Strengthening the Liberal World Order

The world order that was created in the aftermath of World War II has produced immense benefits for peoples across the planet. The past 70 years have seen an unprecedented growth in prosperity, lifting billions out of poverty. Democratic government, once rare, has spread to over 100 nations around the world, on every continent, for people of all races and religions. And, although the period has been marked by war and suffering as well, peace among the great powers has been preserved.

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Atlanta City Studio

Atlanta City Studio is a pop-up design studio within the City of Atlanta's Department of Planning and Community Development. The space serves as an incubator, workspace and meeting place for residents, visitors, design professionals and curious urbanists to connect.

OTHER ARTICLES
Government Business

Transit, mobility projects to play vital role in economic recovery

Article | July 14, 2022

As the country battles to recover from COVID-19, transit leaders are calling for the next federal relief package to appropriate substantial funding to allow public transit to play its critical part in the economy’s recovery. In the interim, many of these transit and mobility authorities throughout the nation are moving forward with capital improvement projects already in the pipeline and in various phases of development. They will soon be announcing large projects, especially in quickly growing regions, and their planning documents list upcoming initiatives that range from mid-size construction projects to sprawling billion-dollar programs that focus on aging infrastructure. The following are just a few examples of upcoming projects from tollway and mobility authorities. California Just east of San Francisco, the Tri-Valley-San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority in late June approved $46.8 million in funding for the next stage in Valley Link, a 42-mile light-rail line. This project will connect a planned train station in North Lathrop to an existing station in Pleasanton. Another $13 million previously dedicated to the project paid for conceptual design work that is near completion. Also, elsewhere in the state, the Transportation Corridor Agencies, in coordination with Caltrans, is proposing a $180 million project to add a direct 241/91 Express Connector linking the northbound 241 Toll Road to the eastbound 91 Express Lanes and the westbound 91 Express Lanes to the southbound 241 Toll Road. The connector will alleviate traffic and improve access to toll lanes in Orange and Riverside counties. Texas The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority has several forthcoming procurements and will be soliciting bids in early August for the third phase of the 183A extension project. This $180 million project will create a 6.6-mile extension of the busy tollway north from Leander to east of Liberty Hill. Construction is expected to begin in early 2021. New Jersey The New Jersey Turnpike Authority has $24 billion in various road and infrastructure projects in its Proposed 2020 Capital Improvement Program released in March 2020. The authority has outlined 24 projects that provide system solutions and upgrades. One of the largest initiatives is a $2.9 billion project to replace approximately 200 bridge decks. Another large undertaking, projected to cost about $1.4 billion, is described as raising a section of Garden State Parkway above a revised 100-year floodplain. Florida Florida’s 2021 budget earmarks $90 million for an ambitious tollway project spanning hundreds of miles. The Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance, or M-CORES, plan calls for construction of 340 miles of new toll roads by 2030. M-CORES outlines new road infrastructure for three corridors: the Suncoast Connector from Citrus County to Jefferson County; the Northern Turnpike Connector from the northern terminus of Florida’s Turnpike northwest to the Suncoast Parkway; and the Southwest-Central Florida Connector from Collier County to Polk County. Initiated by a state Senate bill in 2019, this is a $10 billion project. Kansas The city of Overland Park and the Kansas Turnpike Authority are conducting a study that could lead to a $300 million project for U.S. 69. City leaders turned to the Turnpike Authority for help with widening the highway which has become the most congested in the state. The collaborative effort would include widening the highway to six lanes, with two of them being tolled. Illinois The Illinois Tollway Authority is closing its bid filing period for a more than $100 million project to reconstruct a section of Interstate 294, and numerous other projects are slated to occur in the next several years. A project to reconstruct the northbound C-D Road has a cost projection of between $25 and $50 million. Another planned project includes demolishing and rebuilding the Southbound Mile Long Bridge with a cost of more than $100 million. Another interesting project outlined involves building ongoing ramps from 75th Street to Interstate 55 which will also cost approximately$100 million. Pennsylvania The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) released a request for information to determine how best to structure procurements to replace and enhance the commission’s tolling Customer Service Center system and customer service operations. A number of contracting opportunities will result from this initiative. The commission is inviting responses from software application development companies with innovative products in the customer relationship management, customer account management, and customer experience spaces. System integrators and/or software developers with expertise in CRM, customer account management, call centers, customer contact systems and CX, and transactional/financial processing and billing systems also are also encouraged to respond. PTC is also interested in input from customer service firms specializing in the design and integration of innovative customer contact systems with new or existing applications. In addition to construction and engineering projects, numerous tollway authorities are moving toward all-electronic toll collections. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission moved from toll collectors to all-electronic this year, and the Bay Area Toll Authority suspended in-person toll collecting in March because of COVID-19. This trend will provide numerous opportunities for IT companies in the near future as transit and mobility authorities search for technology solutions to modernize the driving experience on toll roads. 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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Cybersecurity

