U.S. to Ban TikTok App on Government Issued Devices for Security Concerns

TikTok | July 23, 2020

U.S. federal employees would be barred from using Chinese-owned mobile video app TikTok on government-issued devices under a bill that passed a U.S. Senate Committee on Wednesday, as lawmakers feared the security of users’ personal data. The “No TikTok on Government Devices Act” from Senator Josh Hawley was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and will be taken up by the U.S. Senate for a vote.

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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

Actsoft, Inc. Receives StateRAMP Authorization

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offers an all-inclusive workforce management platform designed to help agencies achieve their missions by streamlining outdated operational processes, improving office-to-field communication, and enhancing employee productivity.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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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY, INFRASTRUCTURE

Nyriad and Carahsoft Partner to Enable Government Agencies and Academic Institutions to Optimize, Modernize, and Accelerate Digital Transformation

Businesswire | May 10, 2023

Nyriad®, provider of cutting edge GPU storage technology, and Carahsoft Technology Corp., The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®, today announced a partnership. Under the agreement, Carahsoft will serve as Nyriad’s Master Government Aggregator®, making the company’s UltraIO™ storage system available to the Public Sector through Carahsoft’s reseller partners, NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) V, Information Technology Enterprise Solutions – Software 2 (ITES-SW2), National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA), and OMNIA Partners contracts. In 2022, the global Government IT spending amounted to over 551 billion U.S. dollars, which is an increase of nine percent compared to 2021, and it is expected to increase even more in 2023 to 589 billion U.S. dollars worldwide. The increase in IT spending is driven by a variety of factors, including the need to modernize outdated systems, improve cybersecurity, and enhance digital services and capabilities for internal and external users. As IT spending in the government sector continues to grow, there is a critical need for modern and efficient storage solutions that can meet the demands of data-intensive applications, protect against cyber threats, and facilitate the digital transformation of government services. The Nyriad UltraIO storage system delivers the ideal solution to address these needs and enable government agencies to improve their operations and services. The Nyriad UltraIO storage system will enable improved capabilities across several use cases, such as: High-performance computing (HPC) - Government agencies and academic institutions rely on high-performance computing to perform complex simulations, modeling, and analysis. The UltraIO storage system enables performant, cost efficient storage access, and ingest for large capacity points of HPC results inside of a single array. Additionally, with block-level erasure codes, the storage system provides a high degree of system resiliency, ensuring data integrity and protection against potential data loss. Backup and recovery - Government agencies and academic institutions must be prepared for unexpected events, such as natural disasters or cyberattacks, that can result in data loss. The UltraIO storage system’s combined GPU + CPU architecture enables parallel read and write capabilities to perform backup and restore operations with exceptional performance. Active archive - Government agencies and academic institutions archive their data to preserve records for historical, legal, and regulatory purposes. This data may include records of legislative proceedings, court cases, financial transactions, and other important documents. As data sets grow, the value of the analytical insights the data provides has grown as well. We access the data, looking for trends and insights that can be advantageous for good decision making. Enhanced data access beyond normal archival capabilities is needed for this. With its high throughput, fast retrieval, and high data protection capabilities, the UltraIO storage solution is the next architectural step for implementing an active archive. This is cost efficient storage that allows performant access to warm tier archive data. Video and imaging - Government agencies and academic institutions produce and store large amounts of media content, such as videos, images, and audio files. Because these agencies use video surveillance systems as a security measure to monitor public areas, protect critical infrastructure, and ensure public safety, a storage system with fast data ingest and playback capabilities or analytics processing is an essential enabler of quick incident response. In fact, the Nyriad UltraIO storage system can ingest video streams from as many as 90,000 cameras simultaneously, while providing highly resilient large-scale storage capacity. The UltraIO storage system’s modern, GPU-accelerated storage also facilitates video production tasks such as 8K resolution or higher video editing without the need to transcode, create proxies, or copy files across the network – enabling agencies to work more efficiently, saving time and money. “Partnering with Nyriad supports our mission to simplify the technology procurement process and position our channel partners for success with the most innovative and disruptive technologies,” said Michael Adams, Director of Carahsoft's AI/ML Solutions Portfolio. “We look forward to delivering Nyriad’s UltraIO data storage system to joint customers through our reseller partners to accelerate and transform agencies’ IT, leading to faster and more powerful business outcomes.” "The strategic partnership with Carahsoft is a key milestone for Nyriad's channel strategy, allowing us to extend our reach and deliver the exceptional performance, resilience, and efficiency benefits of our UltraIO solution to a wider range of government agencies and academic institutions," said Andrew Russell, CRO, Nyriad. "This partnership not only expands our market presence but also underscores our commitment to providing reliable and innovative storage solutions that can help accelerate digital transformation for our customers." 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. Visit us at www.carahsoft.com. About Nyriad Nyriad® has unleashed the power and speed of GPUs combined with CPUs to revolutionize how data is stored, accessed and managed. Nyriad’s UltraIO™ software-defined data storage system enables massive amounts of data to be safely and intelligently managed by a single storage platform with a low TCO, while delivering exceptional performance, resiliency and efficiency. With Nyriad, organizations can enhance agility, accelerate innovation and gain the competitive advantage necessary to drive business growth and success. To learn more, please visit: https://www.nyriad.io/.

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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

Inmarsat Government's GX LITE wins Government Mobile Innovation Award by MSUA

Inmarsat Government | March 16, 2023

On March 15, 2023, Inmarsat Government, one of the most advanced global mobile satellite communication service providers, announced that its GX LITE land user terminal has won the 2023 Satellite Mobile Innovation Award from the Mobile Satellite User Association (MSUA). The terminal won the Government Mobile Innovation category, marking the seventh time in the past eight years that Inmarsat has been awarded this annual award. The new GX LITE terminal offers reliable and safe broadband connectivity for tactical military and non-military users globally. The terminal is provided through Inmarsat's Global Xpress (GX) Ka-band network. Built for land users with 'grab and go' applications, the terminal's global access, portability, and secure operations come at an affordable price. GX LITE was developed with Get SAT, Inmarsat Government's value-added manufacturing partner. Get SAT innovates lightweight satellite communication for airborne, ground and maritime applications. The terminal is simple to install and operate, requiring no user configuration to establish a network connection anywhere. In addition, it has a front-panel interface and a Wi-Fi capability that the user can enable or disable. GX LITE utilizes efficient, flat-panel antenna technologies and supports Committed Information Rate (CIR) and unique Maximum Information Rate (MIR) users globally. It is lightweight (21.4 lbs.), thin (16.6" W, 11.5" L and 3.3" D) and effortlessly transportable with a carrying case that fits in the overhead compartment of a commercial aircraft. In addition, the terminal has low power consumption and can operate for up to three hours on batteries alone. About Inmarsat Government Inmarsat Government is one of the leading mission-critical telecommunications service provider, offers reliable, secure and affordable connectivity to the U.S. intelligence, defense, public safety, homeland security, and civilian agencies. The company was established in 1979 and is implementing solutions considering government users' needs. It offers flexible capabilities to complement government satellite resources anywhere, anytime. Utilizing an industry-leading scalable multiband network infrastructure, Inmarsat Government provides managed network services and end-to-end communication solutions to help users on land, at sea and in the air, even in the world's most remote regions.

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