/
NTT DATA Manages RSA Data Center to Enhance Operational Efficiencies; Chris Merdon, Dr. David Bronner Quoted
Published on
NTT DATA Manages RSA Data Center to Enhance Operational Efficiencies; Chris Merdon, Dr. David Bronner Quoted

NTT DATA has announced an agreement with the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA) to manage and operate its data center in Montgomery, Alabama to enhance RSA’s industry standard certification posture, NTT DATA reported on Monday. 

Under the agreement, NTT DATA will expand RSA’s capabilities by integrating operational efficiencies through automation, as well as offer clients Smart Hands and Remote Hands services. NTT DATA will leverage its partnerships with Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and AWS to provide cloud transformation support and local private cloud options.

“Through our end-to-end data center partnership, the State of Alabama and the Retirement Systems of Alabama will be able to expand the capabilities and offerings,” said Chris Merdon, SVP, Public Sector, NTT DATA Services. “An optimized, intelligent data center… will allow state and local organizations and commercial businesses to maximize value from their IT investments and establish a flexible infrastructure environment to scale, grow and innovate.”

NTT DATA will enhance the data center to attract businesses with new services and capacity. In addition to management of the RSA data center, NTT DATA will provide insights to Alabama businesses to integrate cloud solutions, modernize applications and accelerate growth through information technology (IT).

To support management of the data center, NTT DATA will leverage its existing Data Center Management expertise, as well as identify and hire local talent from the state of Alabama to bolster the company’s team currently providing support in Montgomery.

“This agreement will benefit the citizens of Alabama, as well as the pensions for the thousands of Alabamians who trust us to secure their futures,” said Dr. David Bronner, CEO, RSA. “NTT DATA’s operation of the local data center will enable Alabama businesses to leverage a global IT services leader to effectively modernize and achieve positive business outcomes.”

About NTT DATA

NTT DATA partners with clients to navigate and simplify the modern complexities of business and technology, delivering the insights, solutions and outcomes that matter most. We deliver tangible business results by combining deep industry expertise with applied innovations in digital, cloud and automation across a comprehensive portfolio of consulting, application, infrastructure and business process services.

//
Maj. Gen. John Morrison: Outcomes Enable Partners to Achieve Collective Defense in Cyber Space
Published on
Maj. Gen. John Morrison: Outcomes Enable Partners to Achieve Collective Defense in Cyber Space

Maj. Gen. John Morrison, chief of staff of U.S. Cyber Command (Cybercom), said Cybercom is assessing the success of an operation or strategy based on outcomes and that such outcomes enable other U.S. government agencies and foreign partners to carry out action in defense of the country, C4ISRNET reported Friday.

Morrison told the publication that establishing partnerships promotes a collective effort in cyber defense and could help counter adversaries in the future. He also cited the command’s need for flexibility when it comes to capabilities, structure of teams or in tactics.

“We have thinking adversaries that we go against every single day. That drives us to change how we operate,” Morrison said. “You change your tactics, techniques and procedures but that’s also going to drive changes in how we train and what we train … It drives how we do capability development and development of capabilities and the employment of those capabilities, which again ties back to training at a much faster pace in this space.”

Morrison also discussed Cybercom’s efforts to improve acquisition practices to enhance the way it feeds operational requirements into cyber capabilities and the command’s integration with combatant commands.

/
Bob DeLuca Named Acting Chief of GSA’s Technology Transformation Service
Published on
Bob DeLuca Named Acting Chief of GSA’s Technology Transformation Service

Bob DeLuca, who left the General Services Administration (GSA) in June 2020 to serve as deputy chief information officer at Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, will return to GSA to serve as interim director of the Technology Transformation Service and deputy commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service, Nextgov reported Sunday.

Starting July 19, DeLuca will perform the duties of TTS Director Anil Cheriyan, who announced his retirement in late June. DeLuca previously served as executive director of the Information Technology Centers of Excellence program at GSA.