How local government scaled up for remote workers

Article | March 23, 2022

The biggest IT challenge local governments faced during the COVID-19 pandemic has been scaling existing infrastructure to accommodate many more workers than they had planned for, IT leaders said during a June 17 panel discussion. “Our remote access solution was originally scaled for a major snow day, not for 3,000 to 4,000 remote users,” Charles Gore, IT security manager for Loudoun County, Va., said during a webinar presented by CompTIA’s Public Technology Institute. “We were looking at 500 users remote. We had to spread the scoping across multiple technologies, which we had, but we needed to very quickly adjust to accommodate the new users.”

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Emerging Technology, Government Business

Billions in funding from COVID relief programs now flowing to state, local governments

Article | October 7, 2022

The CARES ACT (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) passed by Congress created a sprawling, multi-faceted plan to combat COVID-19 and its debilitating effects on the U.S. economy. Signed into law in March, the $2 trillion relief package allocated funding for preserving jobs, backfilling government budgets, helping school districts, providing assistance for the unemployed and establishing grant programs for various industry sectors such as transportation and telecommunications. There are murmurs of a second stimulus bill which could be debated as soon as July, with the president on July 2 expressing his support for one. But, billions of dollars remain in the CARES Act funding for numerous programs. Much of that funding has reached recipients already, and more should start flowing at any time. All parties and stakeholders are eager, of course, for the funding to reach governmental entities. CARES Act funding programs include the following examples. The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, program was established with approximately $13.2 billion. This funding is designated for public school districts through an application process that has oversight from each state’s centralized education agency. Texas school districts received $1.29 billion through the program, just behind the state of California, which received the highest allotment at $1.6 billion. Other states receiving a larger share of ESSER funding are New York ($1.03 billion), Florida ($770 million), Illinois ($569 million), and Georgia ($457 million). The program requires that at least 90 percent of the grant funding must be awarded to schools that received Title I, Part A funding during the 2019-20 school year. That stipulation will result in only school systems with a high number of students from low-income families being eligible for the bulk of the revenue. Applications are to be submitted to the state education agency for review and approval. However, decisions about how the funding is used are to be made by local officials in the school districts. Another part of the CARES Act provides billions more in funding for airports. The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) offers $10 billion in distributions through grants for capital projects. This revenue can also be used to fill funding gaps in fiscal year 2020 budgets, since airport systems throughout the nation sustained such heavy losses as a result of the pandemic. Previously, the grants required a local funding match, but the CARES Act increased the federal share to 100 percent. The AIP program allocates $7.4 billion for commercial airports that serve more than 10,000 passengers annually. Another $2 billion is set aside for commercial airports and general aviation airports. Looking at the listed intended uses of these funds, it appears that many airports will have thousands of upcoming contracting opportunities. Millions will be spent on projects to extend and/or rehabilitate runways. Other airports plan to install new lighting, expand terminals, purchase additional safety equipment, reconfigure taxiways, conduct studies, and develop planning documents for future expansion. Cities and counties are most eager to participate in the $5 billion in funding available for local government programs and projects through the Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, program. This funding is intended for local governmental officials to use for corridor redevelopment, economic development initiatives and other projects. Every state received funding and some of the larger allocations were designated for Texas ($63.4 million), California ($113 million), Florida ($63 million), and New York ($70.5 million). The U.S. Economic Development Organization continues to accept applications for projects that reinvigorate regional economic recovery, with $1.5 billion earmarked in the CARES Act for the Economic Adjustment Assistance Program. Through grants for projects that “leverage existing regional assets,” this program is designed to support economic development within distressed communities. Funding is available to states, counties, universities, and regional planning organizations, as well as for public-private partnerships. Examples of funding allocated through the program include the award of a $400,000 in grant to the Kennebac Valley Council of Governments in Maine to update its economic development plans and provide COVID-19 services. In Texas, the Concho Valley Council of Governments in San Angelo received a $2.2 million grant to purchase a building for its regional headquarters. The city of Odessa is using $927,708 in CDBG grant money for several social services programs and to supplement local nonprofits’ efforts during the pandemic. And the city of Lewisville recently received $5.8 million in CARES Act money, which includes $452,305 in CDBG grants. The Federal Transit Administration is distributing $25 billion with approximately $22.7 billion earmarked for large and small urban areas and $2.2 billion set aside for rural areas. This funding does not require a local match of any kind, and it can be used for capital projects and for operations and/or planning purposes, as long as those activities relate in some way to COVID-19. Transit agencies in urban areas with a population over one million --- such as Cap Metro, which received $104 million --- are getting $17.5 billion through the FTA. Transit agencies serving areas with populations fewer than one million --- such as Brownsville, Texas, which is receiving $7.6 million --- are getting $5.1 billion. In the middle of the current, historic pandemic, the economy will significantly be stimulated by projects and initiatives that result from this funding. Public-private collaboration will not only create jobs and generate additional revenue flow, it will result in getting Americans working together again … and that will serve the country 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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NERC CIP Compliance in Azure vs. Azure Government cloud

