CYBERSECURITY
MeriTalk | May 06, 2022
Ninety-one percent of Federal cybersecurity decision-makers say the 2021 Executive Order (EO) on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity has made U.S. data and critical infrastructure safer, but just 28 percent say significantly safer, according to Impact Assessment: Cyber EO Year One, a new study from MeriTalk, a public-private partnership focused on improving the outcomes of government information technology (IT).
The report explores perspectives on progress against Cyber EO goals, identifies what successful agencies do differently, and finds the fault lines where agency cyber leaders say they need more help to succeed. Most Federal cyber decision-makers (78 percent) agree the steps outlined in the Cyber EO are necessary to protect our nation. Implementing software supply chain security and migrating to a zero-trust architecture are the two most important factors for national cybersecurity, the research highlights.
And, while just 15 percent have seen tangible improvements because of EO efforts to date, a significant portion expects to see an impact within the next year.
Federal cyber leaders confirm initial progress in areas including vulnerability detection, software supply chain security, vulnerability response, and investigative and remediation capabilities. Just over half confirm IT management and staff are placing increased priority on cybersecurity, and just over half are collecting more cyber data than in the past. But, across the board, progress against EO goals is still in the early stages. Fewer than half rate their agencies’ progress against key EO goals as “excellent.” For example, 36 percent rate progress toward creating a formal strategy as excellent; 34 percent rate progress toward investing in endpoint detection and response (EDR) as excellent; and, 33 percent rate progress migrating to secure cloud solutions, as excellent.
When asked about the importance of zero trust, 82 percent agree that allocating staff and budget resources to zero trust is vital to national security and almost all, 96 percent, agree the Federal zero trust strategy is somewhat or very helpful. Despite the high priority, just 30 percent of Federal cyber decision-makers rate their zero trust progress as “excellent” and many, 67 percent, say the EO’s three-year window for implementing a zero trust architecture is not realistic.
Zero Trust is the gold standard for cybersecurity, so we're encouraged to see the EO is prioritizing that approach. In addition, cloud-native endpoint detection and response capabilities can significantly strengthen the cybersecurity posture for the federal government, especially when integrated with other security capabilities including identity security, threat intelligence, and managed threat hunting. These concepts have become cybersecurity best practices for the private sector’s most technologically advanced businesses, and we encourage the public sector to continue to embrace these technologies and strategies.”
Drew Bagley, vice president and counsel for Privacy and Cyber Policy, CrowdStrike
“Getting to zero trust is not easy. The detail provided in the multi-step guidance from OMB provides a path, but there is no single box you can buy to meet the varied needs of the five zero trust pillars,” says Stephen Kovac, Chief Compliance Officer and Head of Global Government Affairs, Zscaler. “You need multiple solutions from varying vendors that work together with seamless integration to achieve true zero trust – it is a team sport. OMB has done a good job in helping to define those rules, with rule one being to keep users off the network. If they can’t reach you, they can’t breach you.”
Funding is another roadblock. Just 14 percent report they have all funding needed to meet Cyber EO requirements. One-third say they have half, or less than half, of the funding needed.
“The sea change is the focus on comprehensive cyber resiliency,” says Nicole Burdette, principal, MeriTalk. “The EO provided direction, and Federal cyber leaders are now doing the hard work. But progress requires sustained funding and resource commitment. The research shows the gaps.”
“The U.S. federal government is taking important steps to improve the nation’s cybersecurity posture,” said Dave Levy, Vice President of U.S. Government, Nonprofit, and Healthcare at Amazon Web Services (AWS). “In the Cyber EO, the White House directs federal agencies to adopt security best practices, implement zero trust architectures, and accelerate migration to secure cloud services. Organizations of all sizes should consider similar principles and practices to enhance their cybersecurity and protect employees and sensitive data against cyberattack.”
What are the leaders doing differently? Cyber EO champions (leaders who give their agency’s EO progress an A) are predictably more likely than their peers to say they have all the funding they need. They are also more likely to have their chief information officer (CIO) leading their zero-trust implementation (67 percent to 28 percent).
When asked for perspectives on what’s needed to achieve cyber progress, the research identified the Federal wish list:
Workforce training and expertise
Stronger executive buy-in
Detailed direction from agency IT leadership
Centers of Excellence (COEs) in the government to lend expertise
Three-fourths of Federal cyber decision-makers also say the EO should have been more authoritative with private-sector directives.
