automation

AI Should Not Replace Tried-and-True Security Practices

December 19, 2017

By Joe Kim

Artificial intelligence is helping to solve many problems, but humans remain a crucial element for cybersecurity. Credit: GDJ/Pixabay

In the federal government space, the machines have risen, but they’re not here to threaten us. Instead, agencies are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to bolster the U.S.’s cybersecurity posture.

There are many reasons for this emergent interest. Agencies are dealing with enormous amounts of data and network traffic from many different sources, including on premises and from hosted infrastructures—and sometimes a combination of both. It’s impossible for humans to sift through this massive amount of information, which makes managing security a task that cannot be exclusively handled manually.

The Quest for an Operational Cyber Edge

June 29, 2017

By George I. Seffers

U.S. Army officials assessing cutting-edge cyber and electronic warfare capabilities during Cyber Quest 2017 tout the ingenuity of soldiers participating in the exercise.

U.S. Army officials expect that by this fall, they will have formal approval of a rapid prototyping process for acquiring cyber and electronic warfare prototypes assessed during the just-completed Cyber Quest 2017 exercise at Fort Gordon, Georgia.

Army officials describe Cyber Quest as an annual cyber and electronic warfare exploration and collaboration event hosted by the Cyber Center of Excellence. This is the second year for the event.

The Big Deal About Small Satellites and Big Data

April 17, 2017

By Sandra Jontz

The cannonade of small satellites hovering above the Earth is creating a dilemma for government and industry alike: how to process enormous amounts of data sent to the ground.

Collecting information isn’t the hard part, nor is transmitting it, experts say. What vexes intelligence analysts the most is not being able to make heads or tails of petabyte upon petabyte of data. But the government seeks help from the commercial world to make that happen.

Lockheed to Support Automated Systems for Multiple Countries

October 6, 2016

Lockheed Martin Corp., Mission Systems and Training, Orlando, Florida, is being awarded a $214,536,353 ceiling-priced, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for performance based logistics maintenance and support services contract for up to 400 Consolidated Automated Support System (CASS) stations and 150 reconfigurable transportable CASS stations for the Navy and the governments of Australia, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Italy and Spain. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (39 percent); St. Louis, Missouri (24.9 percent); Roseville, California (14.3 percent); North Reading, Massachusetts (11.8 percent); and various locations within the U.S.

Lockheed to Maintain Consolidated Automated Support System for Multiple Countries

April 26, 2016

Lockheed Martin Corp., Mission Systems and Training, Orlando, Florida, is being awarded a $21,905,303 ceiling-priced, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for performance-based logistics maintenance and support services for up to 400 Consolidated Automated Support System (CASS) stations and 150 reconfigurable transportable CASS stations. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (39 percent); St. Louis, Missouri (24.9 percent); Roseville, California (14.3 percent); North Reading, Massachusetts (11.8 percent); and various locations within the U.S.

Frontier Technology to Support Adaption of Computer Automation Tools

September 30, 2015

Frontier Technology Inc., Goleta, California, is being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a ceiling of $49,919,437. This contract will support the Navy's adaptation and application of a comprehensive suite of computer automated tools for real-time data analysis that produces actionable information to optimize readiness and life cycle cost including failure prediction and pre-placement of maintenance solutions. Future technology improvements acquired through the Navy's investment will be incorporated into the existing Missile Defense Agency suite of tools. The estimated ordering period is from September 25, 2015, through September 24, 2018.

Defense Department Aims for Automated Cyber Defense

September 16, 2015

By Sandra Jontz

As the Defense Department continues to forge closer relations with Silicon Valley, its leaders say they need more tools to improve automation of cyber basics, the department’s chief information officer (CIO) said. “At a certain point, I want to have some cyber defenses completely automated, where certain conditions occur and the system takes its own response,” said CIO Terry Halvorsen. “I think that is the only way we will keep up.” Automation would free up military and civilian cyber staff to concentrate on higher-level work.

Four Core Attributes Federal Data Centers Need for Cost-Effective Security

September 1, 2015

By Bill Lemons

While federal agencies undertake laudable efforts to consolidate and modernize data centers, security remains an underlying concern that keeps information technology administrators awake at night. A survey by government research firm MeriTalk, sponsored by General Dynamics Information Technology and Juniper Networks, showed nearly half of the respondents believe the government’s data center modernization process increased cybersecurity challenges.

Military Networks Embracing SDN to Gain Visibility and Control

July 29, 2015

By Bob Kimball

The Department of Defense (DOD) plans to leverage open source solutions and services to meet mission requirements, no matter where the tactical edge lies. Providing connectivity that enables high-performance, assured networking is critical, and is why defense and civilian agencies closely examine software-defined networking (SDN) as a solution.

SDN quickly is becoming the preferred method for organizations to achieve greater network situational awareness, a centralized point of control and the ability to roll out new applications and services—all while lowering operational costs.

General Dynamics to Support Automated Logistics in Kuwait

January 19, 2011

By George Seffers

General Dynamics Information Technology has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to operate its supply support activity in Kuwait. The contract has an initial value of about $31 million for the first year, with a potential value of $177 million over five years, if all options are exercised. General Dynamics will be responsible for the management and facilitation of the supply support activity for the Southwest Asia region, which conducts and sustains military operations and activities throughout the region. The company will receive, classify, store and distribute multiple classes of Army supplies using automated information management systems. The majority of the work will be performed at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.