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What was the first lesson you were taught in driver’s ed? For many of us, it was “keep your eyes on the road.” But today, thanks to modern technology, it’s not unusual to look over and see someone talking on the phone or putting on makeup, shaving or even taking a selfie while driving. But while it may seem easy to multitask while you’re inching along in a rolling backup, statistics show it’s an increasingly dangerous idea. Car crashes are now the number one cause of unintentional deaths in the United States and distracted driving is the most significant cause of injuries and death.

Spotlight

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Innovation Center (VIC)

VA Innovation Center (VIC), previously known as VA Innovation Initiative (VAi2) and VA Center for Innovation (VACI) historically focused on grassroots programs to diffuse leading practices across the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The programs have been innovating on behalf of VA and Veterans since 2009. Notable achievements of VACI in human centered design now drive work carried out by the Veterans Experience Office, helped shape the Benefits Appeals legislation and developed the Reach Vet program relied upon by VHA’s Office of Mental Health.

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Emerging Technology

Congress considers COVID recovery bond program

Article | July 16, 2022

While congressional leaders work diligently to develop the next COVID recovery bill, other interesting legislation also is being discussed. Many of the conversations focus on public funding options after COVID-19. There are no disagreements when it comes understanding the critical funding needs that will be front and center for cities, counties, states, schools, and hospitals as the country begins to emerge from a total focus on the coronavirus. Many public projects and initiatives will have to be addressed. First of all, crumbling, inefficient and unsafe infrastructure, of all types, must be a priority. Secondly, jobs will be a critical component of the successful re-establishment of economic stability. It is already apparent that a great deal of new funding will flow to long-standing federal programs. That’s a good thing because public officials already are aware of how those programs function. However, a number of new bills under discussion relate to the provision of additional and innovative ways for governmental entities to secure funding for projects that would stimulate the economy, create jobs, and address aging infrastructure. One particularly interesting new concept being evaluated is tax-exempt COVID recovery bonds. The current discussions focus on a federal COVID recovery bonding program that would be launched with approximately $25 billion. A small number of states have already initiated programs such as this on a smaller scale. The funding would be allocated to states based on population. From the governor’s office in each state, funding could be disbursed for projects of specific types. If COVID recovery bonds become a reality, the program would provide another way for public entities to secure funding that does not come solely from public coffers. Individual private sector contractors, investors, and organizations would provide the funding and work collaboratively with public officials. This program would be somewhat similar to private activity bonds which provide alternative funding for public initiatives. The new COVID recovery bonds would be tax exempt when used for permitted purposes such as financing airport, port, transportation, sewage, water, solid waste disposal, certain facilities, and other projects. In the following weeks and months, taxpayers and citizens should watch with eager anticipation. Congressional actions will boost America’s economic recovery and stabilize governmental organizations throughout the country. Inaction is a possibility, too, but that would risk missing out on recovery opportunities. Congressional representatives base their actions and their votes on input from constituents they represent. There are times when citizens, whatever their opinions, should provide input to elected representatives. This is one of those times. Mary Scott Nabers is president and CEO of Strategic Partnerships Inc., a business development company specializing in government contracting and procurement consulting throughout the U.S. Her recently released book, Inside the Infrastructure Revolution: A Roadmap for Building America, is a handbook for contractors, investors and the public at large seeking to explore how public-private partnerships or joint ventures can help finance their infrastructure projects.

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Government Business

Tech Trends that Affect Governments in 2022

Article | March 11, 2022

Governments and public authorities, like any other part of society, are vulnerable to technological disruption. Many of the issues confronting the government today stem from the fight to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic. Government institutions frequently discover that by employing tactics and strategies similar to those used by industry and the private sector, they, too, could learn to be more flexible and agile in their response. As a result, they have experienced a faster rate of digital transformation. Artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and digital twins are now firmly on the agenda of governments and public bodies, whereas they were previously only on the roadmap. Many governments, particularly in more developed countries, have realized that they simply cannot afford to be complacent when there is so much potential for positive change. So, with that in mind, here's a rundown of some of the most significant tech trends affecting governments in 2022. Digital Identity: Biometric measures, can be used in identity schemes to link an individual as a physical entity to their digital identity. AI and Automation of Public Services: In the United States, federal, state, and local governments are all ramping up experiments with natural language processing (NLP) technologies to reduce customer friction. Cyber Security: Close monitoring of cyber security is a high priority for states. In 2021, the US government announced that it would assist businesses in defending themselves against nation-state attacks. National Cryptocurrencies: The benefits of cryptocurrency as a monetary system are clearly compelling enough to pique the interest of governments and central banks, but there are questions that must be addressed, particularly those concerning environmental costs and energy consumption, which may have political ramifications. The Rise of Govtech Start-ups: The field is now open for a new breed of start-up known as "govtechs" to bring fresh thinking to the challenge of driving the digital revolution in government. For example, in the United States, federal, state, and local governments are popular with services that received a high volume of calls during the pandemic. The above discussed trends are the five biggest tech trends transforming government in 2022.

