EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
Globenewswire | May 09, 2023
NowVertical Group Inc., the Vertical Intelligence (“VI”) company is pleased to announce that its Government contracting subsidiary, Allegient Defense, has been awarded a 5-year $5.9M contract to support the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (“AFOSR”), a directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory and the basic research arm of the Department of the Air Force.
The AFOSR is responsible for identifying and funding cutting-edge research initiatives that have the potential to enhance the capabilities of the United States Air Force. Through this new contract, Allegient Defense will be working closely with the AFOSR to provide the necessary resources and expertise to help achieve these goals.
"We are honored to have been chosen to support the AFOSR in its mission to advance scientific research," said Dr. Angel Diaz, CEO of Allegient Defense. "Our team is dedicated to providing the highest quality support services to the AFOSR, and we look forward to collaborating with them to achieve their objectives."
Allegient Defense has a proven track record of delivering exceptional S&T, Data Science, and Engineering support services to government agencies, and this new contract award is a testament to the company's expertise and commitment to excellence. By working with the AFOSR, Allegient Defense will help to advance the development of new technologies and solutions that will benefit the United States and its military forces.
About NowVertical Group Inc.
NowVertical Group is a Vertical Intelligence (VI) software and services provider that delivers vertically-specific data, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) applications into private and public verticals globally. NOW's proprietary solutions sit at the foundation of the modern enterprise by transforming AI investments into VI, enabling its customers to minimize their risk, accelerate the time to value, and reduce costs. NOW is rapidly growing organically and through targeted acquisitions. For more information about NOW, visit www.nowvertical.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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CYBERSECURITY
Businesswire | May 30, 2023
Tidelift, a provider of solutions for improving the security and resilience of the open source software powering modern applications, today announced that it has been awarded three U.S. government contracts worth over $3.5 million, and is expanding its public sector organization in response to increased demand for innovative solutions that help the U.S. government improve its cybersecurity supply chain risk management (C-SCRM) capabilities.
High-profile software supply chain vulnerabilities including Log4Shell and SolarWinds have dramatically increased attention on the need for improved software security, both in the public sector and beyond. In the U.S., this effort began in May, 2021 with White House Executive Order 14028: Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity, and since then a variety of policy and legislative initiatives around cybersecurity have gained traction.
In September, 2022, the U.S. government’s Office of Management and Budget released memorandum M-22-18 on Enhancing the Security of the Software Supply Chain through Secure Software Development Practices. M-22-18 formalizes the guidance provided in the NIST Secure Software Development Framework and NIST Software Supply Chain Security Guidance documents as the government requirements for developing secure software, and mandates federal government agencies comply with these guidelines.
This memorandum sets aggressive deadlines for compliance with specific dates for both government agencies and organizations selling software to the government to comply with NIST guidelines. Among other stipulations, it requires that any organization selling software to the government must self-attest that their software is compliant with the NIST SSDF by June 2023 for critical software or by September 2023 for all other software.
More recently, the National Cybersecurity Strategy sets a new precedent for software security liability, with the government intending to hold software producers liable for damages caused by preventable security vulnerabilities and offer liability protections to organizations that can show they follow secure software development practices.
Tidelift awarded three U.S. government contracts worth over $3.5 million
In addition to efforts like those mentioned above, the U.S. government is increasingly investing directly in improving open source software security. Tidelift was recently awarded three separate innovation research awards as part of the U.S. government SBIR program. The SBIR program is designed to help U.S.-based businesses invest in their technical potential, while stimulating technology innovation and meeting specific research and development needs.
Through these SBIR Phase II awards, Tidelift is working with the Department of the Air Force and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to help spur innovation in the systems and processes the U.S. government uses to improve open source software security and cybersecurity supply chain risk management. This investment will help Tidelift expand its industry-leading open source software management solution, including increasing its ability to partner with even more open source maintainers to validate their components meet important security, maintenance, and licensing standards required by government and industry users, and pay these maintainers for this critical work.
It will also help the U.S. government better address the requirements and deadlines emerging from Executive Order 14028, memorandum M-22-18, and the NIST Secure Software Development Framework, especially when it comes to the open source components in use in government applications. Tidelift is also helping address new requirements around software bills of materials (SBOMs) that U.S. government agencies are beginning to understand, interpret, plan for, and deploy. Along with Tidelift producing an SBOM from every application build, the company is actively working upstream with open source maintainers to validate and improve security, maintenance, and licensing metadata for their projects and capture this data using the TACOS (Trusted Attestation and Compliance for Open Source) attestation framework.