Article | April 20, 2020

As discussed in my last blog post on North American Electric Reliability Corporation—Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP) Compliance in Azure, U.S. and Canadian utilities are now free to benefit from cloud computing in Azure for many NERC CIP workloads. Machine learning, multiple data replicas across fault domains, active failover, quick deployment and pay for use benefits are now available for these NERC CIP workloads.

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Spotlight

Atlanta City Studio

Atlanta City Studio is a pop-up design studio within the City of Atlanta's Department of Planning and Community Development. The space serves as an incubator, workspace and meeting place for residents, visitors, design professionals and curious urbanists to connect.

Related News

Government Business

Noblis Earns FedRAMP® Authorization for Its RunCyberAssurance® Solution and Hosting Platform

GlobeNewswire | September 21, 2023

Noblis, Inc., a leading provider of science, technology and strategy services to the federal government, today announced that its RunCyberAssurance software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution and its supporting platform-as-a-service have achieved the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program’s (FedRAMP®) Moderate Authority to Operate designation. “Earning FedRAMP authorization for both our solution and platform is a significant step,” said Mark Lay, Noblis’ Solution Delivery Organization lead. “This designation allows federal agencies to quickly and efficiently leverage the RunCyberAssurance solution to simplify and maintain secure cloud authorization across their enterprise. At the same time, our authorized platform provides a foundation to integrate future solutions for our customers’ evolving missions.” RunCyberAssurance combines automation, analytics and a streamlined, standardized compliance workflow to help agencies continuously manage their authorized services. Depending on unique mission needs, agencies can leverage RunCyberAssurance as a FedRAMP Authorized SaaS or deploy it within their managed boundaries. Key benefits of the solution include: Continuous Authority to Operateacross entire technology portfolio Automatic managementof cybersecurity compliance Advanced analyticsto expedite decision making and proactively mitigate risks Automates processesto save time and money FedRAMP provides a cost-effective, risk-based approach for the adoption and use of cloud services by the federal government. It empowers agencies to use modern cloud technologies, with an emphasis on security and protection of federal information. About Noblis For more than 25 years, Noblis has been an innovator within the federal government, committed to enriching lives and making our nation safer while investing in the missions of tomorrow. As a nonprofit, Noblis works for the public good, providing independent and objective science, technology and engineering solutions. Together with our subsidiaries, we work with a wide range of government clients in the defense, homeland security, intelligence, law enforcement and federal civil sectors.

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Emerging Technology

Telos Corporation Awarded Five-Year Contract with Defense Information Systems Agency

