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Horace Blackman Joins CGI Federal’s Healthcare and Social Services Practice; Steven Sousa Quoted
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Horace Blackman Joins CGI Federal’s Healthcare and Social Services Practice; Steven Sousa Quoted

CGI Federal has appointed Horace Blackman as senior vice president of Consulting Services for the Health and Human Services market, within the company’s Healthcare and Social Services Practice (HSSP), the company reported on Thursday.

“We welcome Mr. Blackman to CGI Federal’s Health and Social Services Practice team,” said Steven Sousa, CGI senior vice president of Consulting Services. “He will not only broaden our perspectives, he will further enhance our capability profile into the healthcare IT space with his civilian and military program experience.”

Blackman has more than two decades of successful growth and value to mission critical government healthcare programs, across the public and private sectors. In his new role, Blackman will be responsible for strategy development and the execution of business and technology solutions to clients within the healthcare sector.

Prior to joining CGI, Blackman held leadership roles focused on business development, program execution and strategic planning at Edifecs, Cognizant, Leidos and Lockheed Martin. Blackman also spent six years in various IT leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In addition, Blackman was appointed by the Governor of Virginia to serve on the George Mason University Board of Visitors and currently serves as the Vice Rector. He also serves on the board of 1455 Literary Arts.

“I’m excited and humbled to be joining an incredibly talented and successful team within the Healthcare and Social Services Practice,” added Blackman. “This group has been focused on supporting our clients within these important markets, transforming the lives of our fellow citizens, and I look forward to being a part of our continued success.”

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Tsymmetry Names Jeff Affuso as CEO
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Tsymmetry Names Jeff Affuso as CEO

Tsymmetry has appointed Jeff Affuso as the chief executive officer (CEO), succeeding Todd Sickles, the company reported on Thursday. Affuso has more than two decades of proven leadership and strategic business development experience, with high levels of responsibility and results.

“From my first conversation with Jeff, and the many others we’ve had, there was absolute alignment between Jeff’s experience in cultivating sustainable growth, tech innovation and our collective vision for the evolution of this company. Jeff is a consummate professional and a thoughtful leader.“ said Tsymmetry chairman, Philip Lowit.

Affuso has led large, geographically dispersed teams of more than 280 professionals supporting complex technology, advisory and mission support services, including international programs.

Prior to joining Tsymmetry, Affuso served as chief operating officer (COO) and chief growth officer (CGO) of DRT Strategies (DRT), an information technology (IT) solutions provider that supports federal health and federal civilian markets.

Throughout his career, Affuso has developed a broad network of industry relationships ranging from Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) to major Federal Contractors.

“Over the last 10 years, Tsymmetry has developed into a well-respected federal prime contractor through the efforts of the entire Tsymmetry team.  I am confident that under Jeff’s leadership, this company will further establish itself as an industry leader, creating many new opportunities. Jeff is well suited for this role and the next chapter of this company,” Sickles said.

About Tsymmetry

Tsymmetry is a nationally recognized information technology (IT) and business services provider, serving the Federal Government, focusing on National Security and Public Safety. The award-winning firm specializes in application development and testing, cybersecurity, network engineering, infrastructure support and program management.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in Santa Fe (NM), and Melbourne (FL), Tsymmetry supports mission-critical programs in the U.S. as well as multiple OCONUS locations around the world. The Firm has a strong reputation of deploying innovative technology solutions and helping its clients achieve operational excellence through its mission of accelerated good governance.

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Parsons Wins Contract to Support NAVFAC SW Rebuilding Efforts; Chris Alexander Quoted
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Parsons Wins Contract to Support NAVFAC SW Rebuilding Efforts; Chris Alexander Quoted

Parsons Corporation has been awarded a four-year, $37 million contract by Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest (NAVFAC SW) to support rebuilding efforts at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, the company reported on Thursday.

"Parsons has a long and successful history of partnering with the Department of Defense on large, complex programs," said Chris Alexander, Parsons' executive vice president, and engineered systems market leader. "We look forward to providing NAVFAC with the full range of professional services oversight necessary to rebuild China Lake."

