Notice ID: 75N97023R00001
Description
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Library of Medicine (NLM), Center for Information Technology (CIT) is requesting information from qualified vendors to determine whether capability exists to provide the following capabilities through a software as a service (SaaS) offering:
- Web Authentication: Allows users to verify their identity, and access NIH –managed web resources
- Directory Services: Allows NIH to store and maintain information about NIH users and resources
- Secure Access Service Edge (SASE): Allows NIH to facilitate secure access to cloud and on-premises NIH resources by bundling network and security-as-a-service functions.
Purpose and Objectives: To keep pace with modern market offerings and technology trends, NIH desires to shift to a Software as a Service (SaaS) model to reduce overhead and support the rollout of next-gen ICAM capabilities in alignment with the Zero Trust principle “never trust, always verify”. ICAM services with greater capabilities and expanded functionality are required to enable NIH users to seamlessly access resources they need from anywhere in the world. The purpose of this request is to identify qualified Software as a Service solution vendor(s) to provide Web Authentication, Directory Services and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) services at the NIH, transitioning the existing services from being hosted on-premises, to the cloud. If SaaS solutions are not available, please provide alternative options (e.g., hybrid, 3 container-based solutions, etc.). This initiative will establish key pillars of the NIH CIT’s Zero Trust Architecture mandated by Executive Order 14028: Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.