“The good news we’ve got is that Bob DeLuca … has agreed to come back on detail until they fill the job permanently,” Emily Murphy, administrator of GSA and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, said during an interview on Government Matters Sunday.

//
House, Senate NDAAs Seek to Address Supply Chain Security Risks Posed by China
Published on
House, Senate NDAAs Seek to Address Supply Chain Security Risks Posed by China

The Senate and House of Representatives have included provisions to address China-related supply chain security issues in their versions of the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Federal News Network reported Friday.

The Senate’s NDAA version would require the secretary of the Department of Defense (DoD) to “take security risks posed by at-risk vendors such as Huawei and ZTE into account when making overseas stationing decisions.”

The bill would also direct the Pentagon to submit a report on the risk posed by Huawei’s 5G telecommunications infrastructure in host countries to DoD personnel, operations and equipment.

The report should contain measures to address risks. The lower chamber’s NDAA would require DoD to brief the House Armed Services Committee on the implementation of Section 889 of FY 2019 NDAA no later than Dec. 1.

To implement Section 889, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council will issue a new rule that would ban U.S. government agencies from buying goods and services from contractors that use telecommunications equipment and other products from Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, Dahua and Hytera Communications. The rule is set to take effect Aug. 13 and would require a company to either secure a government waiver or certify that it does not utilize products from those China-based companies.

The briefing should address whether the government has issued the final implementing regulation, the type and amount of waivers and exceptions that have been granted and whether the departments intend to seek a delay to the implementation of the ban, among others.

/
AFMC Unveils Industry Day for Digital Campaign
Published on
AFMC Unveils Industry Day for Digital Campaign

The Air Force Materiel Command is slated to conduct a virtual industry day on July 30 to seek input on the government's digital campaign strategy.

Speakers will provide information on each campaign line of effort, while participants will be given an opportunity to submit queries and feedback during the event, the U.S. Air Force said Thursday.

AFMC will stream the event via Microsoft Teams' Commercial Virtual Remote platform.

“We need to streamline the design, development, acquisition and testing to get technology to our warfighters faster," said Gen. Arnold Bunch, commander at AFMC.

Interested participants from industry and the academia have until July 28 to register for the event.

//
Secret Service Adopts New Structure to Tackle Financial Cyber Crimes
Published on
Secret Service Adopts New Structure to Tackle Financial Cyber Crimes

The U.S. Secret Service has decided to consolidate its electronic and financial crime task forces into one network to address the presence of fraud in cyberspace.

USSS said Thursday its combined Cyber Fraud Task Forces will work to detect, deter and address financial crimes that take place in the cyber domain.

CFTF follows a structure that offers improved data sharing and collaboration. The agency is working to prevent cybercriminals from disrupting the government's COVID-19 response efforts and has addressed related fraud cases through the new approach.

These cases include the fraudulent sale of illegally procured testing kits.

“The creation of the new Cyber Fraud Task Force (CFTF) will offer a specialized cadre of agents and analysts, trained in the latest analytical techniques and equipped with the most cutting-edge technologies," Michael D’Ambrosio, USSS assistant director.

/
GAO: OIGs Reported Varying Results on Agencies’ Data Quality
Published on
GAO: OIGs Reported Varying Results on Agencies’ Data Quality

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that each Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported “varied” results on the quality of their respective agencies’ spending data.

GAO said in a report released Thursday that it studied OIG audits on agency data submissions for the first quarter of fiscal year 2019 in compliance with the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act).

According to GAO’s report, 44 out of 51 OIGs provided recommendations to improve their agencies’ data quality and that 37 OIGs reported a less than 20 percent error rate for FY 2019 agency data submissions.

However, the watchdog noted that 10 of those submissions had missing data.

Thirty-seven OIGs said their agencies had higher-quality data, while 11 reported that their agencies’ data were of low to moderate quality.

