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NIST Issues Draft Publication on ‘Explainable’ AI; Jonathon Phillips
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NIST Issues Draft Publication on ‘Explainable’ AI; Jonathon Phillips

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is looking for input on its draft publication detailing the core principles of “explainable” artificial intelligence.

NIST said Tuesday that the draft report comes as part of the agency’s efforts to develop trustworthy AI systems and provide transparency on such systems’ limitations and theoretical capabilities.

According to NIST, explainable AI must have the capacity to provide accompanying evidence for their outputs while accurately reflecting procedures for output generation.

In addition, explainable AI systems must generate meaningful or understandable explanations while operating under conditions “for which it was designed or when the system reaches a sufficient confidence in its output,” according to the report.

"Understanding the explainability of both the AI system and the human opens the door to pursue implementations that incorporate the strengths of each,” said Jonathon Phillips, an electronic engineer at NIST and co-author of the draft report.

“AI is becoming involved in high-stakes decisions, and no one wants machines to make them without an understanding of why,” he noted.

Interested parties must submit feedback on the publication until Oct. 15.

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National Intelligence Office Reorganizes Work Structure; John Ratcliffe Quoted
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National Intelligence Office Reorganizes Work Structure; John Ratcliffe Quoted

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has reorganized its structure to revolve around two different operational directorates. ODNI said Monday that it has established the Policy and Capabilities directorate and renewed the Mission Integration directorate for the agency's organizational restructuring aimed at improving work synchronization.

The new Policy and Capabilities directorate will support the intelligence community's capacity to address future needs, while Mission Integration tackles existing intelligence requirements.

“Together, these two directorates, along with our centers snd independent offices, will provide the foresight, responsiveness and leadership our mission requires," said John Ratcliffe, DNI director.

ODNI based this organizational change on a DNI-led review covering the agency's recent structure.

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DVS Names Luiz Felipe Palhano de Jesus as VP of Solutions Architect; Herman Hewitt Quoted
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DVS Names Luiz Felipe Palhano de Jesus as VP of Solutions Architect; Herman Hewitt Quoted

DirectViz Solutions (DVS), has appointed Luiz Felipe Breyer Palhano de Jesus as DVS’ vice president of Solutions Architect, effective immediately, the company reported on Wednesday.

“Mr. Palhano’s new role supports DVS’ transition from a small business into a large systems integrator. His experience and background will guide our CoE to drive growth of our innovative solutions and make an impact on the broader strategic goals for DVS,” said Herman Hewitt chief growth officer.

In his new role, Palhano will lead DVS’ Center of Excellence (CoE), technical strategy and solutioning for strategic bids as well as supervise a team of solution architects and technical specialists.

He will focus on building up DVS’ solid technical foundation by maturing solutions strategy and discipline, identifying and leveraging emerging technologies, increasing technical corporate reachback capabilities, and fostering greater technical collaboration across programs to provide greater value to DVS’ customers.

Palhano will bring significant experience in proposal development, overall solutions architecture, technical thought leadership and strategy to DVS. Prior to joining DVS, Palhano most recently served as a principal systems and solutions architect for the BITS Solution Group with CACI.

With CACI Palhano led solutioning for contract bids exceeding $750 million and multiple internal research and development projects to expand the company’s repeatable solution set. In prior roles, he focused on technology implementation and architecture, leading teams on technology migration, modernization, and innovation projects.

“As part of his support to DVS’ growth team, Mr. Palhano will help develop our existing customers and realize new opportunities and capabilities,” added Hewitt.

About DirectViz Solutions

DVS, founded in 2012 as a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, started with the vision of delivering innovative technology solutions and high-quality services to meet the federal government’s toughest Information Technology (IT) and cybersecurity challenges.

The company recognized a growing demand for technology services in federal civilian and Department of Defense agencies and sought to provide value by responding to customers’ needs in an agile, efficient, responsive, and timely manner while reducing costs normally associated with larger companies.

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Everbridge COVID-19 Shield Supports Virus Tracking; Vernon Irvin Quoted
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Everbridge COVID-19 Shield Supports Virus Tracking; Vernon Irvin Quoted

Everbridge has reported that organizations across education, retail, manufacturing, state and local government have integrated Everbridge COVID-19 Shield Contact Tracing software solution to provide support during the ongoing pandemic, the company reported on Wednesday. 

“Technology can support case investigation and contact tracing. Proximity tracing/exposure notification [tools] identify more contacts than traditional contact tracing alone using Bluetooth or GPS technologies to estimate the proximity and duration of an individual’s exposure to patients diagnosed with COVID-19,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported. 

Everbridge’s purpose-built contact tracing solution has enabled organizations to analyze their COVID-19 risk posture, protect individuals from virus exposure and mitigate operational risk while automating an end-to-end recovery process.

The company’s multi-pronged software-as-a-service (SaaS) approach to contact tracing has provided organizations with a tool to safely return people to work and to campus with a faster, more accurate method that has safeguarded individual privacy. 