Under the contract, Parsons will provide programmatic, technical, risk and build management services to support ongoing earthquake recovery efforts, which are part of the NAVFAC's $2.5 billion earthquake recovery program at China Lake, following the  7.1 magnitude earthquake in July 2019. 

The earthquake caused operations to be sustained at a reduced capacity until earthquake recovery efforts such as construction and repairs are completed.

About Parsons

Parsons (NYSE: PSN) is a leading disruptive technology provider in the global defense, intelligence, and critical infrastructure markets, with capabilities across cybersecurity, missile defense, space, connected infrastructure, and smart cities.

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Bruce Doll: DoD Military Health System Should Consider Using Blockchain
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Bruce Doll: DoD Military Health System Should Consider Using Blockchain

Bruce Doll, assistant vice president for technology research and innovation at the Department of Defense’s Uniformed Services University, said the military health system should consider employing blockchain technology in tracking COVID-19 vaccine distribution, credentialing health providers and other use cases, Federal News Network reported Wednesday. 

Doll said Wednesday at a virtual health IT conference that defense health agencies could use artificial intelligence and machine learning to help reduce the risk of introducing bad data into the distributed ledger technology. 

“Right now, if you use blockchain, there’s a risk that the data introduced is bad data, and unfortunately, badly introduced into a blockchain can be bad data forever,” he said. 

Doll said he believes leaders at the Defense Health Agency (DHA) and other DoD components should prioritize blockchain to further advance the technology. 

“You can understand the whole technology evolves, and I think the phase it’s in currently remains one to be deliberately evaluated, before rolling out a pilot within the Military Health System,” Doll said.

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Chris Inglis: Digital Literacy Among Personnel Who Interact With Cyber Space Critical
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Chris Inglis: Digital Literacy Among Personnel Who Interact With Cyber Space Critical

Chris Inglis, a commissioner on the Cyberspace Solarium Commission and former deputy director of the National Security Agency (NSA), said ensuring digital literacy and critical thinking skills among employees with cyber space interaction is vital, FCW reported Wednesday. 

"So what we're speaking about is, how do we invest sufficient education for purposes of realizing our expectations and aspirations in cyberspace, not merely the important but narrower discipline of cybersecurity," Inglis said Tuesday at an Intelligence and National Security Alliance-hosted event. 

He noted that educators, lawyers and other individuals involved in other disciplines should have additional training when it comes to the use of digital infrastructure in their work. Inglis also cited the need to streamline the transfer of employees between the federal government and private sector. 

“At the end of the day, we still have a federal government that has a complex, uneven and stovepipe system that's difficult to navigate, sets up underlaps, creates haves and have-nots and creates unhealthy competitions," Inglis said. 

“So the question at the end of the day is: what do we do to take advantage of those enormous strengths that are unfortunately stove piped and move forward not simply for the benefit of the federal government, but for the nation writ large.”

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CISA, FBI Release Joint Advisory on Threat Actors Targeting Think Tanks
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CISA, FBI Release Joint Advisory on Threat Actors Targeting Think Tanks

The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are warning that advanced persistent threat (APT) actors are exploiting vulnerabilities in internet-facing devices and remote connections and using spear phishing emails to access networks of U.S. think tanks.

“Increased telework during the COVID-19 pandemic has expanded workforce reliance on remote connectivity, affording malicious actors more opportunities to exploit those connections and to blend in with increased traffic,” the advisory reads. 

The advisory from CISA and the bureau listed several tactics, techniques and procedures APT actors used to target think tanks, including defense evasion and privilege escalation techniques and those used to gain initial and credential access. 

The two agencies advised users at think tanks to be aware of tailored spear phishing attacks, log off remote connections when not in use and use different passwords for personal and corporate accounts, among others. 

Cybersecurity and information technology professionals at think tanks should also take steps, such as segregating and segmenting networks and functions, implementing multifactor authentication for corporate accounts and fielding antivirus software on organizational devices.

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Gen. John Raymond: Space Force Sees More Tech Opportunities in Commercial Market
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Gen. John Raymond: Space Force Sees More Tech Opportunities in Commercial Market

Gen. John Raymond, chief of space operations and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, said the space industry has made big, new technology investments that the U.S. Space Force may consider valuable, Space News reported Tuesday. 