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What the US-Iran war might look like

Article | May 26, 2021

With Iran in escalation mood to get n to "Holy War" or "War For Survival of Islam" with Air Striking US and Allied Bases in Iraq which though has hardly given any blow to US Confidence and its Marines deployed there,Iran is going to architect a full blown war which as we know it would feature a series of moves and countermoves, we know it’d be very messy and confusing, and we know it’d be extremely deadly. But unlike with the path to war, it’s less useful to offer a play-by-play of what could happen. So with that in mind, it’s better to look at what the US and Iranian war plans would likely be — to better understand the devastation each could exact. How the US might try to win the war The US strategy would almost certainly involve using overwhelming air and naval power to beat Iran into submission early on. “You don’t poke the beehive, you take the whole thing down,” Goldenberg said. The US military would bomb Iranian ships, parked warplanes, missile sites, nuclear facilities, and training grounds, as well as launch cyberattacks on much of the country’s military infrastructure. The goal would be to degrade Iran’s conventional forces within the first few days and weeks, making it even harder for Tehran to resist American strength. That plan definitely makes sense as an opening salvo, experts say, but it will come nowhere close to winning the war. “It’s very unlikely that the Iranians would capitulate,” Michael Hanna, a Middle East expert at the Century Foundation in New York, told me. “It’s almost impossible to imagine that a massive air campaign will produce the desired result. It’s only going to produce escalation, not surrender.” It won’t help that a sustained barrage of airstrikes will likely lead to thousands of Iranians dead, among them innocent civilians. That, among other things, could galvanize Iranian society against the US and put it firmly behind the regime, even though it has in many ways treated the population horribly over decades in power. There’s another risk: A 2002 war game showed that Iran could sink an American ship and kill US sailors, even though the US Navy is far more powerful. If the Islamic Republic’s forces succeeded in doing that, it could provide a searing image that could serve as a propaganda coup for the Iranians. Washington won’t garner the same amount of enthusiasm for destroying Iranian warships — that’s what’s supposed to happen. An Iranian Army soldier stands guard on a military speedboat, passing by a submarine during the “Velayat-90” navy exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on December 28, 2011. Ali Mohammadi/AFP/Getty Images Trump has already signaled he doesn’t want to send ground troops into Iran or even spend a long time fighting the country. That tracks with his own inclinations to keep the US out of foreign wars, particularly in the Middle East. But with hawkish aides at his side, like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, there’s a chance they could convince him not to look weak and to go all-in and grasp victory. But the options facing the president at that point will be extremely problematic, experts say. The riskiest one — by far — would be to invade Iran. The logistics alone boggle the mind, and any attempt to try it would be seen from miles away. “There’s no surprise invasion of Iran,” Brewer, who is now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, told me. Iran has nearly three times the amount of people Iraq did in 2003, when the war began, and is about three and a half times as big. In fact, it’s the world’s 17th-largest country, with territory greater than France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal combined. The geography is also treacherous. It has small mountain ranges along some of its borders. Entering from the Afghanistan side in the east would mean traversing two deserts. Trying to get in from the west could also prove difficult even with Turkey — a NATO ally — as a bordering nation. After all, Ankara wouldn’t let the US use Turkey to invade Iraq, and its relations with Washington have only soured since. “IT’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE THAT A MASSIVE AIR CAMPAIGN WILL PRODUCE THE DESIRED RESULT. IT’S ONLY GOING TO PRODUCE ESCALATION, NOT SURRENDER.” —MICHAEL HANNA, A MIDDLE EAST EXPERT AT THE CENTURY FOUNDATION The US could try to enter Iran the way Saddam Hussein did during the Iran-Iraq war, near a water pass bordering Iran’s southwest. But it’s swampy — the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet there — and relatively easy to protect. Plus, an invading force would run up against the Zagros Mountains after passing through, just like Saddam’s forces did. It’s for these reasons that the private intelligence firm Stratfor called Iran a “fortress” back in 2011. If Trump chose to launch an incursion, he’d likely need around 1.6 million troops to take control of the capital and country, a force so big it would overwhelm America’s ability to host them in regional bases. By contrast, America never had more than 180,000 service members in Iraq. And there’s the human cost. A US-Iran war would likely lead to thousands or hundreds of thousands of dead. Trying to forcibly remove the country’s leadership, experts say, might drive that total into the millions. That helps explain why nations in the region hope they won’t see a fight. Goldenberg, who traveled recently to meet with officials in the Gulf, said that none of them wanted a US-Iran war. European nations will also worry greatly about