Everbridge’s mobile app has digitally automated opt-in-based mobile wellness checks and proximity tracing in one solution, while also maximizing privacy protection. 

The Everbridge contact tracing solution uses data from physical badge access control systems, Wi-Fi hotspots, calendaring systems, travel itineraries, visitor management, and thermal cameras to determine who may have been exposed to an individual with COVID-19. 

The company has also integrated Bluetooth Low Energy proximity data compiled from digital wayfaring capabilities to provide information on who was within close proximity; special needs registries help protect the most vulnerable people and real-time risk intelligence based on 22,000 data sources across 175 countries. 

“As the global leader in critical event management, Everbridge continues to support forward-thinking organizations in their efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and manage a safer return of students, staff and customers to public places,” said Vernon Irvin, chief revenue officer, Everbridge. “Creating a more secure environment not only protects people, but helps these organizations return to revenue-generating activities.”

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VMware launches New Cloud Management Offerings; Ajay Singh Quoted
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VMware launches New Cloud Management Offerings; Ajay Singh Quoted

VMware has launched its vRealize Cloud Management on-premises and software as a service (SaaS) offerings, featuring enhanced product capabilities combined to enable customers to deploy and operate applications, infrastructure and platform services, from the data center to the cloud to the edge, the company reported on Monday. 

“Enterprises face multiple challenges in support of their business in these uncertain times,” said Ajay Singh, senior vice president and general manager, Cloud Management Business Unit, VMware. “VMware is a trusted partner that enables customers to address those IT challenges head on – allowing them to focus on transforming their business.”

VMware vRealize Cloud Management will provide innovative capabilities for modern infrastructure automation. The platform will integrate DevOps principles and self-driving operations. VMware vRealize will also leverage artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) to optimize hybrid and multi-cloud environments. 

The company’s vRealize Operations will deliver self-driving operations from apps to infrastructure to optimize, plan and scale private, hybrid and multiple public clouds. The offering has been powered by AI and predictive analytics to support continuous performance, capacity and cost optimization, proactive planning, intelligent remediation and integrated compliance. 

VMware vRealize Operations 8.2 and VMware vRealize Operations Cloud will feature Kubernetes Operations, App-to-infrastructure Troubleshooting, Monitoring VMware Cloud, Efficient Capacity and Cost Management. 

“The time saved by the new portal is dramatic. If in the past, the developer had to spend a half day up to a whole day manually installing a development environment, now, when using VMware vRealize Automation, it takes only up to 40 minutes to automatically deploy. The developers efforts are concentrated were they are really needed – in development and not in deployment.” – Daniel Sahar, DevOps Engineer, VERINT. 

About VMware

VMware software powers the world’s complex digital infrastructure. The company’s cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact.

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Anne Neuberger, Director of NSA Cybersecurity Directorate, Discusses Cyber Threats for Upcoming Elections
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Anne Neuberger, Director of NSA Cybersecurity Directorate, Discusses Cyber Threats for Upcoming Elections

Anne Neuberger, director of the National Security Agency's (NSA) Cybersecurity Directorate and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, recently discussed details the agency's priorities to enhance election security for the upcoming polls, CBS News reported on Wednesday. 

"Ensuring that we, first, understood the threat. Second, that we appropriately tipped all the information we had about that threat to key partners across the U.S. government, certainly the FBI, from a counter-influence perspective, DHS from a cybersecurity of elections infrastructure perspective, and then, finally, that we would support Cyber Command, if authorized, to impose costs, if there were attempts to disrupt the election," Neuberger said. 

With NSA, Neuberger supervises efforts to prevent and counter cyber threats to the defense industrial base and national security systems. Neuberger previously served as deputy director of operations and head of NSA’s Russia small group. She won her 2020 Wash100 Award for her role in developing new counter threat policies with the agency and driving federal technology initiatives.

The recently developed directorate within NSA will strengthen its white hat mission, operationalize its vulnerability assessments and threat intelligence capabilities, facilitate information sharing with clients and collaborate with the FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Cyber Command to fight cyber adversaries.

In 2018, Neuberger worked to deter Russian threats during the 2018 midterm elections. The Cybersecurity Directorate will continue to support the public and private sectors to defend against foreign cyber threats. 

“[F]or us in the intelligence community, we're constantly watching for which adversaries may be seeking to shape a population's thinking, to shape an election and then rapidly to bring that to partners or to the private sector to ensure that they're both aware of techniques and are countering them on their platforms." 

For the upcoming elections, Neuberger noted that the most important factor is securing cyber infrastructure. The NSA will work to determine where threats are presented, the government’s vulnerabilities and structure of the federal infrastructure. 

The agency will then work to translate the analysis at the tactical level to implement network scanning and hardware or software upgrades to secure the elections and prevent attacks. 

“Our mission is an intelligence mission in a democracy, we have an obligation to ensure that the Americans we serve feel they understand the values by which we live," Neuberger concluded. 

About Wash100 

The Wash100 Award, now in its seventh year, recognizes the most influential executives in the GovCon industry as selected by the Executive Mosaic team in tandem with online nominations from the GovCon community. Representing the best of the private and public sector, the winners demonstrate superior leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision.

