//
Microsoft Gold Partner Xgility Acquired by AIS to Deepen Cloud Capabilities; CEO Larry Katzman Quoted
Published on
Microsoft Gold Partner Xgility Acquired by AIS to Deepen Cloud Capabilities; CEO Larry Katzman Quoted

Microsoft cloud services firm Applied Information Sciences has entered an agreement to purchase Xgility, a company versed in Microsoft programs.

With the new buy, AIS will welcome a host of public and private sector clients and over 100 employees from Xgility, the Reston, Virginia-based company said Wednesday.

Larry Katzman, CEO and president of AIS, remarked that he has known Xgility CEO and president Chris Hornbecker for more than 10 years and has watched the organization grow.

“I am confident our collective capabilities will continue to scale with the needs of our customers and the ever-evolving offerings of the Microsoft cloud marketplace,” Katzman added.

The acquisition came about due to the companies’ shared mission, culture and technology emphasis. The combined efforts of both enterprises’ Microsoft-skilled technicians is intended to create a value add for clients and increase revenue and outreach for the now single organization.

Hornbecker stated that it was not Xgility’s executive leadership’s intention to sell the company until they realized how much of an impact they could make in conjunction with AIS.

“This acquisition accelerates and multiplies our combined ability to achieve transformational results for our client’s businesses and our teammates’ careers,” Hornbecker said.

Xgility is considered a Microsoft Gold partner due to its team’s proficiency with platforms such as Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Power Platform, Dynamics 365 and Azure. Their leadership hopes that, in partnership with AIS’ history of success, they will be able to reach new milestones in cloud transformation.

/
KBR Wins General Maintenance Services Contract from SATORP; Jay Ibrahim Quoted
Published on
KBR Wins General Maintenance Services Contract from SATORP; Jay Ibrahim Quoted

KBR announced on Wednesday that the company has been awarded a potential ten-year contract to provide preventive, predictive, corrective, and shutdown maintenance services General Maintenance Services (GMS) by Saudi Aramco TOTAL Refining and Petrochemical Company (SATORP), for its project in Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“We are excited to continue building on our longstanding partnership with SATORP. This contract marks the beginning of a broader and increasingly strategic journey for SATORP, and KBR is proud to deliver world-class solutions using the industry’s best maintenance and reliability practices,” said Jay Ibrahim, President of Sustainable Technology Solutions at KBR.

Through the contract, KBR will focus on the improvement of sustainable asset performance of the refinery and aims to achieve top quartile plant performance while also optimizing costs.

Following a decade-long partnership, KBR continues to drive its footprint in the downstream industry. For more than 70 years, the company has delivered several large-scale maintenance projects for some of the world’s largest and most technically complex downstream facilities.

During a recent Executive Spotlight interview with KBR’s President of Government Solutions Byron Bright, who is also a three-time Wash100 Award winner, he discussed the company’s growth expectations as well as the work KBR has done to expand space technology capabilities and cement its place in the space market as well as driving sustainability.

“I believe we’ve laid out long-term targets and continue to deliver quarter after quarter across all metrics. KBR has a really bright future ahead as we move into 2022. As you look at KBR with our peers, one of the key things that have driven both our stock performance and our overall value proposition is our sustainable technology part of the business.”

About KBR

We deliver science, technology and engineering solutions to governments and companies around the world. KBR employs approximately 28,000 people performing diverse, complex and mission-critical roles in 34 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.

/
Sharon Burke, Jon Powers Named Senior Climate, Energy Advisors at Guidehouse; Ed Meehan Quoted
Published on
Sharon Burke, Jon Powers Named Senior Climate, Energy Advisors at Guidehouse; Ed Meehan Quoted

Guidehouse has added two experienced environmental executives, Sharon Burke and Jon Powers, as senior climate and energy advisors.

The consulting company said Wednesday that Burke and Powers will aid in Guidehouse’s ongoing efforts alongside the U.S. Department of Defense to maintain sustainability procedures and meet energy protocols.

Ed Meehan, defense segment leader and partner at Guidehouse, shared that the company is “extremely honored” to appoint the two executives advisorship. He explained that they will play an instrumental role in meeting the needs of a customer base that is launching a number of broad scope endeavors centered on environmental mindfulness and “delivering positive social impact through their projects and services.”

