Emerging Technology, Infrastructure
PR Newswire | July 13, 2023
Carbon management and accounting platform nZero will be tracking real-time 24/7 carbon-free electricity under the U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) Green Proving Ground (GPG) program as part of the Federal Government's quest to decarbonize federal buildings. The government agency recently announced that, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, it will invest $30 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to increase the sustainability of federal buildings by testing novel technologies through the GPG program. This marks the first year GSA is integrating carbon tracking software. nZero will be supporting the Biden-Harris Administration's larger initiative to advance clean energy tech offerings and establish net-zero federal buildings.
"GSA serves as a standard for federal building development across the country, and our carbon management and emissions tracking will complement the agency's ongoing work toward achieving net-zero federal buildings," said Josh Griffin, Chief Policy Officer and Co-Founder at nZero. "The opportunity to work with GSA and the GPG program as one of the first carbon accounting software to be evaluated under this program is an honor. We look forward to working toward a common goal of decarbonizing the built world through more transparent and accurate greenhouse gas accounting."
The GPG program works to advance GSA's goals of achieving net-zero emissions in federal buildings and creating clean energy jobs by evaluating American-made, emerging and sustainable technologies to help increase the deployment of federal electric vehicle supply equipment, protect air quality, reduce climate pollution, and enhance building performance. The GPG program leverages GSA's real estate portfolio to assess innovative building technologies in real-world settings.
"nZero is playing an important role in the Green Proving Ground program, as the Federal Government drives further innovation and clean energy initiatives across the country," said Robin Carnahan, Administrator of GSA. "In furtherance of the Federal Government's mandate to track these emissions, nZero's participation in the program will help GSA evaluate accurate and efficient carbon accounting as we push toward our ongoing goal of net-zero federal buildings."
With the additional funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, GSA is able to increase its evaluation and investment in technologies that will benefit its real estate portfolio. nZero's role as a selected technology pertains to greenhouse gas accounting, one of the GPG program's seven technology areas of focus. The seven areas include: Greenhouse Gas Accounting, Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, Germicidal Ultraviolet, Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings, High-Performance, Onsite Renewables, and Window Retrofit.
About nZero
nZero is a real-time carbon accounting and management platform that collects, analyzes and produces emissions and insights data to help NGOs, government agencies and organizations accelerate their journey to net zero. nZero utilizes a proprietary carbon data model to capture and automate all emission points from an organizations' operational footprint at the highest granularity possible and provides 24/7 analysis of scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Unlike other offerings that rely on third-party data and opaque averages, nZero's accurate, first-party, contextual data helps clients understand changes hour-by-hour, access metrics to reach climate goals and reduce operational and capital costs. nZero's data is audit-ready and compliant with all reporting criteria, mitigating risk and ensuring that organizations are prepared for new rules, regulations, and financial reporting demands. nZero recognition includes the 2022 "Leader in Sustainability" Award from the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN), the 2022 Sustainability Product of the Year Award from Business Intelligence Group, a TIME Magazine Best Inventions of 2022 recipient, as well as an honorable mention on Fast Company's 2022 World Changing Ideas List.
About GSA
GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the Federal Government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA's mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people.
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Cybersecurity
Globenewswire | August 11, 2023
Virtru, the global leader in data-centric security and privacy, today announced that the Virtru Data Security Platform received Authorization to Operate (ATO) at the Moderate level under theFederal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP®). This authorization was sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
TheVirtru Data Security Platformunderpins a holistic suite of data protection products that empower public- and private-sector organizations to scale data-centric security across sensitive data workflows. The Virtru platform first achieved FedRAMP ATO at the Moderate level in 2019, and since that time, Virtru has continued to expand the platform to provide the federal government and its contractors with secure encryption, access controls, and key management capabilities. This includes the addition ofVirtru Secure Share, an encrypted file-sharing solution that equips organizations to securely send and receive sensitive data while retaining complete, continuous control over that shared data, with data owners having the ability to revoke access at any time.