millions of refugees streaming into the continent, which would put immense pressure on governments already dealing with the fallout of the Syrian refugee crisis. Israel also would worry about Iranian proxies targeting it (more on that below). Meanwhile, countries like Russia and China — both friendly to Iran — would try to curtail the fighting and exploit it at the same time, the Century Foundation’s Hanna told me. China depends heavily on its goods traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, so it would probably call for calm and for Tehran not to close down the waterway. Russia would likely demand restraint as well, but use the opportunity to solidify its ties with the Islamic Republic. President Donald Trump and Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, stand side by side in the group picture at the G20 summit on June 28, 2019. Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance via Getty Images And since both countries have veto power on the UN Security Council, they could ruin any political legitimacy for the war that the US may aim to gain through that body. The hope for the Trump administration would therefore be that the conflict ends soon after the opening salvos begin. If it doesn’t, and Iran resists, all that’d really be left are a slew of bad options to make a horrid situation much, much worse. How Iran might try to win the war Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart left his post as the No. 2 at US Cyber Command in 2019, ending a decorated four-decade career. Toward the end of it, he spent his time at the forefront of the military intelligence and cybersecurity communities. If anyone has the most up-to-date information on how Iran may fight the US, then, it’s Stewart. “The Iranian strategy would be to avoid, where possible, direct conventional force-on-force operations,” he wrote for the Cipher Brief on July 2, 2019. “They would attempt to impose cost on a global scale, striking at US interests through cyber operations and targeted terrorism with the intent of expanding the conflict, while encouraging the international community to restrain America’s actions.” In other words, Tehran can’t match Washington’s firepower. But it can spread chaos in the Middle East and around the world, hoping that a war-weary US public, an intervention-skeptical president, and an angered international community cause America to stand down. That may seem like a huge task — and it is — but experts believe the Islamic Republic has the capability, knowhow, and will to pull off such an ambitious campaign. “The Iranians can escalate the situation in a lot of different ways and in a lot of different places,” Hanna told me. “They have the capacity to do a lot of damage.” Take what it could do in the Middle East. Iran’s vast network of proxies and elite units — like Soleimani’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — could be activated to kill American troops, diplomats, and citizens throughout the region. US troops in Syria are poorly defended and have little support, making them easy targets, experts say. America also has thousands of civilians, troops, and contractors in Iraq, many of whom work in areas near where Iranian militias operate within the country. US allies would also be prime targets. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group in Lebanon, might attack Israel with rockets and start its own brutal fight. We’ve heard this story before: In 2006, they battled in a month-long war where the militant group fired more than 4,000 rockets into Israel, and Israeli forces fired around 7,000 bombs and missiles into Lebanon. About 160 Israelis troops and civilians died, according to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and about 1,100 Lebanese — most of them civilians — perished, per Human Rights Watch, a US-headquartered advocacy organization. It also reports about 4,400 Lebanese were injured, and around 1 million people were displaced. But that’s not all. Iran could encourage terrorist organizations or other proxies to strike inside Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf nations. Last year, it planned and executed drone strikes on two major Saudi oil facilities deep inside the kingdom, convulsing world markets. Its support for Houthis rebels in Yemen would mostly certainly increase, offering them more weapons and funds to attack Saudi Arabia’s airports, military bases, and energy plants. The US government on April 8, 2019, said it had designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization, marking the first time a US government has made such a designation on a foreign government’s organization. Rouzbeh Fouladi/NurPhoto via Getty Images Experts note that the Islamic Republic likely has sleeper cells in Europe and Latin America, and they could resurface in dramatic and violent ways. In 1994, for example, Iranian-linked terrorists bombed the hub of the Jewish community in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, killing 85 people and injuring roughly 300 more. That remains the largest terrorist attack in Latin America’s history, and the possibility for an even bigger one exists. In 2018, Argentina arrested two men suspected of having ties with Hezbollah. But Chris Musselman, formerly the National Security Council’s counterterrorism director under Trump, told me the US and its allies may have the most trouble containing the proxy swarm in Western Africa. “We could see a conflict that spread quickly to places the US may not be able to protect people, and it’s a fight that we are grossly unprepared for,” he said, adding that there’s a strong Hezbollah