The Impact Assessment: Cyber EO Year One report is based on an online survey of more than 150 Federal cybersecurity decision-makers familiar with their agencies’ cybersecurity initiatives, including zero trust strategies, in March 2022 and is underwritten by Amazon Web Services (AWS), CrowdStrike, and Zscaler. The report has a margin of error of ±7.7 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.
About MeriTalk
The voice of tomorrow’s government today, MeriTalk is a public-private partnership focused on improving the outcomes of government IT. Our award-winning editorial team and world-class events and research staff produces unmatched news, analysis, and insight. The goal: a more efficient, responsive, and citizen-centric government. MeriTalk connects with an audience of 160,000 Federal community contacts.
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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
GovOS | January 14, 2022
GovOS, a leading provider of digital transformation solutions for local governments, announced today it has acquired Seliom's advanced business process automation and workflow platform in an asset purchase transaction. Seliom technology will be integrated into the suite of GovOS solutions so that local governments can use the highly customizable workflow processing functionality to enhance their digital capabilities and make life easier for employees and citizens.
Seliom technology adds to the growing GovOS digital transformation platform with its elegant and detailed workflow automation capabilities. By replacing human-based workflows and rote decision-making, the product will effectively free government staff from routine, time-consuming tasks in lieu of tackling the more complex processes and decisions that require a human touch.
"The ever-evolving landscape of local government requires the public sector to be more effective and more efficient in providing services to constituents," said Kevin Lafeber, President, GovOS. "As such, we continually evaluate opportunities that make GovOS solutions more useful for our customers. Seliom's next-gen workflow platform was an obvious product fit that will immediately benefit agencies using GovOS technology to accelerate digital transformation and effect real change in their communities."
This new workflow functionality provides GovOS solutions with integrations to most popular ERP, CRM and HR systems, making it possible to maintain data continuity without replacing entire systems. The technology also enables validation of data/actions against a third-party data source, a next level solution integration requiring much less reliance on monolithic solutions.
"We liked that Seliom was specifically engineered to streamline standardized and dispersed operations that consume time better spent elsewhere," said Chachi Camejo, Senior Vice President of Product, GovOS. "With these capabilities fully integrated, government staff can further automate processes to get more done with the same resources."
GovOS workflow technology will become an integral part of the GovOS digital transformation platform, including Business Licensing, Online Civic Services, STR (Short-Term Rentals), Tax Filing, Records, Remote Applications, and much more.
About GovOS
GovOS is the leading digital transformation platform for local governments. Headquartered in Austin, TX, GovOS serves government agencies of all sizes across the United States. Through its secure and integrated suite of cloud-based solutions, governments can automate and streamline operations, provide seamless access to resources and information, and deliver cutting-edge digital services to businesses, residents and agencies.
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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
Cadence | February 15, 2022
Cadence Design Systems, Inc. today announced participation in Qorvo’s State-of-the-Art Heterogeneous Integrated Packaging (SHIP-RF) Design Center. The SHIP-RF program is a Department of Defense (DoD)-sponsored initiative aimed at advancing leading-edge microelectronics design and manufacturing capabilities in the United States. As part of the program, Cadence is providing services, tools and Assembly Design Kits (ADKs) to enable Qorvo and their customers to achieve first-pass design and manufacturing success for next-generation RF and mixed-signal systems that are delivered as both packages and modules.
As part of Qorvo’s Design Center team, Cadence will develop methodologies and flows to implement seamless design and simulation capabilities for 2.5D and 3D heterogeneous integration. These include advanced technologies that have been internally developed in alignment with the Cadence® Intelligent System Design™ strategy, including Allegro® Pulse™, Clarity™ 3D Solver, Celsius™ Thermal Solver, and Allegro X Design Platform. Incorporating Cadence ADK solutions with Qorvo’s foundry PDKs and their SHIP-RF Assembly and Test Center (ATC) manufacturing rules enables complete modeling and product simulation for mission-critical aerospace and defense applications.