GlobeNewswire | August 29, 2023

Telos Corporation, a leading provider of cyber, cloud and enterprise security solutions for the world’s most security-conscious organizations, announced today a five-year contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) for the Telos Automated Message Handling System (AMHS) to support the distribution and processing of various reports and other critical information. A widely-used organizational messaging solution in the U.S. Department of Defense, Telos AMHS supports organizations around the world, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Combatant Commands, Military Services, Defense Agencies and the Intelligence Community. Telos AMHS immediately routes incoming messages to the right desktop and creates an archive of all arriving traffic for future reference. AMHS also provides intuitive tools for searching and retrieving messages from the archive while protecting against unauthorized access, and offers an easy way to create, coordinate, and release outgoing messages. “DISA is one of our longest-standing customers, and we’re pleased to continue to support their organizational communications,” said John B. Wood, CEO and chairman, Telos. “Timely and secure message delivery is key to successful military operations, and we’re honored to be chosen to support this mission.” About Telos Corporation Telos Corporationempowers and protects the world’s most security- conscious organizations with solutions for continuous security assurance of individuals, systems, and information. Telos’ offerings include cybersecurity solutions for IT risk management and information security; cloud security solutions to protect cloud-based assets and enable continuous compliance with industry and government security standards; and enterprise security solutions for identity and access management, secure mobility, organizational messaging, and network management and defense. The company serves commercial enterprises, regulated industries and government customers around the world.

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Government Business, Cybersecurity

CoSo Cloud Secure Virtual Training Platform Achieves StateRAMP Authorization

businesswire | August 17, 2023

CoSo Cloud LLC (CoSo), a Class Technologies company, and leading provider of secure, private-cloud managed services and custom applications for high-consequence eLearning and virtual training, today announced its platform has received StateRAMP authorization for leading eLearning and virtual classroom offerings from Adobe® and Class Technologies. This milestone achievement enables all U.S. state government agencies reliant on public tax dollars to make assured investments in and harness the utmost level of secure technology for government training and education. StateRAMP is a critical cloud security assessment and authorization program designed to address the specific technology and compliance requirements of state and local governments. With this authorization, state government agencies and publicly funded educational institutions are now equipped with the highest levels of security and compliance, aligning seamlessly with the stringent requirements to protect government and citizen data. CoSo Cloud's StateRAMP authorization builds upon CoSo’s FedRAMP security authorizations for Federal Government agencies, and represents a significant industry advancement in secure eLearning and virtual training solutions, further reinforcing the company's position as a preeminent and trusted partner for public sector organizations. "The CoSo Secure Private Cloud Platform has the most secure and compliant authorizations in the industry,” said David Nelson, Head of Cyber Security at CoSo Cloud. “With the StateRAMP authorization, customers who rely upon Class and Adobe for virtual training and eLearning are now able to deploy their training and education initiatives with the utmost confidence and security." CoSo Cloud's StateRAMP-compliant offerings come equipped with robust data encryption, secure access controls, continuous monitoring and regular audits to ensure ongoing adherence to the highest security standards. As a result, government agencies can leverage the innovative tools that CoSo manages to optimize their workforce training, professional development, and educational programs without compromising on security or compliance. About CoSo Cloud CoSo Cloud LLC, a Class Technologies Inc. company, provides secure private-cloud managed services, custom software applications, and expert professional services for high-consequence virtual training and eLearning. Global enterprises and government agency customers rely on CoSo to complete their Adobe Connect, Adobe Learning Manager and Class solutions when security, compliance, and reliability requirements demand more from virtual meetings and learning management systems. CoSo Cloud is an Adobe, Class Technologies, SAP, and Zoom partner.

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Government Business

Noblis Earns FedRAMP® Authorization for Its RunCyberAssurance® Solution and Hosting Platform

GlobeNewswire | September 21, 2023

Noblis, Inc., a leading provider of science, technology and strategy services to the federal government, today announced that its RunCyberAssurance software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution and its supporting platform-as-a-service have achieved the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program’s (FedRAMP®) Moderate Authority to Operate designation. “Earning FedRAMP authorization for both our solution and platform is a significant step,” said Mark Lay, Noblis’ Solution Delivery Organization lead. “This designation allows federal agencies to quickly and efficiently leverage the RunCyberAssurance solution to simplify and maintain secure cloud authorization across their enterprise. At the same time, our authorized platform provides a foundation to integrate future solutions for our customers’ evolving missions.” RunCyberAssurance combines automation, analytics and a streamlined, standardized compliance workflow to help agencies continuously manage their authorized services. Depending on unique mission needs, agencies can leverage RunCyberAssurance as a FedRAMP Authorized SaaS or deploy it within their managed boundaries. Key benefits of the solution include: Continuous Authority to Operateacross entire technology portfolio Automatic managementof cybersecurity compliance Advanced analyticsto expedite decision making and proactively mitigate risks Automates processesto save time and money FedRAMP provides a cost-effective, risk-based approach for the adoption and use of cloud services by the federal government. It empowers agencies to use modern cloud technologies, with an emphasis on security and protection of federal information. About Noblis For more than 25 years, Noblis has been an innovator within the federal government, committed to enriching lives and making our nation safer while investing in the missions of tomorrow. As a nonprofit, Noblis works for the public good, providing independent and objective science, technology and engineering solutions. Together with our subsidiaries, we work with a wide range of government clients in the defense, homeland security, intelligence, law enforcement and federal civil sectors.