presence in the region and American embassy security there isn’t great. Making matters worse, he continued, the US isn’t particularly good at collecting intelligence there, meaning some militants could operate relatively under the radar. “This isn’t really a law enforcement function that US can take on a global scale,” he said. It would require that countries unwittingly hosting proxies to lead on defeating the Iranian-linked fighters, with US support when needed. The chaos would also extend into the cyber realm. Iran is a major threat to the US in cyberspace. Starting in 2011, Iran attacked more than 40 American banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America. The attack made it so the banks had trouble serving its customers and customers had trouble using the bank’s services. In 2012, Iran released malware into the networks of Saudi Aramco, a major oil company, which erased documents, emails, and other files on around 75 percent of the company’s computers — replacing them with an image of a burning American flag. In the middle of a war, one could imagine Tehran’s hackers wreaking even more havoc. “WE COULD SEE A CONFLICT THAT SPREAD QUICKLY TO PLACES THE US MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROTECT PEOPLE, AND IT’S A FIGHT THAT WE ARE GROSSLY UNPREPARED FOR” —CHRIS MUSSELMAN, FORMERLY THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL’S COUNTERTERRORISM DIRECTOR UNDER TRUMP “I would expect them to have begun selected targeting through socially-engineered phishing activities focused on the oil and gas sector, the financial sector and the electric power grid in that order,” Stewart wrote. “There may be instances now where they already have some persistent access. If they do, I expect they would use it, or risk losing the access and employ that capability early in the escalation of the crisis.” Recent reports indicate that Iranian cyberwarriors have stepped up their online operations, with a particular emphasis on preparing to attack US firms. Among other moves, they’re aiming to trick employees at major businesses to hand over passwords and other vital information, giving them greater access to a firm’s networks. “When you combine this increase with past destructive attacks launched by Iranian-linked actors, we’re concerned enough about the potential for new destructive attacks to continue sounding the alarm,” Christopher Krebs, a top cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security, told Foreign Policy last July. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a graduation ceremony of the Iranian Navy cadets in the city of Noshahr on September 30, 2015. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images All of this — proxies striking around the world, cyberattacks on enterprise — would happen while Iran continued to resist conventional American forces. In the Strait of Hormuz, for instance, Iranian sailors could use speedboats to place bombs on oil tankers or place mines in the water to destroy US warships. The Islamic Republic’s submarines would also play a huge part in trying to sink an American vessel. And the nation’s anti-ship missiles and drones could prove constant and deadly nuisances. Should US troops try to enter Iranian territory on land, Iranian ground forces would also push back on them fiercely using insurgent-like tactics while the US painfully marches toward Tehran. Put together, Brewer notes succinctly, a US-Iran war would be “a nasty, brutal fight.” Aftermath: “The worst-case scenarios here are quite serious” Imagine, as we already have, that the earlier stages of strife escalate to a major war. That’s already bad enough. But assume for a moment not only that the fighting takes place, but that the US does the unlikely and near impossible: It invades and overthrows the Iranian regime (which Trump’s former National Security Adviser John Bolton, at least, has openly called for in the past). If that happens, it’s worth keeping two things in mind. First, experts say upward of a million people — troops from both sides as well as Iranian men, women, and children, and American diplomats and contractors — likely will have died by that point. Cities will burn and smolder. Those who survived the conflict will mainly live in a state of economic devastation for years and some, perhaps, will pick up arms and form insurgent groups to fight the invading US force. Second, power abhors a vacuum. With no entrenched regime in place, multiple authority figures from Iran’s clerical and military circles, among others, will jockey for control. Those sides could split into violent factions, initiating a civil war that would bring more carnage to the country. Millions more refugees might flock out of the country, overwhelming already taxed nations nearby, and ungoverned pockets will give terrorist groups new safe havens from which to operate. Iran would be on the verge of being a failed state, if it wasn’t already by that point, and the US would be the main reason why. To turn the tide, America may feel compelled to help rebuild the country at the cost of billions of dollars, years of effort, and likely more dead. It could also choose to withdraw, leaving behind a gaping wound in the center of the Middle East. In some ways, then, what comes after the war could be worse than the war itself. It should therefore not be lost on anyone: A US-Iran war would be a bloody hell during and after the fighting. It’s a good thing neither Trump nor Iran’s leadership currently wants a conflict. But if they change their minds, only carnage follows. “The worst-case scenarios here are quite serious,” Hanna told me.