Gen. Raymond said the Space Force now knows about the existence of space tracking data, on-orbit satellite services and other new offerings in the commercial market.

These new products and services may expand USSF's commercial space “to buy” list that currently consists of geosynchronous satellite communications and launch services.

“We view the partnership with industry to be hugely significant,” Raymond said.

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Final Rule Authorizing CMMC Req’s for DoD Contracts Takes Effect; Katie Arrington Quoted
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Final Rule Authorizing CMMC Req’s for DoD Contracts Takes Effect; Katie Arrington Quoted

A rule finalizing the Department of Defense’s (DoD) implementation of Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements in DoD contracts has taken effect following delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, FedScoop reported Tuesday. The DoD first published the CMMC requirements in early 2020.

The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) rule change finalizes the requirement for contractors to pass CMMC assessments based on five levels of cyber maturity. Information on contractor assessments will be housed in the Enterprise Mission Assurance Support Services database, according to DoD officials.

Katie Arrington, chief information security officer of defense for acquisition and sustainment and a 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, said at an AFCEA event that the Pentagon plans to issue a press release on contracts that will initially require CMMC certification.

The Pentagon plans to enact a five-year rollout plan for the CMMC effort to help contractors prepare for assessments and secure certification, according to the report.

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Accenture Promotes Executives to Leadership Roles; Julie Sweet Quoted
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Accenture Promotes Executives to Leadership Roles; Julie Sweet Quoted

Accenture has promoted 605 people to managing director, and the appointment by the CEO of 63 people to senior managing director. With the recent executive moves, Accenture has appointed a record percentage of women and spearheaded a new goal for increasing gender representation.

“These promotions and appointments are a recognition of the tremendous difference these leaders are making for our people, clients, shareholders, partners and communities,” said Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture. “We thank each of them for their contributions, celebrate their career milestones — and look forward to their inspiring leadership and bold innovation to create even greater value.”

Thirty-nine percent of all promotions to managing director are women, up from 36 percent in 2019, and 29 percent of all appointments to senior managing director are women, up from 19 percent in 2019. Accenture has achieved its goal of 25 percent women managing directors globally by the end of 2020 and has set a new goal of 30 percent by 2025.

“All of these extraordinary leaders have stepped up to work in new ways and collaborate as one Accenture,” said Ellyn Shook, Chief Leadership and Human Resources Officer of Accenture. “Each of these people exemplifies inclusive leadership and deep compassion — demonstrating that how one leads is just as important as the value they deliver to benefit all of our stakeholders.”

About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services — all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers.

Our 506,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities.

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AWS Collaborates with BlackBerry to Develop Intelligent Vehicle Data Platform
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AWS Collaborates with BlackBerry to Develop Intelligent Vehicle Data Platform

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and BlackBerry Limited announced a multi-year, global agreement to develop and market BlackBerry's Intelligent Vehicle Data Platform (IVY), AWS reported on Tuesday. 

“This software platform promises to bring an era of invention to the in-vehicle experience and help create new applications, services, and opportunities without compromising safety, security, or customer privacy. We are pleased to expand our relationship with AWS to execute this vision and deliver BlackBerry IVY,” said John Chen, executive chairman and CEO, BlackBerry. 

IVY is a scalable, cloud-connected software platform that will allow automakers to provide a consistent and secure way to read vehicle sensor data, normalize it and create actionable insights from that data both locally in the vehicle and in the cloud. 

BlackBerry IVY will apply machine learning (ML) to data to generate predictive insights and inferences to derive action based on those insights. The solution will support multiple vehicle operating systems and multi-cloud deployments in order to ensure compatibility across vehicle models and brands. 

It will build upon BlackBerry QNX’s capabilities for surfacing and normalizing data from automobiles and AWS’s broad portfolio of services, including capabilities for IoT and machine learning. IVY will run inside a vehicle’s embedded systems, but will be managed and configured remotely from the cloud. 

“AWS and BlackBerry are making it possible for any automaker to continuously reinvent the customer experience and transform vehicles from fixed pieces of technology into systems that can grow and adapt with a user’s needs and preferences,” said Andy Jassy, CEO of AWS.

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