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Deloitte, Oracle Collaborate to Accelerate Customer Innovation Through Oracle Cloud
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Deloitte, Oracle Collaborate to Accelerate Customer Innovation Through Oracle Cloud


Jeff Brody

Oracle Consulting and Deloitte announced on Monday that the two organizations are forming a strategic sales and delivery collaboration called “ELEVATE†to focus on accelerating customer innovation by helping them to rapidly migrate and manage workloads with Oracle Autonomous Database and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

ELEVATE brings together the two organization’s insights and experience enabling customers to drive and optimize enterprise operations in the cloud while maximizing current Oracle investments.

“The joint cloud migration and delivery approaches offered by Oracle Consulting and Deloitte will be industry leading. Oracle customers are seeking to transform their enterprises quickly, cost-effectively, and successfully while driving business innovation on Autonomous Database and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure,” said Aaron Millstone, senior vice president of Oracle North America Cloud Consulting.

The collaboration is fueled by Oracle Soar, Destination PaaS and IaaS, which provides automated cloud migration; and Deloitte’s professional services organization supported by its ATADATA cloud discovery and automation platform.

Deloitte’s robust end-to-end cloud offerings complement Oracle’s migration services – from strategy, to build, through to operate. These services, coupled with Deloitte’s in-depth Oracle technology, business insights, cyber security, and industry knowledge can help customers to achieve the value of cloud. 

“Clients are seeking a foundation that creates opportunities for the enterprise to be more agile and innovative, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Oracle Autonomous Database offers a clear path for achieving those goals,” said Jeffrey Davis, global Oracle business leader and principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP. “With this strategic collaboration with Oracle Consulting, we are putting modern, industry-leading cloud infrastructure within reach for companies of all sizes.”

About Oracle

The Oracle Cloud offers a complete suite of integrated applications for Sales, Service, Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Supply Chain and Manufacturing, plus Highly Automated and Secure Generation 2 Infrastructure featuring the Oracle Autonomous Database.

About Deloitte

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world’s most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500® and more than 5,000 private and middle market companies. Our people work across the industry sectors that drive and shape today’s marketplace — delivering measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to see challenges as opportunities to transform and thrive, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthy society.

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CGI Announces Continued Support for CONNECT; Ksheeraja Velangulam Quoted
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CGI Announces Continued Support for CONNECT; Ksheeraja Velangulam Quoted

Jeff Brody

On Monday, CGI announced the company will continue to support CONNECT, an open-source secure messaging platform connected to the eHealth Exchange. The U.S. government ended its own support on Sept. 15th.

The CONNECT open source solution, an e-gov initiative lead by the Federal Health Architecture (FHA) under the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), will transition from FHA management to the private sector.

“The FHA launched CONNECT a decade ago as a way to connect to what was then called the Nationwide Health Information Network (now known as the eHealth Exchange) using an open source platform,†said CGI Federal Vice-President, Ksheeraja Velangulam. “CGI is proud of our role in this important step toward nationwide health IT interoperability and pleased that our support will continue.â€

As the connected Health IT community expands, and the requirements to interoperate increase, CGI will provide integration and standards-based testing services for organizations in the federal government and the broader private and public health sector.

About CGI Federal 

CGI Federal Inc. is a wholly-owned U.S. operating subsidiary of CGI Inc., dedicated to partnering with federal agencies to provide solutions for defense, civilian, healthcare and intelligence missions. Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With approximately 77,500 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions.

CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. With Fiscal 2018 reported revenue of $11.5 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB).

 

Nominee Ryan McCarthy Aims to Continue Readiness, Modernization & Reform Efforts as Army Secretary
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Nominee Ryan McCarthy Aims to Continue Readiness, Modernization & Reform Efforts as Army Secretary


Jeff Brody
Ryan McCarthy

Acting U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that he would ensure continued support for the country’s deployed warfighters if he is confirmed to the position on a full-time basis, the military service reported Thursday.

“I will continue to champion the Army’s strategy and vision with an emphasis on readiness, modernization and reform,” McCarthy said during his confirmation hearing Thursday. “It is only through the care of our people that these priorities will be achieved.”

He added that the service branch should work to modernize its forces and enterprise and keep assisting allies in the Middle East on stability and counterterrorism efforts.

McCarthy, a former 75th Ranger Regiment member and Lockheed Martin vice president, also seeks to increase enlistment rates and improve the quality of life of soldiers.

He helped establish the Army Futures Command and its eight cross-functional teams during his tenure as the branch’s undersecretary.

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Rep. Will Hurd Talks AI, Cybersecurity at Forum
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Rep. Will Hurd Talks AI, Cybersecurity at Forum


Jeff Brody
Will Hurd

Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), a 2019 Wash100 Award winner, said artificial intelligence could help speed up the processing of security clearances within days and the U.S. government should allocate resources to further develop and leverage AI capabilities, Fifth Domain reported Friday.

“First, we should increase the resources devoted to research and development. That’s an easy one,” Hurd said Thursday at the Dell Technologies Forum. “The government can also set an example and lead the way in adopting AI. This can save taxpayer dollars, tons of money and make government more efficient.”

Hurd, who announced that he will not run for re-election in 2020, said the government and industry should collaborate to address cybersecurity threats. He also discussed the shortage of cyber professionals and security threats associated with internet of things.