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Bond elections catalyze numerous contracting opportunities

Article | September 9, 2020

People often believe that bond elections only fund construction projects. Although it’s true that construction opportunities do occur when bond packages are approved, sales of certificates of obligation or general obligation spawn hundreds of other contracting opportunities. Companies that provide services related to technology, energy systems, furniture, landscaping, and security also benefit. Voters already have approved an abundance of bond packages this year, and more are pending in November elections. Although it’s true that construction opportunities do occur when bond packages are approved, sales of certificates of obligation or general obligation spawn hundreds of other contracting opportunities. Georgia The state of Georgia has funding of $1.133 billion that will be used for new projects, the purchasing of equipment, repairs and renovations to existing facilities. Some of it will also be used to launch new construction projects. School districts have been allocated approximately $378 million and $302 million is available for projects at the University System of Georgia. The Department of Transportation will receive over $152 million for roads, bridges, and rail projects, and the Technical College System of Georgia will receive approximately $99 million for various projects. The state also allocated $20 million for a new conference center at Lake Lanier Island and $12 million for infrastructure improvements at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. West Virginia The Cabell County Board of Education authorized the issuance of $87.5 million in public school bonds after it was approved by voters in August. Architectural firms and design teams will be in high demand soon as construction is planned for early 2021. Projects include rebuilding Meadows Elementary and Milton Elementary and construction of a new Davis Creek Elementary facility. Other school buildings will receive major renovations including new windows, doors, roofing, HVAC systems, sprinkler systems, and security upgrades. New York Bond funds were approved in Lewis County for a $33 million capital project to construct a new surgical pavilion and renovation of the existing Medical-Surgical floor. Bidding will be solicited in January and February 2021 with construction to begin immediately. The project includes construction of a 36,224 square-foot surgical pavilion as well as the renovation of about 18,889 square feet of the existing Medical-Surgical inpatient floor. California The state of California recently announced the sale of $2.65 billion of revenue bonds to benefit various projects at the University of California (UC). About $1.15 billion will be spent on campus projects. Regents for the university system announced that about than 50 construction projects at all 10 UC campuses are planned. Projects include improvements to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Research and Extension Center and Franz Hall. Seismic upgrades are planned for the Irvine Campus, the engineering tower, four gateway quad buildings, and the social sciences buildings. More earthquake-resistant improvements will be made at a number of additional facilities. Louisiana In August, $140 million in bonds were approved for construction of a new high school and the completion of 13 other construction and improvement projects for Ascension Parish Public Schools. Approximately $79.5 million has been set aside for a new high school which will be located in Prairieville. Solicitation documents for contractors will be released in 2021. Other projects that have been approved include $27 million in renovations at East Ascension High School, $7.5 million for artificial turf at four high school stadiums plus the stadium at the new high school, $4.4 million for a classroom addition at St. Amant Primary, and $2.3 million for improvements at Donaldsonville High School. Texas Voters recently approved $76.6 million for the Plainview Independent School District and this funding will be used to consolidate and restructure elementary and middle school facilities. Some of the revenue will also be used to update security and technology. The proposed building plan consolidates six elementary campuses into three with pre-K programs and increased capacity at each campus. Some solicitation documents are expected in November, and others are planned for early 2021. Hawaii The state of Hawaii successfully sold $995 million of general obligation bonds, and the funding will be used to finance capital improvements for various public buildings, elementary and secondary schools, community college and university facilities, public libraries, and parks. As 2020 draws to a close over the next few months, millions more in funding for all types of projects will result as November bond packages are placed on the ballot for voter approval. Even in the midst of a pandemic, public assets must be maintained, expanded, and made safe for citizens. The activity generated by the bond elections stimulates local economies, and the projects that result create thousands of jobs as well. Mary Scott Nabers is president and CEO of Strategic Partnerships Inc., a business development company specializing in government contracting and procurement consulting throughout the U.S. Her recently released book, Inside the Infrastructure Revolution: A Roadmap for Building America, is a handbook for contractors, investors and the public at large seeking to explore how public-private partnerships or joint ventures can help finance their infrastructure projects.

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Spotlight

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Innovation Center (VIC)

VA Innovation Center (VIC), previously known as VA Innovation Initiative (VAi2) and VA Center for Innovation (VACI) historically focused on grassroots programs to diffuse leading practices across the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The programs have been innovating on behalf of VA and Veterans since 2009. Notable achievements of VACI in human centered design now drive work carried out by the Veterans Experience Office, helped shape the Benefits Appeals legislation and developed the Reach Vet program relied upon by VHA’s Office of Mental Health.

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Government Business, Cybersecurity

Juvare Launches Juvare Federal and Defense

Businesswire | April 10, 2023

The Board of Directors of Juvare, LLC today announced the establishment of the Juvare Federal and Defense (JFD) business unit to accelerate the delivery of technology solutions optimized for the U.S. Government to respond to crises and organize vital national security data. JFD’s solution suite facilitates real-time situational awareness to provide a full understanding of events as they unfold, allowing decision makers to quickly and confidently make the correct call to keep Americans safe. The USA-headquartered business unit will be led by Patrick Macfarlane, Chief Operating Officer and Patrick J. Lane, President. JFD will leverage its independent operating model to bolster program delivery, aligning dedicated specialists and sales resources to enhance execution. It has existing contracts with many departments including FEMA, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense. “Having made material investments in our team, our solutions, and our existing government and defense clients, we felt that the next stage in our rapid growth was to formally create a dedicated business unit to this market,” said George Riedel, Chairman of the Board. JFD will also launch a new solution this spring, enabling a real-time, global common operation picture with world-class geospatial capabilities that can connect to any government or commercial system, and is powered by our machine learning and AI for predictive analytics. The solution will integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure, provide accurate access to resource data, and create wide-scale awareness of available resources allowing swift reaction in a time of crisis. “JFD reflects not only our investment, but also our expansion within the federal government and the underpinning of our commitment to the security of our homeland and that of our allied partner nations,” said Robert “Bob” Watson, President and CEO of Juvare. “Gone are the days of organizing our national security and crisis response through spreadsheets. We are in a time where lives depend on decisions being made in seconds, not hours, with data that is real-time and accurate. JFD has the technology necessary to enable secure and rapid Whole-of-Government responses when they are needed most.” General Barry McCaffrey (USA Ret), a member of the Juvare Board of Directors, added, “Our national security demands a coordinated and integrated response among the many government platforms that currently can’t communicate with each other. Juvare’s advanced technology, combined with our deep understanding of the unique needs of the U.S. Government, will enable increased readiness and provide data-driven decision support.” Juvare’s advanced and secure technology makes JFD the commercial partner of choice when assisting federal agencies in the Whole-of-Government Unified Coordination for the National Defense Strategy (NDS), Homeland Security Strategy, and the National Emergency Response Plan (ERP). About Juvare Juvare is a worldwide leader in crisis management software. Juvare solutions empower government agencies, corporations, healthcare facilities, academic institutions, and volunteer organizations to leverage real-time data to manage incidents faster and more efficiently, protecting people, property, and brands.

