Government Contractors: Defenders of Our Networks

This was written by Michael Cheek on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 14:32.

Despite the issues of in-sourcing and Secretary of Defense Gate’s cuts to military hardware programs, government contractors are seeking to diversify their offerings by moving into the cyber security realm. The US government is presently ill-equipped to handle the range of cyber attacks against US systems and networks and the private sector is stepping in to lend a hand.

Late last week, SAIC, a science and technology company, announced its plans to acquire CloudShield Technologies, a provider of cyber security solutions. The move will enable SAIC to meet the growing market demand in the federal and private sectors for cyber security solutions on high speed networks. The acquisition is expected to be completed by mid February 2010.

Stu Shea, head of SAIC’s Intelligence, Security and Technology Group, said “This acquisition is an integral component of our enterprise cyber strategy and provides us with technology to help build a solid foundation for the development of solution-focused applications.”

Lockheed Martin, a large government contractor, announced plans today to improve its cyber security talent and workforce. There is currently a dearth of skilled cyber security professionals in both the public and private sectors. Lockheed intends to fill this void by creating a Cyber University, aggressively recruiting from university programs throughout the country, providing scholarships and conducting mentoring programs.

Lockheed has developed a streamlined process for creating and maintaining a skilled cyber security workforce. These plans include recruitment and talent spotting, training, certification, mentoring and moving cyber security professionals forward on an established cyber career track.

Rick Johnson, VP and CTO of Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems & Global Services, said  “Cyber Security is embedded in everything Lockheed Martin delivers and our people are critical to ensuring mission resilience for our customers. The company recognizes the significance of its cyber workforce and has invested more than $1 million in university recruiting, scholarships and training.”

Raytheon, who earlier this year acquired BBN Technologies, is also seeking to establish themselves as a leading cyber security solutions provider. Raytheon’s subsidiary, Raytheon BBN Technologies, was recently awarded a contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory to provide cyber security protection for sensitive and mission-critical networks.

Under the contract, worth an estimated $2.9 million, Raytheon will be responsible for developing new applications for cyber defense.

Tad Elmer, president of Raytheon BBN Technologies, said “we are committed to ensuring the safety of our government’s sensitive information and network assets…This work will help our nation’s military networks defend against the rapidly evolving variations of network and information attacks.”

In the race to defend US networks and systems, government contractors will continue to play an important role. Not only is the majority of our nation’s cyber infrastructure in private hands, but contractors often have the ability to attract highly skilled professionals who are sometimes unwilling to undergo the stressful and tedious government hiring process.