The OIGs recommended that agencies establish procedures for implementing corrective actions, develop controls for ensuring the accuracy of submitted data and implement systems that incorporate automation.

They also recommended that agencies work with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Department of the Treasury and other external parties to resolve data-related issues.

//
Mitchell Institute’s David Deptula on DoD’s Need for Efficient, Interoperable Joint C2 System
Published on
Mitchell Institute’s David Deptula on DoD’s Need for Efficient, Interoperable Joint C2 System

David Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant general, said the U.S. military must “embrace a new approach” to effectively coordinate joint all-domain command and control (JADC2) operations.

Deptula wrote in an opinion piece published Thursday on C4ISRnet that the service branches need to harness information technology systems to “promote the rapid and seamless exchange” of data across networks and coalition partners.

According to Deptula, the Department of Defense’s (DoD) current organizational structures and cultures “do not align well” with the JADC2 program’s need for domain- and service-agnostic capabilities. The program is also at risk of putting too much emphasis on centralizing control of the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) and overwhelming warfighters with tactical-edge data, he added.

In addition, Deptula said the services must work to transition away from legacy C2 systems and avoid reliance on “standalone” technology development that doesn’t prioritize interoperability with other agencies or allies.

“Although U.S. forces can presently conduct multi-domain operations, current practices are far from what will be required when facing advanced adversaries,” he said. “This top-down guidance is critical to help inform bottom-up technological development and experimentation.”

//
JAIC Director Nand Mulchandani: DoD Continues Performance in AI Competition
Published on
JAIC Director Nand Mulchandani: DoD Continues Performance in AI Competition

Nand Mulchandani, acting director of the Department of Defense's (DoD) Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), said at the Pentagon the U.S. still has the upper hand in the artificial intelligence competition with foreign adversaries, DoD News reported Thursday.

He added that the country will not imitate China's technological practices that go against U.S. values. Such practices include analysis-based media censorship and unregulated facial recognition.

"Our constitution and privacy laws protect the rights of U.S. citizens, and how their data is collected and used," he noted.

Mulchandani also referenced the military's use of AI for COVID-19 response efforts. Project Salus began in March 2020 to help responders predict resource shortages via AI, the JAIC director noted.

/
Trump Administration to Finalize Chinese Technology Ban
Published on
Trump Administration to Finalize Chinese Technology Ban

The Trump administration has announced on Thursday that it will finalize regulations that ban the United States government from working with contractors who use technology from five Chinese companies: Huawei, ZTE,  Hikvision, Dahua and Hytera Communications. 

The ban was first introduced as a provision in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The regulation will prevent government agencies from signing contracts with companies that use equipment, services and systems from the companies, its subsidiaries and affiliates due to national security concerns.

The government contracting (GovCon) workforce has cited challenges regarding the ban, noting that the banned companies are global market leaders in their respective categories, making it harder to find alternatives. 

Huawei and ZTE are two of the largest telecom equipment providers in the world; Dahua and Hikvision are two of the biggest providers of surveillance equipment and cameras; and Hytera is a market leader for two-way radios.

The Trump administration will require agencies to conduct a national security analysis before they grant any waivers. The new regulation will also aim to limit the companies’ influence on the U.S. economy companies a choice: do business with the U.S. government or with the Chinese firms.

In a previous announcement in May 2020, the Pentagon noted that under the new regulations, chip makers using U.S. equipment are now required to have a license before the suppliers ship components to Huawei or any of its subsidiaries. 

Xiaomeng Lu, China practice lead at technology consultancy Access Partnership who previously worked at Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), noted that the U.S. restrictions could "shoot American companies in the foot."

Lu stated on Friday that the restricted regulatory change will cause U.S. chip companies to lose significant sales to the Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese and Japanese competitors. As the revenue stream continues to rise, foreign chipset companies will secure new investments, research and development in the next generation semiconductor technologies without the U.S. as a major competitor. 

1 … 1,386 1,387 1,388 1,389 1,390 … 2,619