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Cybersecurity

BedRock Systems Joins United States National Cybersecurity Excellence Partnership (NCEP) Program

BedRock Systems | June 06, 2022

BedRock Systems, the leading software company delivering an unbreakable foundation for secured computing from edge to cloud, announced it has joined the National Cybersecurity Excellence Partnership (NCEP) program. NCEP is a collaborative public-private partnership between U.S. companies and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE), formed to advance the state of cybersecurity practice in the United States. It’s an honor to participate in the NCEP program. Through partnership and collaboration with NCCoE and other NCEP participants, we look forward to identifying pressing cybersecurity challenges and driving innovations that bolster the security of U.S. information systems.” John Walsh, SVP Strategy and Business Development at BedRock Systems BedRock Systems joins a community of NCEP partner companies that have pledged to provide hardware, software, and expertise to foster rapid adoption and broad deployment of integrated cybersecurity tools and techniques and address technology gaps affecting multiple sectors of the economy. In addition to contributing equipment and other products to the NCCoE’s test environments, partner companies can designate guest researchers to collaborate and work with NCCoE researchers at the center, in person or remotely. To address the challenges of securing the country’s IT environments, the NCCoE has developed 167 publications, which have been downloaded more than 1 million times. In addition to joining the NCEP program, BedRock Systems has participated in reviewing NIST’s recent Special Publication 1800-32, titled “Securing Distributed Energy Resources: An Example of Industrial Internet of Things Cybersecurity.” “Fostering collaboration and leveraging the expertise that exists across the private and public sectors is an important part of NCCoE’s strategy to drive innovation and address technology gaps affecting critical systems and industries,” said Jim McCarthy, Senior Security Engineer, National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE). “We are pleased to have BedRock Systems join the community of NCEP partners who help NIST and NCCoE design, build, deploy, and document standards-based solutions that can be leveraged across multiple segments in our economy.” McCarthy recently joined BedRock for a webinar discussion on Dissecting Critical Infrastructure Risks: The Double-Edged Sword of Interoperability. The expert panel of cybersecurity professionals discuss requirements and challenges related to connecting the OT and IT systems that power critical infrastructure. About BedRock Systems BedRock Systems is the leading software company delivering an unbreakable foundation for secured computing from edge to cloud. Designed on the principles of Zero Trust and formal methods, BedRock Systems provides unprecedented levels of security and resiliency to the world’s most critical systems and infrastructure. Industries like Financial Services/DeFi, Government, Defense, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical and critical infrastructure sectors all use BedRock to improve cyber security, reduce cost and unlock new revenue by enabling innovation, even while under attack. BedRock your applications and workloads today.

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Cybersecurity

Splunk and Crowdstrike Executive Chris Hill Joins Horizon3.ai to Lead Federal Strategy

Horizon3.ai | May 24, 2022

Horizon3.ai, a cybersecurity firm focused on autonomous penetration testing, announced the appointment of Chris Hill as the Sector Head for Public Sector, Federal. Hill will execute Horizon3.ai’s vision for creating a better, more secure and cost-effective cyber posture for US and allied Government customers and partners through the deployment of the first autonomous, on-demand, self-service software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that is safe to run in production and requires no persistent or credentialed agents: Horizon3.ai’s award-winning NodeZero. Hill brings deep public/Federal markets experience to Horizon3.ai, having previously held executive leadership roles with top cybersecurity solutions providers such as Splunk, Databricks and CrowdStrike. With over 25 years of dedicated public sector cybersecurity and IT experience, Chris brings a tremendous amount of passion and domain expertise to assisting Horizon3.ai in executing its vision. His dedication to helping secure Federal agencies and organizations and his consistent track record of achievements in advancing that goal make Chris an invaluable asset both to Horizon3.ai and to those we serve and protect.” Snehal Antani, CEO and Co-Founder of Horizon3.ai “Government sector agencies and their industry partners are being constantly targeted by threat actors,” said Chris Hill, Sector Head for Public Sector, Federal, Horizon3.ai. “It is absolutely essential to provide them the means to determine and address those vulnerabilities and areas of exposure that must be immediately addressed, and I am deeply honored and excited to join Horizon3.ai and support its mission to do so.” Chris is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire's Paul Smith School of Business in Economics and holds a master’s in business administration from the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business. Horizon3.ai, Carahsoft Jointly Exhibit at the AWS Summit May 23-25, Washington, D.C. Horizon3.ai also today announced its partnership with Carahsoft Technology Corp., the Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider. Carahsoft supports public sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets, and helps simplify the government procurement process through its agency-specific and government-wide federal, state and local contracts. “As I take the helm of Horizon3.ai’s Federal markets initiatives, we will be establishing and deepening Horizon3.ai’s alliances with those solutions providers whom our governmental agencies and organizations most closely rely upon to deploy and secure its essential information infrastructures,” said Hill. “Carahsoft is among the most respected IT and security distributors with a broad ecosystem of reseller and integrator partnership. This relationship is an important first step in ensuring that those agencies that protect and serve us are provided the cybersecurity insight they urgently need at this critical time.” Horizon3.ai and Carahsoft will together attend the upcoming AWS Summit, May 23-25, 2022, in Washington, D.C. The Summit will focus on how public sector organizations can use the cloud to rapidly innovate and digitally transform, to improve their stakeholders’ lives and deliver on their mission. About Carahsoft Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator for our vendor partners, we deliver solutions for Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Open Source, Customer Experience and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. About Horizon3.ai The mission of Horizon3.ai is to help organizations find and fix attack vectors before attackers can exploit them. NodeZero, an autonomous penetration testing solution, is a true self-service SaaS offering that is safe to run in production and requires no persistent or credentialed agents. NodeZero can help organizations identify ineffective security controls, and ensure limited resources are spent fixing problems that can actually be exploited. Founded in 2019 by industry, US Special Operations, and US National Security Veterans, Horizon3.ai is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, and made in the USA.