"The United States Air Force, and the Government as a whole, are among the largest consumers of open source software. With the increasing requirements around Software Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) and Software Bills of Materials (SBOM) initiatives, we are excited to partner with Tidelift to enhance cybersecurity resilience outcomes for open source software dependencies that support our most critical work," said Robert "Devo" DeVincent, Chief Software Officer, Air Force 309th Software Engineering Group.
Tidelift expands public sector organization to meet growing demand
Tidelift has named Matthew Arnow, a long-time veteran of Tidelift, to lead the newly expanded public sector team. Matthew heads up the team with extensive experience working with government and public sector clients.
“Tidelift looks forward to working more closely with our government and public sector customers and prospects to improve the resilience of our mission-critical open source infrastructure,” said Matthew Arnow, head of public sector for Tidelift. “Our unique approach of working directly with the maintainers behind thousands of important open source projects will help public sector customers comply with U.S. government security directives and meet necessary government and industry standards.”
Tidelift partners with Carahsoft to support public sector expansion
Tidelift has also partnered with Carahsoft, the leading government reseller partner, to help more quickly and effectively address the number of large public sector opportunities.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen increased demand from our customers for solutions that help improve open source software security and supply chain resilience,” said Natalie Gregory, vice president, Carahsoft. “We look forward to working with Tidelift and our reseller partners to deliver open source software supply chain risk management solutions to our government customers.”
About Tidelift
Tidelift, a 2022 Gartner Cool Vendor, helps organizations effectively manage the open source behind modern applications. Through the Tidelift Subscription, the company delivers the tools, data, and strategies powering an inclusive and organization-wide approach to improving the health and security of the open source software supply chain. Tidelift enables organizations to move fast and stay safe when building applications with open source, so they can create more incredible software, even faster. https://tidelift.com/
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
Businesswire | April 27, 2023
Actsoft, Inc., a leader in workforce management solutions, is proud to announce that its software platform has completed each stage of the StateRAMP process and obtained StateRAMP authorization. StateRAMP is a state-distinctive version of the federal government's FedRAMP program, which establishes standardized security criteria for cloud-based services used by government agencies.
Actsoft offers an all-inclusive workforce management platform designed to help agencies achieve their missions by streamlining outdated operational processes, improving office-to-field communication, and enhancing employee productivity. The platform includes multiple digital tools within a single solution that make it easier for administrators and managers to coordinate their field employees. With StateRAMP authorization, government agencies and leaders can now trust that Actsoft’s applications meet the highest caliber of security and compliance, keeping their sensitive and valuable data even more secure.
"We are elated to receive StateRAMP authorization, as it demonstrates our commitment to providing the public sector with the most secure and effective workforce management solution available," said Actsoft, Inc. CEO Tom Mitchell. "Using the power of our platform, government agencies can digitize their operations, boost productivity, and reduce costs, all while meeting the strictest cybersecurity standards.”
StateRAMP authorization is a rigorous process that involves substantial testing and assessments to verify that a cloud-based service meets the strict security criteria mandated by state and local regulations. By achieving this status, Actsoft has fulfilled its vision of delivering elite workforce management technology that exceeds the needs of government agencies.
The Actsoft software application offers a wide range of features, including digital forms, mobile timekeeping, job dispatching/scheduling, intra-organizational communications, GPS tracking for employees, vehicles, and assets, and more. With StateRAMP authorization, government agencies can now leverage these advanced capabilities to exchange critical data insights in real-time, enhance cost-efficiency, and securely complete mission-critical initiatives.
According to the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, the Government spends $38.7 Billion per year on Paper Based processes. Actsoft’s Wireless Forms can automate and digitize such processes and save taxpayers money.
About Actsoft, Inc.
Founded in 1996, Actsoft, Inc. is a leading provider of workforce management solutions and headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Actsoft, Inc.’s technology helps companies manage their field- and office-based workforce by automating manual processes, digitizing workflows, and optimizing communications. Their workforce management platform includes key features such as job dispatching, mobile timekeeping, digital forms, GPS tracking and geo-fencing of employees, vehicles, and assets. Actsoft, Inc. works with over 8,000 customers and over 138,000 users who rely on the company daily to help them run more productive and profitable operations. The company is also proud to be the exclusive provider of a white-labeled workforce management app for carriers around the globe. Actsoft, Inc. is the recipient of multiple Frost & Sullivan awards and was voted one of Tampa Bay's Best Places to Work.
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