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Ntiva Names Jim Wilson as President, COO; Steven Freidkin Quoted
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Ntiva Names Jim Wilson as President, COO; Steven Freidkin Quoted

Ntiva has appointed Jim Wilson as president and chief operating officer (COO), effective immediately, the company reported last week. Wilson has more than a decade and a half of experience in IT roles.

“At Ntiva, we have some of the best technical talent I have ever seen. They are committed to helping our clients use technology to reduce risk, achieve growth, and create more time to focus on what is most important to them,” said Wilson.

Wilson will assume responsibility for Central and Regional Operations, Sales, Marketing and Strategy. As president and COO, Wilson will be responsible for the overall performance and service delivery of the organization. He will report to the CEO, Steven Freidkin.

“Jim is a seasoned and trusted leader with a history of consistently delivering results,” said Freidkin. “We feel that Jim is uniquely qualified to drive the strategic prioritization, organizational transformation and operational excellence required for continued success as we enter the next chapter of growth.”

Before joining Ntiva, Wilson most recently served as the COO at Integration Partners, where he helped integrate multiple regional footprints and deliver world-class client service. He also improved all financial metrics, including revenue, gross profit, and EBITDA, while increasing company market share/valuation and expanding workforce productivity.

Prior to his tenure with Integration Partners, Wilson was a consulting sales executive with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), where he led all Consulting Solution Sales for Global/Enterprise Accounts in the Northeast US.

Within the Technology Services business unit, he was responsible for selling HP life-cycle consulting, integration and deployment services as well as hardware and software solutions for the complete HP portfolio.

“I’m honored to join this talented and agile team to help continue to build on the strong momentum established by Ntiva in the MSP market. Our unwavering focus on helping our clients grow with technology will continue to propel us forward,” Wilson added.

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SOSi Wins Contract to Deliver IT, Logistics Support to DINFOS; Julian Setian Quoted
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SOSi Wins Contract to Deliver IT, Logistics Support to DINFOS; Julian Setian Quoted

SOSi has been awarded a $21 million contract to provide enterprise IT and logistics support to the Defense Information School (DINFOS), a component of the Defense Media Agency (DMA), the company reported on Friday.

“This award exemplifies how we can leverage our robust service catalog to create market discriminators and grow our business organically,” said Julian Setian, president and CEO of SOSi and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient. 

Under the contract, SOSi will deliver IT services, including network management, system administration and cybersecurity. The company will also provide broadcast engineering and audiovisual services to advance in-house resident, virtual and distance training. 

In addition, SOSi will supply software and application development solutions, and maintain digital training resources, as well as manage a technology service desk for students and staff.

“We will perform a wide range of engineering and technology services to provide all DINFOS students with responsive and equitable access to the resources they need to prepare them for a variety of worldwide assignments within the Department of Defense,” said Ed Bachl, SOSi’s senior vice president for Defense IT and Intelligence Solutions.

DINFOS is responsible for training public affairs and visual information personnel in the principles, techniques, and applications of journalism, photojournalism, broadcasting, electronic imaging, broadcast systems maintenance, video production and visual information management. 

“We are excited to assist DINFOS in its training mission and look forward to supporting the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) strategy of streamlining the network infrastructure of the Pentagon’s non-service-specific agencies,” Setian added. 

About SOSi

Founded in 1989, SOSi is the largest private, family-owned and operated technology and services integrator in the aerospace, defense, and government services industry. Its global portfolio includes cybersecurity, software development, intelligence analysis, and military logistics.

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Brig. Gen. Christine Beeler Selected as Army Contracting Command’s Next Leader
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Brig. Gen. Christine Beeler Selected as Army Contracting Command’s Next Leader

Brig. Gen. Christine Beeler, commanding general of the U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, has been appointed to succeed Maj. Gen. Paul Pardew as commanding general of Army Contracting Command (ACC).

Beeler, who assumed her current position in July 2019, has led MICC’s efforts to standardize its acquisition process and deliver contingency contracting support to the service branch amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Army said Tuesday.

