MeriTalk compiles a weekly roundup of contracts and other industry activity. Here’s what happened this week in the Federal Information Technology community.
CSRA Partners With ScienceLogic
CSRA on July 27 announced its partnership with ScienceLogic, a leading provider of hybrid IT service assurance solutions. The relationship will allow CSRA to deliver new solutions to agencies complying with requirements under President Donald Trump’s recent Executive Order on Cybersecurity. “We are excited to join forces with ScienceLogic and bring a new set of offerings to our government customers,” said Seth Abrams, CSRA’s Chief Technology Officer for the Homeland Security Group. “Recent cyberattacks underscore the need for constant vigilance and modernizing technology across the government. Our combined offerings, along with our ‘as a service’ model, will help agencies across the government be agile and secure in a cost-effective way.”
IBM Patents Approach on Encryption
IBM announced July 24 that it was granted a patent on an approach for utilizing the inherent structure of a printed circuit board (PCB) to protect cryptographic keys and codes in a manner that is designed to be highly tamper-resistant. The patented system does not require extensive use of resin or other materials to encase a module or package containing keys and codes, thereby providing the opportunity for significant improvement in manufacturing yield, as well as a decrease in repairs needed in the field due to package reliability. The invention could help protect keys and codes that encrypt data stored on any platform whether the data is in the cloud or an enterprise storage system.
Intel to Help Power Audi
Intel announced July 25 that its processing power will be part of autonomous driving systems on the 2018 Audi A8. Intel created its Programmable Solutions Group from the former Altera Corp. Intel closed on its acquisition of Altera in December 2015. PSG is responsible for Intel’s field programmable gate array technology. FPGAs allow for great flexibility in the programming of hardware and software, and are often used in the Internet of Things and the data center.
Hitachi Partners to Build Baltimore Rail Cars, Signaling System
Hitachi Ansaldo Baltimore Rail Partners, a company established between Hitachi Rail Italy SpA and Ansaldo STS USA, on July 26 was awarded a $400.5 million contract from Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) to provide a new metro fleet of rail cars and a Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) system for the Baltimore Metro Subway Link. The project features 78 state-of-the-art Hitachi rail cars and the replacement of the existing signaling system with an advanced CBTC system by Ansaldo STS. The new Baltimore metro has been designed to be highly innovative in terms of safety, passenger comfort and design, with a 30-year life cycle capable of providing an average journey of 80,000 miles per year.