“We are looking forward to [Burke and Powers’] support, extensive knowledge and leadership to further the solutions we bring in helping the DoD advance their mission,” Meehan, who is a former winner of the Wash100 Award, continued.

Burke brings extensive knowledge of climate security, energy security, defense and critical mineral subjects to her new role. She has spent time in U.S. Congress, as well as the State Department and the Pentagon, including as assistant secretary of Defense for operational energy in the Obama administration.

Additionally, Burke founded and is president of environmental research and advisory firm Ecospherics and has overseen civic organizations such as the Center for a New American Security. Among her work’s principal focuses are seeking a way to serve both national security and environmental sustainability concerns and how to best create lasting change in these fields through policy measures.

Powers’ skill set lies in clean energy, in addition to sustainability and national security, aligning him with Burke. He also worked in the Obama administration as federal chief sustainability officer in charge of climate, renewables and sustainability practices for the government.

Furthermore, Powers served in the U.S. Army in Iraq and held the position of special advisor for energy to the assistant secretary of the Army, pushing for innovation in the branch’s approach to energy. In 2015, he established CleanCapital, an investment platform for clean energy, where he currently works as president and head of business development.

The newly appointed senior climate and energy advisors are poised to assist Guidehouse in helping its customers tailor their procedures and services to recent legislation such as the October 2021-released executive order climate adaptation plans.

Navy Presents 3 Procurement Options for Building Future Fleet
Published on
Navy Presents 3 Procurement Options for Building Future Fleet

The U.S. Navy presented Congress with multiple shipbuilding procurement plans to grow the military branch’s fleet in the coming years, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

The publication obtained a document that outlines three fleet procurement alternatives, two of which propose a budget with “no real growth” and the third option represents a $75 billion real growth beyond the next five fiscal years.

The first two procurement schemes estimate to achieve 305 to 307 manned ships in fiscal year 2035 and 318 to 322 manned ships in another 10 years while the final alternative plan would achieve 326 manned vessels in the mid-2030s and 363 manned ships in fiscal year 2045.

The Navy also plans to decommission additional ships, including five guided-missile cruisers, according to the report.

The service noted it believes continuing to maintain the decades-old ships that were once “premier air defense command and control platforms” would result in “little return on investment.”

/
Laurie Locascio Returns to NIST as Director
Published on
Laurie Locascio Returns to NIST as Director

Laurie Locascio, former vice president for research at the University of Maryland, has assumed leadership of the National Institute of Standards and Technology nearly two weeks after the Senate approved her nomination.

As, NIST’s 17th director, she will provide guidance for the agency’s collaboration with the government, commercial and academic sectors to incorporate standards, technology and measurements into product and service innovation, the agency said Tuesday.

Locascio will also hold the title of undersecretary of commerce for standards and technology.

She previously spent 31 years at the agency prior to her appointment at the public university in late 2017.

Her NIST career started in research biomedical engineering work and later she was promoted as acting principal deputy director and associate director for laboratory programs.

/
State Department OKs Tactical Radio Equipment Sale to Australia
Published on
State Department OKs Tactical Radio Equipment Sale to Australia

The State Department has approved Australia’s request to procure multichannel software-programmable radio systems and equipment from the U.S. under a potential $42 million foreign military sales deal.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Tuesday Viasat and Data Link Solutions will act as principal contractors on the proposed sale of Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio Systems.

Australia asked to buy a total of 121 MIDS JTRS (5) and (6) terminals, seven MIDS-Low Volume Terminal (4) Block Upgrade Two retrofit kits and LVT cryptographic modules.

The Western Pacific country will deploy the equipment to facilitate interoperability with the U.S. military and Link 16 tactical data exchange. DSCA describes Australia as one of the “most important” U.S. allies in the region.

In May 2020, Viasat and Data Link Solutions won positions on a five-year, $999M contract to produce, retrofit and sustain MIDS JTRS terminals for the U.S. Navy.