Visit the Wash100 site to learn about the other 99 winners of the 2020 Wash100 Award. On the site, you can submit your 10 votes for the GovCon executives of consequence that you believe will have the most significant impact in 2020.

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KBR Enters $800M Acquisition Centuari; Stuart Bradie, Dave Dzaran Quoted
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KBR Enters $800M Acquisition Centuari; Stuart Bradie, Dave Dzaran Quoted

KBR has entered into a definitive agreement with Arlington Capital Partners to acquire Centauri, an independent provider of high-end space, directed energy and other advanced technology solutions, for approximately $800 million in cash, KBR reported on Wednesday.

"KBR has undergone a deliberate, strategic transformation to be a provider of innovative, higher-end, digitally-enabled solutions and technologies in attractive, stable domains," said Stuart Bradie, KBR president and CEO. "The acquisition of Centauri firmly aligns with our strategy of increasing KBR's highly technical, mission-focused, synergistic capabilities and enduring customer relationships.”

With the purchase of Centauri, KBR will expand its military space and intelligence businesses. KBR will also strengthen its cybersecurity and missile defense solutions. Centauri has provided high-end engineering and development solutions for critical national security missions focused on space, intelligence, cyber and emerging technologies, such as directed energy and missile defense. 

Centauri has achieved significant growth over the last four years, and has become a leading pure-play space and intelligence solutions provider. The company will bring a highly cleared and technical workforce, space domain awareness and a customer-focused footprint of classified operations to KBR. 

Centauri has continued to expand its pipeline within the Department of Defense (DoD) and intelligence community (IC). Centauri has 22 offices across the United States and more than 1,750 employees. 

KBR will gain a more balanced and more differentiated portfolio that is resilient across business cycles. The acquisition comes after the purchase of Wyle, Honeywell Technology Solutions and Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, and will create a combined platform with extensive expertise in civil, military, intelligence and commercial space solutions.

"By combining with KBR, Centauri will have greater opportunities to grow as part of a larger and more diversified company," said Dave Dzaran, CEO of Centauri. "As part of KBR, our innovation and initiative will enhance our combined company's ability to develop systems and provide solutions in space, intelligence and cyber."

About KBR

KBR is a global provider of differentiated professional services and solutions across the asset and program life cycle within the government services and technology sectors. KBR employs approximately 28,000 people worldwide with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries.

KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, and long- term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results.

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GAO: DHS Should Ensure Contractors’ CDM Tools Provide Unique Hardware Identifiers
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GAO: DHS Should Ensure Contractors’ CDM Tools Provide Unique Hardware Identifiers

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) improve its implementation of the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program by ensuring that contractors configure their cybersecurity tools to provide unique identifiers for hardware on agency networks.

GAO made the recommendation after it found that CDM tools used by three selected agencies – Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) – did not offer an accurate count of the hardware on the agencies’ networks, according to a report published Tuesday.

The congressional watchdog found that two of the three agencies had deployed CDM tools to manage software on their networks. The selected agencies were also found to have inconsistently used such tools when it comes to comparing configuration settings against agency-specific variations and federal core benchmarks.

According to the report, the agencies cited challenges with regard to the implementation of the CDM program, including addressing issues with integrators and planning for staff and funding resources.

GAO said DHS had initiated steps to help address such challenges. These include monitoring risks of insufficient resources, enabling agencies to comment on contractor performance and holding customer forums to allow agencies to air their concerns.

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Guy Cavallo Named OPM Principal Deputy CIO
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Guy Cavallo Named OPM Principal Deputy CIO

Guy Cavallo, deputy chief information officer at the Small Business Administration (SBA), has been appointed principal deputy CIO at the Office of Personnel Management, effective Sept. 14th, Federal New Network reported Tuesday.

He joined SBA in 2017 and has spearheaded information technology modernization efforts at the agency, such as advancing cloud adoption and DevSecOps, getting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) change its approaches to the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program and Trusted Internet Connections and transitioning to zero trust architecture.

“I’m looking forward to helping doing the same modernization at OPM that I helped lead at SBA,” Cavallo said. “My time at SBA is coming to an end, but I’m excited to move over to OPM and help them get modernized.”

Prior to SBA, Cavallo served as executive director of IT operations at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). He has held IT leadership roles at Pyramid Analytics, Microsoft and Advanced Systems Design.

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DISA Backs Telework With Endpoint Security, Cloud Services Expansion
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DISA Backs Telework With Endpoint Security, Cloud Services Expansion

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is expanding its cloud offerings and improving endpoint security to continue supporting telework arrangement, FedScoop reported Tuesday.

Carissa Landymore, cloud storage chief at DISA, said DISA is working to make milDrive a “one-stop shop” for storage needs through the expansion of tools and service offerings in the cloud service.

“We need to expand our portfolio to make sure we can cover all storage requirements,” Landymore said Tuesday in an AFCEA webinar.

DISA also has broadened the use of multifactor authentication pilots as part of the agency’s endpoint security improvement efforts.

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