General Dynamics gets its Groove on

A General Dynamics business unit has signed on to serve as integrator and reseller of Groove Virtual Office, a product of Microsoft's Groove Networks subsidiary.

General Dynamics' Advanced Information Systems unit focuses on command, control, communications and computers, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance solutions. Groove Networks, acquired by Microsoft in March, has numerous government customers for its collaboration software, including the State Department and the Army Corps of Engineers.

The General Dynamics unit will use Groove Virtual Office in solution offerings for the Defense Department, Homeland Security Department and the intelligence community, according to Groove Networks. Before they created the formal agreement, the companies had collaborated on several government projects within those sectors. They worked as a team on the Cyber Counterterrorism Investigations Training Program, which DHS’ Federal Law Enforcement Training Center runs.

Ryan Hoppe, marketing manager at Groove Networks, said the company also has government market relationships with CH2M Hill and Homeland Solutions. He said Groove Networks works with “a select group of partners whose domain expertise and experience allows us to deliver Groove Virtual Office solutions for specific areas of government including emergency management, homeland security [and] law enforcement,” among others.

Almost all of Groove Networks' government business goes through indirect channels, Hoppe said. Government and nongovernmental organizations account for about 40 percent of the company’s sales, he added.