//
VA to Modernize Sign-In Experience for Veterans Via TMF Investment; Clare Martorana Quoted
Published on
VA to Modernize Sign-In Experience for Veterans Via TMF Investment; Clare Martorana Quoted

The Department of Veterans Affairs will receive an investment through the Technology Modernization Fund to implement a single sign-in service to help streamline access of veterans to benefits and services.

VA will use the investment to develop an in-person identity verification feature for veterans, launch a pilot to adopt physical security keys for multifactor authentication and facilitate the transition of users to Login.gov, the General Services Administration said Tuesday.

“For many years our Veterans have had to use multiple user names and passwords to access their benefits online leading to a frustrating and fractured experience for the people who have given their all in service to our country,” said Clare Martorana, federal chief information officer and chair of the TMF Board.

“This TMF investment will enable our Veterans to access their digital benefits and services in a simple, seamless, and secure way while making it easier for the VA workforce to serve them,” added Martorana, a 2022 Wash100 Award winner.

VA will receive $10.5 million in funding through TMF, which is funded through the American Rescue Plan.

/
Eric Goldstein: CISA Seeks Input on 2 Secure Cloud Business Applications Guidance Documents
Published on
Eric Goldstein: CISA Seeks Input on 2 Secure Cloud Business Applications Guidance Documents

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is soliciting comments on two initial guidance documents that were developed as part of the Secure Cloud Business Applications project.

The SCuBA project seeks to help ensure the security of agency data assets in cloud environments through the development of modern security configurations, Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA, wrote in a blog post published Tuesday.

SCuBA, which was funded via the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, intends to help agencies implement security practices when using cloud services.

One of the documents is the SCuBA Technical Reference Architecture, a security guide that agencies can use to adopt tech platforms for zero-trust models, cloud deployment, secure architecture, and adaptable platforms.

CISA is also requesting input on the Extensible Visibility Reference Framework Guidebook, which is meant to help organizations determine potential visibility gaps and visibility data for use in threat mitigation.

“Our intent is to properly address cybersecurity and visibility gaps within cloud-based business applications that have long hampered our collective ability to adequately understand and manage cyber risk across the Federal and IT enterprise,” Goldstein wrote. 

“In addition, CISA is working towards guidance on recommended cybersecurity configuration based for select products that is likely to be released in the coming months,” he added.

Comments on the SCuBA guidance documents are due May 19th.

/
Industry Groups Offer Key Considerations for Upcoming Executive Order to Counter Identity Theft
Published on
Industry Groups Offer Key Considerations for Upcoming Executive Order to Counter Identity Theft

Six technology industry groups have called on White House officials to consider four additional priorities as the Biden administration works on a new executive order to prevent identity theft in benefits and services delivery and support victims of identity fraud.

The Cybersecurity Coalition, Better Identity Coalition and four other trade groups urged administration officials to provide tools that could help U.S. citizens safeguard themselves from identity thieves, including the deployment of mobile driver’s licenses, according to an April 13th letter obtained by FCW.

The groups said the EO should direct the Department of Homeland Security and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to speed up the development of guidance and standards to enable states to introduce remote identity proofing applications for mDLs.

Other priorities that should be considered in drafting the order are ensuring access of identity theft victims to direct assistance; establishing a governmentwide approach to enable identity attribute validation services; and requiring NIST to establish a Digital Identity Framework of best practices and standards to help agencies create attribute validation and other digital identity services.

The Electronic Transactions Association, Identity Theft Resource Center, National Cyber Security Alliance and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Technology Engagement Center also signed the letter.

/
DISA to Update Military Emergency Communications System
Published on
DISA to Update Military Emergency Communications System

The Defense Information Systems Agency has crafted a strategy to help the Department of Defense implement an emergency response system for military personnel to communicate with 9-1-1 call centers via text message and video or voice calls.

DISA said Monday it will work with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Emergency Communications Preparedness Center to secure DOD networks during the Next Generation 9-1-1 system transition process.

The DOD NG911 modernization approach seeks to establish a standard for on-demand data collection, processing, storage, management and dissemination and management.

The agency intends for the updated system to help military public safety answer points route Session Initiation Protocol-based communications over the DOD Information Network.

1 … 837 838 839 840 841 … 2,621