“Cadence is the only EDA company accredited by the DoD as a Trusted Supplier. We will provide Qorvo and our customers with capabilities to rapidly and accurately design sophisticated packages and modules that will be fabricated and tested in the Qorvo manufacturing facility, resulting in reduced development time, iterations and cost,” said Tom Beckley, senior vice president and general manager, Custom IC & PCB Group, Cadence. “With our continued focus on developing the most advanced computational software solutions, Cadence is well-positioned to deliver an optimized flow for RF and mixed-signal systems to be designed, verified and assembled in the most advanced packages and modules.”
“Cadence’s participation in the SHIP-RF program benefits Qorvo and our customers as they will be able to access Cadence flows when utilizing Qorvo’s advanced, industry-leading heterogenous RF packaging, assembly and testing solutions. Cadence’s offerings can increase design productivity to meet the size, weight, power and cost (SWAP-C) requirements for next-generation phased array radar systems, unmanned vehicles, electronic warfare platforms and satellite communications.”
Roger Hall, general manager of Qorvo’s High Power Solutions (HPS) business
The Cadence Aerospace and Defense solutions support the company’s broader Intelligent System Design strategy, enabling system innovation.
About Cadence
Cadence is a pivotal leader in electronic systems design, building upon more than 30 years of computational software expertise. The company applies its underlying Intelligent System Design strategy to deliver software, hardware and IP that turn design concepts into reality. Cadence customers are the world’s most innovative companies, delivering extraordinary products from chips to boards to complete systems for the most dynamic market applications, including hyperscale computing, 5G communications, automotive, mobile, aerospace, consumer, industrial and healthcare. For seven years in a row, Fortune magazine has named Cadence one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For.
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
SES | March 28, 2022
SES announced it has ordered SES-26 a fully software-defined geostationary (GEO) satellite from Thales Alenia Space, joint venture between Thales (67 %) and Leonardo (33 %). SES-26 will maintain and expand the wide range of content delivery and connectivity services to broadcasters, media companies, telco operators, internet service providers and governmental organisations across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
The digital satellite with both Ku-band and C-band frequencies will replace SES’s NSS-12 satellite at 57 degrees East, one of SES’s longest-held and most valuable orbital positions. From this key location at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, SES will continue to deliver content and connectivity solutions to some of the world's fastest-growing markets.
Facilitating connections from the heart of Europe across Africa and the Middle East, SES-26 will be an important platform to support government communications solutions in the region and is synergic with the company’s recently-announced definitive agreement for the acquisition of DRS GES. The position is also home to the Ethiosat platform, a diverse free to air neighborhood supporting a growing community of 10 million TV households across Ethiopia
The order forms part of a three-satellite commitment to Thales Alenia Space and incorporates two satellites that will be deployed at SES’s first and most important orbital location, 19.2 degrees East from which SES serves 118 million TV households across Europe. Underlining its philosophy of sustainable innovation and its commitment to the European space industry, SES is the first commercial customer for Thales Alenia Space’s Space Inspire (INstant SPace In-orbit REconfiguration), an innovative product line allowing seamless telecommunication mission and services reconfiguration, instant in-orbit adjustment to the demand and outstanding flexibility for video broadcasting and broadband connectivity services.
For over 20 years, satellites at 57 degrees East have been at the centrepiece of our connectivity network bridging Europe to Africa, the Middle East and Asia. From broadcasting video content across Europe and Africa to delivering connectivity services for aviation, maritime and government, SES-26 underlines our commitment to the growth of our business and to our customers. We are delighted to work with our long-term partner Thales Alenia Space to push the boundaries of next-generation satellite capabilities and deliver the flexible innovation that enables us to stay ahead of our customers’ evolving needs.”
Steve Collar, CEO of SES
“We are honoured that SES has renewed its confidence in Thales Alenia Space and our Space Inspire software-defined solution. This new contract follows the recent order to build Astra 1P and Astra 1Q and strengthens the strong partnership between SES and Thales Alenia Space. Once again, I’m happy to share this new success with the French and European space agencies – CNES and ESA – who contributed to making it possible thanks to their support,” said Hervé Derrey, CEO of Thales Alenia Space.
The procurement of the satellite remains within SES's previously announced Capital Expenditure outlook for 2022-2026 and is fully compliant with the company’s financial policy.
About SES
SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world’s only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world’s leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES’s video network carries 8,400 channels and has an unparalleled reach of over 361 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content.
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