She previously served as deputy to the ACC commanding general for operations outside the continental U.S. The branch commissioned her in 1991 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Boston University.

Brig. Gen. Douglas Lowrey, commanding general of Army Security Assistance Command at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama, will assume leadership of MICC when Beeler officially transfers to ACC.

He is responsible for implementing Army-authorized security programs such as the sale of defense platforms and services to foreign military customers.

Lowrey was appointed to his current role at USASAC in August of last year after service as director of contracting in the branch’s acquisition, logistics and technology office in Washington.

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Alejandro Mayorkas: DHS to Increase Minimum Cyber Spending to 7.5% Via FEMA Grant Awards
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Alejandro Mayorkas: DHS to Increase Minimum Cyber Spending to 7.5% Via FEMA Grant Awards

Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, said DHS will raise the required minimum cybersecurity spending through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant awards from 5 percent to 7.5 percent, reflecting a $25 million increase across the country.

Mayorkas announced the move on Thursday during the final round of the second annual President’s Cup Cybersecurity Competition, DHS said Thursday.

He said DHS has started to assess and implement additional capabilities, including potential new grant initiatives, through the department’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in support of state and local government agencies' cyber efforts.

Mayorkas mentioned during the event the department’s efforts to address ransomware and build a “more diverse, equitable, and inclusive cybersecurity workforce.” He said DHS also plans to announce a series of “cybersecurity sprints” to advance action in key priority areas.

“To start, we will be developing an initial set of sprints dedicated to combatting ransomware, building a deep and diverse cyber workforce, and urgently improving the security of our nation’s industrial control systems,” he noted.

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VA Issues RFI for Enterprise IT Strategic Planning Support Services
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VA Issues RFI for Enterprise IT Strategic Planning Support Services

The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking information on potential industry sources that could support the requirements of the enterprise strategic planning and governance directorate within VA’s office of information and technology.

Interested contractors should state their capabilities in providing support for enterprise IT strategic planning, IT strategic planning ecosystem, development of the IT information resource management strategic plan, annual integrated planning guidance, IT enterprise roadmap and facilitation of quarterly Senior Executive Service IT strategic planning offsites, according to a request for information published Wednesday on beta SAM website.

Vendors should describe any planning experience with the multiyear cycle regarding the planning, programming, budgeting and execution framework and state the specific skillset they can provide to implement the planning process of the PPBE framework.

The enterprise strategic planning effort will have a three-year performance period, including two one-year options.  Responses to the RFI are due March 3rd.

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Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach Calls for Rapid Procurement of E-7 Wedgetail Aircraft
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Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach Calls for Rapid Procurement of E-7 Wedgetail Aircraft

Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of Pacific Air Forces, said the U.S. Air Force should push for the rapid procurement of the Boeing-built E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft to replace the service’s aging E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system fleet and meet the demand for such capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region, The War Zone reported Thursday.

E-7 is equipped with the Northrop Grumman-made multirole electronically scanned array radar, air and sea-search modes, data sharing and communications capabilities.

Wilsbach recommended buying new E-7s as China continues to modernize its military and develop strategies that integrate long-range surface-to-air missiles, cruise and ballistic missiles and manned interceptors, posing a threat U.S. superiority.

“Air superiority is foundational to most other things that we would want to be able to do in our theater,” he said Wednesday during the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium. "Because if you don’t have air superiority, then most everything else that you want to do is really held at risk.”

Wilsbach said the future Pacific Air Forces should be equipped with E-7 Wedgetails and the Next Generation Air Dominance combat aircraft to help counter threats posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region.

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Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost: Air Mobility Command Eyes Conditions-Based Approach for KC-46 Operational Use
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Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost: Air Mobility Command Eyes Conditions-Based Approach for KC-46 Operational Use

Gen, Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of Air Mobility Command (AMC), said AMC plans to adopt a conditions-based approach to increase operational use of the KC-46 Pegasus tanker manufactured by Boeing as the aircraft program reaches for full operational capability, the Air Force reported Wednesday.