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Government Business, Cybersecurity

Juvare Launches Juvare Federal and Defense

Businesswire | April 10, 2023

The Board of Directors of Juvare, LLC today announced the establishment of the Juvare Federal and Defense (JFD) business unit to accelerate the delivery of technology solutions optimized for the U.S. Government to respond to crises and organize vital national security data. JFD’s solution suite facilitates real-time situational awareness to provide a full understanding of events as they unfold, allowing decision makers to quickly and confidently make the correct call to keep Americans safe. The USA-headquartered business unit will be led by Patrick Macfarlane, Chief Operating Officer and Patrick J. Lane, President. JFD will leverage its independent operating model to bolster program delivery, aligning dedicated specialists and sales resources to enhance execution. It has existing contracts with many departments including FEMA, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense. “Having made material investments in our team, our solutions, and our existing government and defense clients, we felt that the next stage in our rapid growth was to formally create a dedicated business unit to this market,” said George Riedel, Chairman of the Board. JFD will also launch a new solution this spring, enabling a real-time, global common operation picture with world-class geospatial capabilities that can connect to any government or commercial system, and is powered by our machine learning and AI for predictive analytics. The solution will integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure, provide accurate access to resource data, and create wide-scale awareness of available resources allowing swift reaction in a time of crisis. “JFD reflects not only our investment, but also our expansion within the federal government and the underpinning of our commitment to the security of our homeland and that of our allied partner nations,” said Robert “Bob” Watson, President and CEO of Juvare. “Gone are the days of organizing our national security and crisis response through spreadsheets. We are in a time where lives depend on decisions being made in seconds, not hours, with data that is real-time and accurate. JFD has the technology necessary to enable secure and rapid Whole-of-Government responses when they are needed most.” General Barry McCaffrey (USA Ret), a member of the Juvare Board of Directors, added, “Our national security demands a coordinated and integrated response among the many government platforms that currently can’t communicate with each other. Juvare’s advanced technology, combined with our deep understanding of the unique needs of the U.S. Government, will enable increased readiness and provide data-driven decision support.” Juvare’s advanced and secure technology makes JFD the commercial partner of choice when assisting federal agencies in the Whole-of-Government Unified Coordination for the National Defense Strategy (NDS), Homeland Security Strategy, and the National Emergency Response Plan (ERP). About Juvare Juvare is a worldwide leader in crisis management software. Juvare solutions empower government agencies, corporations, healthcare facilities, academic institutions, and volunteer organizations to leverage real-time data to manage incidents faster and more efficiently, protecting people, property, and brands.

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Cybersecurity

BedRock Systems Joins United States National Cybersecurity Excellence Partnership (NCEP) Program

