Milpatis, California-based Avocado Systems* received a $1.8 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program Phase II award from the U.S. Air Force to evaluate the company's ability to protect Air Force data centers and cloud systems, according to a company announcement. Through AFWERX, the award has the company evaluating Avocado's patented application security solution to secure enterprise level cloud and data center infrastructures. The company's Pico-Segmentation technology secures application, web and data tiers inside of clouds and data centers, a company official stated. *Small Business
data centers
September 13, 2019
August 30, 2019
Oracle America Inc., Redwood Shores, California, is awarded a competitive single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract for Integrated Processor Capacity Services - SPARC Compatible (IPCS-SC). The contract ceiling is $137,837,975. The period of performance (PoP) consists of a five-year base period and five one-year option periods, for a total contract life cycle of ten years. The PoP for the base period is September 3, 2019, through September 2, 2024, and the option years follow consecutively through September 2, 2029. Performance will be at current Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) data centers or future DISA or DISA-approved locations where DISA assumes an operational responsibility for suppor
June 1, 2018
A couple of years into the so-called second wave of cloud, there are few signs of declining demand for cloud-based services. Experts think demand will only continue to grow as Internet of Things-related services are sought from the cloud, and data generated by smart devices increases the need for cloud storage. Now, traditional data centers are morphing into key global cloud interconnectors.
March 27, 2018
The competitive strengths of the past cannot be counted on in a digital, cloud-based environment, making access to real-time data a critical requirement for success. A company must not only be agile, but also be able to leverage a highly automated infrastructure and incorporate real-time data analytics when making business decisions. As a result, organizations are increasingly pulling away from traditional data centers in favor of architectures that are more automated, software-defined and flexible, according to a recent study by International Data Corporation (IDC).
February 15, 2017
The U.S. Army is well on its way to meeting federal goals for reducing or consolidating data centers, an effort that already has saved the service $56 million, officials state.
The Army has cut the number of centers across the force by about 38 percent, according to a report released February 6. Part of the consolidation plan calls for closing 1,157 Army Enterprise Data Centers. The goal over the next eight years is to bring the number to 10. Six will be located outside of the continental United States. The other four will be housed at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Fort Carson, Colorado; and Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
February 8, 2017
For the past several years, U.S. federal agencies have undergone a concerted effort to consolidate and streamline their data centers. As such, they’ve ramped up initiatives to drive application requirements to the cloud, used virtualization services whenever possible to improve efficiencies and deployed sensors to monitor power consumption.
August 18, 2016
The U.S. Defense Department unveiled Thursday a bold information technology and cybersecurity road map that modifies its approach on several efforts in the rapidly changing environments. The guide positions the department’s IT infrastructure and processes for a broad impact, in addition to hopes of greater security and scrutiny, said its chief information officer, Terry Halvorsen.
May 12, 2016
The Defense Department's continued collaboration to streamline the whole of the military's information technology networks and systems, known as the Joint Information Environment, tops leaders' agendas and fiscal spending plans—now available with a caveat for decision makers, officials said.
October 6, 2015
The tally is in and the news is mostly good: The federal government saved about $3.6 billion over a three-year period by implementing information technology reforms set in motion by the Office of Management and Budget, or OMB.
Between fiscal 2011 and 2014, agencies netted about $2 billion of the total from data center consolidation and optimization efforts alone, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress.
“Notably, of the $3.6 billion total, the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Treasury and the Social Security Administration accounted for about $2.5 billion,” reads a portion of the report.
September 1, 2015
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.
July 15, 2015
In the U.S. Defense Department (DOD), networks carry critical information and applications from a data center to the battlefield. Ensuring the apps travel quickly and securely over the vast networks is not only mission-critical—it can mean the difference between life and death.
Compounding the challenge, DOD organizations collect, analyze and share more data than ever before. Data center consolidation drives efficiency gains but requires applications to travel greater distances to a work force positioned around the globe. The increased data, traffic and distance puts a serious strain on already-stressed networks.
March 27, 2015
Data center consolidation has been a priority for federal information technology teams since 2010 when the government launched the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI). The goal was to close or consolidate 40 percent of government data centers by 2015 to combat server sprawl, centralize and standardize storage, and streamline application management and establish shared services across multiple agencies.
The FDCCI has changed many things about how federal information technology (IT) is set up and created many challenges for federal IT professionals, including:
May 9, 2012
The U.S. Defense Department must move to a single identity management system, the department's chief information officer said today at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Mission Partner Conference. Teri Takai stated that enterprise email is a driver of that system but acknowledged that the bigger concern is the identity management rather than whether all the military services embrace the email migration. Despite arguments among members of a military chief information officer panel earlier in the day, Takai said she is glad the discussion came up because people need to understand that finding the right solution for identity management is difficult.