Read More

Emerging Technology

Telos Corporation Awarded Five-Year Contract with Defense Information Systems Agency

GlobeNewswire | August 29, 2023

Telos Corporation, a leading provider of cyber, cloud and enterprise security solutions for the world’s most security-conscious organizations, announced today a five-year contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) for the Telos Automated Message Handling System (AMHS) to support the distribution and processing of various reports and other critical information. A widely-used organizational messaging solution in the U.S. Department of Defense, Telos AMHS supports organizations around the world, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Combatant Commands, Military Services, Defense Agencies and the Intelligence Community. Telos AMHS immediately routes incoming messages to the right desktop and creates an archive of all arriving traffic for future reference. AMHS also provides intuitive tools for searching and retrieving messages from the archive while protecting against unauthorized access, and offers an easy way to create, coordinate, and release outgoing messages. “DISA is one of our longest-standing customers, and we’re pleased to continue to support their organizational communications,” said John B. Wood, CEO and chairman, Telos. “Timely and secure message delivery is key to successful military operations, and we’re honored to be chosen to support this mission.” About Telos Corporation Telos Corporationempowers and protects the world’s most security- conscious organizations with solutions for continuous security assurance of individuals, systems, and information. Telos’ offerings include cybersecurity solutions for IT risk management and information security; cloud security solutions to protect cloud-based assets and enable continuous compliance with industry and government security standards; and enterprise security solutions for identity and access management, secure mobility, organizational messaging, and network management and defense. The company serves commercial enterprises, regulated industries and government customers around the world.

Read More

Government Business, Cybersecurity

CoSo Cloud Secure Virtual Training Platform Achieves StateRAMP Authorization

businesswire | August 17, 2023

CoSo Cloud LLC (CoSo), a Class Technologies company, and leading provider of secure, private-cloud managed services and custom applications for high-consequence eLearning and virtual training, today announced its platform has received StateRAMP authorization for leading eLearning and virtual classroom offerings from Adobe® and Class Technologies. This milestone achievement enables all U.S. state government agencies reliant on public tax dollars to make assured investments in and harness the utmost level of secure technology for government training and education. StateRAMP is a critical cloud security assessment and authorization program designed to address the specific technology and compliance requirements of state and local governments. With this authorization, state government agencies and publicly funded educational institutions are now equipped with the highest levels of security and compliance, aligning seamlessly with the stringent requirements to protect government and citizen data. CoSo Cloud's StateRAMP authorization builds upon CoSo’s FedRAMP security authorizations for Federal Government agencies, and represents a significant industry advancement in secure eLearning and virtual training solutions, further reinforcing the company's position as a preeminent and trusted partner for public sector organizations. "The CoSo Secure Private Cloud Platform has the most secure and compliant authorizations in the industry,” said David Nelson, Head of Cyber Security at CoSo Cloud. “With the StateRAMP authorization, customers who rely upon Class and Adobe for virtual training and eLearning are now able to deploy their training and education initiatives with the utmost confidence and security." CoSo Cloud's StateRAMP-compliant offerings come equipped with robust data encryption, secure access controls, continuous monitoring and regular audits to ensure ongoing adherence to the highest security standards. As a result, government agencies can leverage the innovative tools that CoSo manages to optimize their workforce training, professional development, and educational programs without compromising on security or compliance. About CoSo Cloud CoSo Cloud LLC, a Class Technologies Inc. company, provides secure private-cloud managed services, custom software applications, and expert professional services for high-consequence virtual training and eLearning. Global enterprises and government agency customers rely on CoSo to complete their Adobe Connect, Adobe Learning Manager and Class solutions when security, compliance, and reliability requirements demand more from virtual meetings and learning management systems. CoSo Cloud is an Adobe, Class Technologies, SAP, and Zoom partner.

Read More

Events