooling, and secure connectivity aligned to CDC’s modernization roadmap.

Execution Under Operational Constraints

The award was issued on September 18, 2020. The start of performance was delayed due to a protest related to a complementary contract, pushing the start to July 21, 2021.

The buildout occurred during peak COVID conditions, introducing supply chain and delivery challenges.

Despite these constraints:

• The colocation facility was turned over to CDC in November 2021
• Cloud connectivity was successfully established
• All technical requirements were met
• No technical deviations were required

Paragon worked closely with CDC stakeholders to manage delivery sequencing and coordinate equipment integration during the pandemic.

Performance Metrics

Operational Impact

• Enabled CDC Data Center of the Future initiative
• Established secure cloud access fabric
• Supported flexible scalability and modernization
• Provided a dedicated, resilient colocation environment
• Positioned CDC for long-term IT portfolio transformation

Why This Matters

Public health infrastructure must operate without interruption while modernizing core systems.

This engagement reflects Paragon’s ability to deliver modern, scalable, and cloud-connected infrastructure solutions for federal civilian agencies operating under mission-critical conditions.