BedRock Systems | June 06, 2022

BedRock Systems, the leading software company delivering an unbreakable foundation for secured computing from edge to cloud, announced it has joined the National Cybersecurity Excellence Partnership (NCEP) program. NCEP is a collaborative public-private partnership between U.S. companies and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE), formed to advance the state of cybersecurity practice in the United States. It’s an honor to participate in the NCEP program. Through partnership and collaboration with NCCoE and other NCEP participants, we look forward to identifying pressing cybersecurity challenges and driving innovations that bolster the security of U.S. information systems.” John Walsh, SVP Strategy and Business Development at BedRock Systems BedRock Systems joins a community of NCEP partner companies that have pledged to provide hardware, software, and expertise to foster rapid adoption and broad deployment of integrated cybersecurity tools and techniques and address technology gaps affecting multiple sectors of the economy. In addition to contributing equipment and other products to the NCCoE’s test environments, partner companies can designate guest researchers to collaborate and work with NCCoE researchers at the center, in person or remotely. To address the challenges of securing the country’s IT environments, the NCCoE has developed 167 publications, which have been downloaded more than 1 million times. In addition to joining the NCEP program, BedRock Systems has participated in reviewing NIST’s recent Special Publication 1800-32, titled “Securing Distributed Energy Resources: An Example of Industrial Internet of Things Cybersecurity.” “Fostering collaboration and leveraging the expertise that exists across the private and public sectors is an important part of NCCoE’s strategy to drive innovation and address technology gaps affecting critical systems and industries,” said Jim McCarthy, Senior Security Engineer, National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE). “We are pleased to have BedRock Systems join the community of NCEP partners who help NIST and NCCoE design, build, deploy, and document standards-based solutions that can be leveraged across multiple segments in our economy.” McCarthy recently joined BedRock for a webinar discussion on Dissecting Critical Infrastructure Risks: The Double-Edged Sword of Interoperability. The expert panel of cybersecurity professionals discuss requirements and challenges related to connecting the OT and IT systems that power critical infrastructure. About BedRock Systems BedRock Systems is the leading software company delivering an unbreakable foundation for secured computing from edge to cloud. Designed on the principles of Zero Trust and formal methods, BedRock Systems provides unprecedented levels of security and resiliency to the world’s most critical systems and infrastructure. Industries like Financial Services/DeFi, Government, Defense, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical and critical infrastructure sectors all use BedRock to improve cyber security, reduce cost and unlock new revenue by enabling innovation, even while under attack. BedRock your applications and workloads today.

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Cybersecurity

Splunk and Crowdstrike Executive Chris Hill Joins Horizon3.ai to Lead Federal Strategy

Horizon3.ai | May 24, 2022

Horizon3.ai, a cybersecurity firm focused on autonomous penetration testing, announced the appointment of Chris Hill as the Sector Head for Public Sector, Federal. Hill will execute Horizon3.ai’s vision for creating a better, more secure and cost-effective cyber posture for US and allied Government customers and partners through the deployment of the first autonomous, on-demand, self-service software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that is safe to run in production and requires no persistent or credentialed agents: Horizon3.ai’s award-winning NodeZero. Hill brings deep public/Federal markets experience to Horizon3.ai, having previously held executive leadership roles with top cybersecurity solutions providers such as Splunk, Databricks and CrowdStrike. With over 25 years of dedicated public sector cybersecurity and IT experience, Chris brings a tremendous amount of passion and domain expertise to assisting Horizon3.ai in executing its vision. His dedication to helping secure Federal agencies and organizations and his consistent track record of achievements in advancing that goal make Chris an invaluable asset both to Horizon3.ai and to those we serve and protect.” Snehal Antani, CEO and Co-Founder of Horizon3.ai “Government sector agencies and their industry partners are being constantly targeted by threat actors,” said Chris Hill, Sector Head for Public Sector, Federal, Horizon3.ai. “It is absolutely essential to provide them the means to determine and address those vulnerabilities and areas of exposure that must be immediately addressed, and I am deeply honored and excited to join Horizon3.ai and support its mission to do so.” Chris is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire's Paul Smith School of Business in Economics and holds a master’s in business administration from the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business. Horizon3.ai, Carahsoft Jointly Exhibit at the AWS Summit May 23-25, Washington, D.C. Horizon3.ai also today announced its partnership with Carahsoft Technology Corp., the Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider. Carahsoft supports public sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets, and helps simplify the government procurement process through its agency-specific and government-wide federal, state and local contracts. “As I take the helm of Horizon3.ai’s Federal markets initiatives, we will be establishing and deepening Horizon3.ai’s alliances with those solutions providers whom our governmental agencies and organizations most closely rely upon to deploy and secure its essential information infrastructures,” said Hill. “Carahsoft is among the most respected IT and security distributors with a broad ecosystem of reseller and integrator partnership. This relationship is an important first step in ensuring that those agencies that protect and serve us are provided the cybersecurity insight they urgently need at this critical time.” Horizon3.ai and Carahsoft will together attend the upcoming AWS Summit, May 23-25, 2022, in Washington, D.C. The Summit will focus on how public sector organizations can use the cloud to rapidly innovate and digitally transform, to improve their stakeholders’ lives and deliver on their mission. About Carahsoft Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator for our vendor partners, we deliver solutions for Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Open Source, Customer Experience and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. About Horizon3.ai The mission of Horizon3.ai is to help organizations find and fix attack vectors before attackers can exploit them. NodeZero, an autonomous penetration testing solution, is a true self-service SaaS offering that is safe to run in production and requires no persistent or credentialed agents. NodeZero can help organizations identify ineffective security controls, and ensure limited resources are spent fixing problems that can actually be exploited. Founded in 2019 by industry, US Special Operations, and US National Security Veterans, Horizon3.ai is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, and made in the USA.

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