“Federal organizations are realizing the urgent need for data-centric security, embracing strategies that enhance rather than impede the mission by prioritizing control and secure access to data at a granular level first, while also protecting the systems and networks that store and transmit it,” said Will Ackerly, co-founder and CTO, Virtru. “This includes the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which recently announced its intent toimplement a data-centric frameworkto address rapidly emerging cybersecurity challenges, highlighting the value and urgency of data-centric security to enable mission success.”
Ackerly added, “Virtru’s Data Security Platform gives federal organizations the critical foundations needed to execute against advanced data-centric cybersecurity strategies. The ATO was sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which utilized our Data Security Platform to control and govern sensitive data both in motion and at rest. Virtru’s FedRAMP Moderate ATO could not have come at a more critical time for our nation, and we look forward to our continued technology deployments for our federal customers.”
Virtru’s FedRAMP Moderate authorization expedites procurement and solution authorization for Virtru’s federal customers. Additionally, the authorization validates the strength and trustworthiness of Virtru’s commercial solutions, which are built on the same robust and secure platforms that safeguard sensitive data flowing through email, file-sharing platforms, and SaaS apps.
Virtru applications arealso compliant with FIPS 140-2, an encryption security requirement for cryptographic modules used by federal government agencies and contractors. These organizations can additionally leverage the FedRAMP-authorized Virtru Data Security Platform and suite of applications to improve security and meet compliance requirements, such as those outlined by the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS), and more.
About Virtru
At Virtru, we empower organizations to easily unlock the power of data while maintaining control everywhere it’s stored and shared. More than 8,000 global customers trust Virtru to power their data-centric, Zero Trust strategies and safeguard their most sensitive data in accordance with the world’s strictest security standards. Creators of TDF (Trusted Data Format), the open industry standard for persistent data protection, Virtru provides encryption technology for data shared through email, collaboration tools, cloud environments, and enterprise SaaS applications.
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Infrastructure, Cybersecurity
PR Newswire | August 01, 2023
Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE: PLTR) today announced that it was selected by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to support coordination between federal and commercial licensees of the 3450 - 3550 MHz spectrum band. Palantir will provide its software platform to enable end-to-end automation that will enhance coordination between the Department of Defense and commercial spectrum licensees for shared use of the 3450-3550 MHz band within cooperative planning area (CPA) and periodic use area (PUA) coordination zone boundaries.
As part of an ongoing interagency effort to facilitate the shared usage of critically important mid-band spectrum, Palantir's software will enable DISA's Defense Spectrum Organization (DSO) to support formal and informal coordination processes between the Department of Defense and commercial licensees. Existing and future government activities in the spectrum band are vital to protect national security and ensure military readiness.
Palantir software will be used to integrate multiple existing functions and capabilities into a single infrastructure that will result in more efficient workflows, reducing the timelines for licensee coordination with DoD to establish sharing agreements and enable deployment of 5G wireless services within CPA/PUA boundaries. Palantir software will also be used to demonstrate the ability to support more advanced spectrum sharing use cases.
"We are proud to partner with DISA DSO to support the complex task of sharing limited spectrum resources between federal and commercial users," said Akash Jain, President, Palantir USG. "We are excited to rapidly deploy software that will accelerate and automate coordination workflows and enable the increasingly dynamic and efficient use of spectrum."
"As military and commercial use of radio-frequency spectrum continues to grow, spectrum coordination will be increasingly necessary to preserve the effectiveness of critical national security capabilities while enabling U.S. commercial leadership in 5G and other critical technology areas. Palantir looks forward to working alongside the Department of Defense to deploy innovative software solutions that support advanced spectrum sharing workflows and processes," said Miriam Marwick, SVP, Emerging Technologies, Palantir USG.
About Palantir Technologies Inc.
At Palantir, we're helping the world's most important institutions use their data to solve their most urgent problems. Our software lets our customers integrate and analyze all of their data so they can answer questions that they couldn't before. From delivering disaster relief to building safer automobiles, we're honored to help make our partners better at their most important work.
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