Unisys has announced the general availability of Unisys Always-On Access (AOA), powered by Stealth, to deploy, enables remote work and continuous communications, the company announced on Wednesday. 

"Employees today need secure remote access to vital data and applications to perform their work. Our Stealth security software delivers the speed, convenience, end-to-end secure access and scalability that businesses require to meet their customers' and employees' needs without missing a step," said Vishal Gupta, chief technology officer and senior vice president of Products and Platforms, Unisys.

Unisys Stealth security software has provided protection to users working remotely from home or from alternative facilities. Stealth, integrated into Unisys AOA, will provide quick, scalable support that will secure access for users at organizations of any size.

Unisys AOA will simplify network security even in hybrid/complex IT environments by dramatically reducing the traditional VPN attack surface and limiting access to only the applications needed, instead of access to the network. 

Stealth will deliver identity-based microsegmentation by creating cryptographic communities of interest that separate trusted systems, users and data from the untrusted. Stealth will employ hyper-secure encrypted IPsec tunnels to protect data from end-to-end.

Unisys AOA can be delivered via Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) from a private or public cloud or as an on-premise solution. The SaaS capability offers a simplified, cost-effective and customizable way for a business to pay for what it needs, while the subscription-based pricing model allows customers to scale up or down, as needed.

Stealth brings clients "always-on" security and resilience, stopping even sponsored, sophisticated cyberattacks. Stealth has established a software-defined perimeter that will serve as the backbone for a Zero Trust security strategy by overlaying the entire computing environment with one holistic set of security policies, including encompassing desktops, servers, cloud, mobile, containers, Kubernetes and IoT. 

Stealth also includes Dynamic Isolation capabilities which will quickly isolate devices or users at the first sign of compromise and effectively reduces attack surfaces by encrypting all communication between Stealth-protected assets and cloaking the assets from unauthorized users. 

"There has been a massive shift in the workforce in recent weeks as people around the world are being asked to work from home, which can pose challenges to global operations and create unintended security risks," added Gupta.

About Unisys 

Unisys is a global information technology company that builds high-performance, security-centric solutions for the most demanding businesses and governments. Unisys offerings include security software and services; digital transformation and workplace services; industry applications and services; and innovative software operating environments for high-intensity enterprise computing.

Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, a spokesman for the Department of Defense, said DoD has started implementing the increased progress payment rates for contractors and that the Defense Contract Management Agency has modified about 1,400 contracts to reflect the increased rates, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

“We estimate this will result in over $3 billion in cash being flowed into industry,” said Andrews. “The department has high expectations that prime companies are ensuring cash flow is moving to small businesses in their respective supply chains who need it most.”

DoD issued a memo in March that increases the progress payment rates to 90 percent for large businesses and to 95 percent for small businesses in an effort to ensure cash flow into the industrial base.

Andrews noted that the Defense Finance and Accounting Services and DCMA are collaborating to ensure the Pentagon is preventing delays when it comes to paying contractor invoices.

Ellen Lord, defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment and a 2020 Wash100 award winner, also released a memo to broaden the use of other transaction authorities for prototype agreements and follow-on production contracts related to COVID-19 response programs.

DoD also issued a memo about equitable adjustments for vendors to help manage the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performance, cost and schedule of defense contracts.

The Employment and Training Administration within the Department of Labor plans to award $42.5 million in grants to finance apprenticeships across the youth.

DOL said Monday that it will issue the grants to apprentices aged 16 to 24 regardless of school enrollment status. ETA may apply the grants to either support new registered apprenticeship programs or increase funds of existing ones.

“These apprenticeship grants offer communities the opportunity to make targeted investments today that will fuel future economic growth, by enabling young people to earn a living while learning critical job skills at the same time,” said Eugene Scalia, secretary of labor.

The effort would directly approach academic institutions and out-of-school youth programs.

Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, has announced his support for the Trump administration’s creation of a committee responsible for evaluating foreign entities operating in the U.S. telecommunications sector.

Pai said in a statement released Monday that the establishment of the “Team Telecom” committee will streamline FCC’s coordination with the executive branch while accelerating the agency’s reforms on the foreign ownership vetting procedures.

He noted that FCC welcomes investment in U.S. telecom infrastructure but will “not hesitate to act to protect our networks from foreign threats.”

According to a Nextgov report, Team Telecom will conduct national security reviews to aid the FCC’s foreign ownership reviews throughout a 120-day period. The committee’s members include officials such as the secretaries of defense and homeland security as well as the attorney general.