“AMC is working hard to ensure U.S. Transportation Command has the tanker capacity necessary to meet Joint Force requirements,” Van Ovost said Wednesday during a media roundtable at the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium. “To meet these requirements, we are exploring a variety of options or ‘tanker levers’ to relieve stress on today’s force, including a limited, operational use of the KC-46 on a conditions-based approach.” 

Through the approach, Van Ovost said the command intends to certify mission sets on an incremental basis to increase tanker capacity to support Joint Force operational taskings.

“What changes with this approach is we will now commit the KC-46 to execute missions similar to those they’ve been conducting over the past few years in the Operational Test and Evaluation plan, but can now include operational tasking from USTRANSCOM,” said Van Ovost. “Through this conditions-based approach, we expect to increase overall tanker capacity by bringing daily taskable KC-46 operational capabilities at scale and predicted reliability for joint force employment.” 

Boeing kicked off low-rate initial production of the tanker in 2016.

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CIA Nominee William Burns Appears Before Senate Intelligence Committee for Confirmation Hearing
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CIA Nominee William Burns Appears Before Senate Intelligence Committee for Confirmation Hearing

William Burns, President Biden’s nominee to lead the CIA, said in his opening statement during his Senate confirmation hearing that politics should not interfere with intelligence work, CNN reported Wednesday.

"I learned that good intelligence, delivered with honesty and integrity, is America's first line of defense. I learned that intelligence professionals have to tell policymakers what they need to hear, even if they don't want to hear it," Burns told Senate Intelligence Committee members Wednesday. "And I learned that politics must stop where intelligence work begins." 

Burns told lawmakers how he would deal with China if confirmed as CIA director.

"For CIA, that will mean intensified focus and urgency — continually strengthening its already-impressive cadre of China specialists, expanding its language skills, aligning personnel and resource allocation for the long-haul, and employing a whole-of-agency approach to the operational and analytical challenges of this crucial threat," he said. 

He cited the importance of “firmness and consistency” in responding to Russian aggression.

Burns is president of the international affairs think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He served during the Obama administration as deputy secretary of state. His more than 30-year career in foreign service included time as ambassador to Jordan and Russia.

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Jamie Holcombe: USPTO Uses Machine Learning to Accelerate Patent Classification Process
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Jamie Holcombe: USPTO Uses Machine Learning to Accelerate Patent Classification Process

Jamie Holcombe, chief information officer of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), said machine learning helps USPTO speed up the process of assigning patent applications to examiners, FedScoop reported Wednesday.

The agency’s engineers who went to Google to learn more about TensorFlow application programming interfaces and machine learning are applying ML to patent search and classification processes using Python with TensorFlow.

“We immersed them in the culture, and they got Googly,” Holcombe said Wednesday during an ACT-IAC event. “They got certified in TensorFlow, which is the open-source library for a lot of neural network feedback loops.” 

USPTO is tapping vendors to help perform patent classifications and compare them against the agency’s algorithms. Holcombe said allowing patent examiners to work with vendors allows the agency to further improve the algorithms.

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DHS S&T Selects Participants of Summer Research Team Program
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DHS S&T Selects Participants of Summer Research Team Program

The Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) will award a combined amount of $446,200 to academic teams for research across multiple security areas. 

Participants of the Summer Research Team program will conduct studies at S&T-supported centers of excellence, which focus on agriculture security, terrorism, economic analysis and other homeland security topics.

The SRT Program aims to produce DHS-relevant research advancements by providing opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as early-career educators. SRT participants will perform this research over 10 weeks.

The department selected the teams from participants of the Minority Serving Institutions program, which is handled by S&T’s Office of University Programs. Specific topics tackled by the selected teams include storm surge predictions, cyber forensic intelligence, routing security and sulfur detection.

CoEs participating in the SRT program are:

  • Arctic Domain Awareness Center
  • Borders, Trade and Immigration Institute
  • Center for Accelerated Operational Efficiency
  • Coastal Resilience Center
  • Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis
  • Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute
  • Maritime Security Center
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