“It has to be more than just information sharing,” Hurd said. “That’s not happening enough, but we have to establish a framework [on] operation collaboration that not only combines incident response, but mitigation and prevention as well.”

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James Geurts: Navy Creates Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainment Position
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James Geurts: Navy Creates Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainment Position


Jeff Brody
James Geurts

James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, announced the establishment of a new deputy assistant secretary role to help the service branch develop policies to support the execution of its sustainment mission, the Navy website reported Friday.

“Sustainment is as critical as new construction to ensure Navy is ready to deploy,” Geurts said. “This position will allow us to improve and align the complex drivers of maintenance and modernization completion; that in turn will increase our output to the fleet.”

The deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for sustainment will directly report to Geurts and manage sustainment funding and lifecycle management policies across the Department of the Navy to help meet the Pentagon’s readiness objectives.

The service branch has initiated several programs to better manage maintenance work, including Perform to Plan initiative and Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan.

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AFRL Invests in Materials Research Facility at Cornell University
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AFRL Invests in Materials Research Facility at Cornell University


Jeff Brody

The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded a $7.1M grant to Cornell University for the establishment of a new research facility.

Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, a national physics research site, will have a new subfacility for materials research via AFRL’s support, the university said Wednesday.

CHESS offers synchrotron radiation facilities to help researchers study atomic and molecular structures across multiple scientific disciplines.

The new subfacility, named the Materials Solutions Network or MSN-C, will feature two X-ray beamlines available to material researchers from the Department of Defense. These tools would help researchers address structural and functional needs in military-grade materials.

“There is a great need for this type of research in the U.S. to keep us competitive at the global scale,” said Arthur Woll, MSN-C’s director.

VA Deploys Application Programming Interfaces to Modernize Service Delivery
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VA Deploys Application Programming Interfaces to Modernize Service Delivery


Jeff Brody

The Department of Veterans Affairs has implemented application programming interfaces in an effort to improve the delivery of services to former military personnel, Nextgov reported Thursday. APIs are protocols designed to handle communications and shared functionalities between applications.

Surafeal Asgedom, VA’s chief modernization officer, said at a Dell event in Washington, D.C. that APIs will serve as the “gateway to modernization efforts” and act as “future enablers” for technological advancement.

“Today, our veterans expect a more current care service,” he noted. “They want to be able to get the same kind of service they get in the commercial world.”

According to Asgedom, the department is rolling out the Facilities API, Benefits API and Verification API. The first API will use Amazon’s Alexa product to provide facility-related information and appointment scheduling services, while the second will involve Apple technologies and focus on the development of tools for veteran healthcare.

The third API will enable veterans to verify their status through various platforms.

Emily Murphy: GSA’s Future Initiatives Will Build on Schedule Consolidation Plans
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Emily Murphy: GSA’s Future Initiatives Will Build on Schedule Consolidation Plans


Jeff Brody
Emily Murphy

Emily Murphy, administrator of the General Services Administration and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, has said that the agency’s plan to consolidate multiple-award schedules is “definitely foundational” to future reforms the agency intends to enact. In an interview with Federal Times published Thursday, Murphy noted that the move will reduce the amount of special item numbers and help the agency better catalog data and process analytics. 

“All sorts of goodness is going to come from this consolidation, as well as really giving us a chance to leverage our workforce in a very different way, use technology better, so we can implement things like robotic process automation,” she said. The consolidation will improve agencies’ buying capacity and help small and emerging businesses better integrate into GSA’s schedules, she added.

Alan Thomas, commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service, said the agency’s efforts to establish an e-commerce platform for purchases below $10,000 will remove stringent regulatory barriers and help small buisinesses gain opportunities with the government.

“We are involving the workforce in the change; and in many cases, relying on them to help us drive that change,” he noted.

Air Force Secretary Nominee Barbara Barrett Puts Focus on Space Force
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Air Force Secretary Nominee Barbara Barrett Puts Focus on Space Force


Jeff Brody
Barbara Barrett

Barbara Barrett, President Trump’s nominee for U.S. Air Force secretary, said that she would prioritize the establishment of a Space Force if confirmed for the post, The Hill reported Thursday. Barrett told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee at her confirmation hearing that a Space Force is “overdue” and that she looks forward to participating in negotiations to create an agency focused on furthering the nation’s capability in space.

“American national power depends upon space, and our potential adversaries know it,” she said. “We must be prepared to defend critical space assets, increase the resilience of our space enterprise and be prepared to fight and win should deterrence fail.”

Barrett’s prior roles include chairwoman of The Aerospace Corp. and U.S. ambassador to Finland. She was nominated to replace 2019 Wash100 Award recipient Heather Wilson as Air Force secretary in May.

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Janet Kavandi to Step Down as NASA Glenn Research Center Director
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Janet Kavandi to Step Down as NASA Glenn Research Center Director


Jeff Brody
Janet Kavandi

Janet Kavandi is set to retire from her role as director of NASA’s John H. Glenn Research Center at the end of this month, Space News reported Thursday.

Kavandi’s upcoming retirement ends her two-year tenure as head of the center in Cleveland and her overall NASA career than began in the 1990s.

She joined the space agency in 1994 to serve as an astronaut and went on to support a variety of missions such as those concerning the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.

The former astronaut is a recipient of multiple federal awards including NASA Space Flight Medals and a Presidential Rank Award.

NASA will announce Kavandi’s successor as Glenn’s director in a future date.

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