U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su recognized Assured Information Security (AIS) as one of the 839 recipients of the 2024 HIRE Vets Medallion Award during a virtual award ceremony presented by U.S. Department of Labor.

AIS earned the gold award after applying earlier this year. The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act) Medallion Program is the only federal award program that recognizes employers who successfully recruit, hire and retain veterans.

AIS joins 838 other companies from 49 states, plus the District of Columbia, who have shown a commitment to hiring veterans, but also ensuring that they have a long-term career and growth plan that uses the diverse skills they acquired through their military service.

Stalwart is a task order that is part of the larger AWARE effort, a $150 million, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract focused on researching novel and innovative anti-fragility concepts and integrating proven anti-fragility tools, techniques and processes into operational and emerging cyber platforms. AWARE is focused on delivering systems characterized by greater cyber resiliency and fewer vulnerabilities throughout the development life cycle, thereby reducing risk to mission systems and ensuring mission demands are met under an array of conditions.

“Stalwart is an exciting effort because it provides AIS the opportunity to continue its anti-fragility research, but now with a focus on cyber embedded systems,” said Salvatore Paladino, Director of Cyber Operations Research and Development at AIS. “Embedded systems are those that comprise the Internet of Things (IoT) and include devices from routers, to drones, to wearable sensors. There are profound opportunities to leverage these complex, interconnected systems to achieve military objectives, improve communications and operations and better connect military and civilian systems with the physical environment to improve quality of life, automation and safety on military facilities both at home and abroad.”

Work will be performed in Rome, New York, and is expected to be completed by July 19, 2029. The Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate in Rome, New York, is the contracting activity.

AIS has been awarded a $28 million contract modification for Full-Spectrum Cyber Capabilities, bringing the overall value of the contract to $74.8 million. The initial objective of this effort, which was awarded in 2019, was to provide the United States Air Force (USAF) with tools and technologies to enable rapid cyber operations.

“We are very pleased to have been awarded this contract modification to Full-Spectrum Cyber Capabilities,” said Salvatore Paladino, Director of Cyber Operations R&D at AIS. “It will allow us to expand the focus of the effort to analyzing and securing cyber embedded systems and devices that comprise the Internet of Things (IoT). We believe this will help achieve USAF objectives and better connect military and civilian systems to improve quality of life, automation and safety on military facilities both at home and abroad.”

“After years of providing Full-Spectrum Cyber Capabilities to the United States Air Force, AIS has demonstrated that its state-of-the-art tools and technologies for rapid cyber operations are critical to our nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure,” said Senator Schumer. “The Air Force made the right choice when they first awarded this contract to AIS back in 2019, and they are making the right choice again by awarding this $28 million modification to AIS now. This work will strengthen our national security, provide a major boost to the upstate economy and support the Mohawk Valley’s world-class cybersecurity workforce by securing 20 jobs in Rome for years to come. I am proud to support innovative local companies like AIS, and I will never stop fighting to ensure that federal work and jobs are flowing to the Mohawk Valley defense ecosystem.”

This week, U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su recognized AIS as one of the 859 recipients of the 2023 HIRE Vets Medallion Award during a virtual award ceremony presented by U.S. Department of Labor. This is the third consecutive year that AIS has earned this recognition.

The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act) Medallion Program is the only federal award program that recognizes employers who successfully recruit, hire and retain veterans. AIS earned the gold award.

“Earning this award for the third year is testament to our unwavering dedication to our nation’s veterans,” said Elizabeth Bowers, Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President at AIS. “As a company deeply rooted in the spirit of service, we aim to cultivate an empowering environment where our veteran employees can leverage their unique skillsets. We work diligently to ensure they have necessary resources, training and support, while also offering them an enriching career.”

AIS joins 858 other companies from 49 states, plus the District of Columbia, who have shown a commitment to hiring veterans and ensuring that they have a long-term career and growth plan that uses the diverse skills they acquired through their military service. Recipients of the 2023 HIRE Vets Medallion Award meet rigorous employment and veteran integration assistance criteria, including veteran hiring and retention percentages, availability of veteran-specific resources, leadership programming for veterans, dedicated human resource efforts and tuition assistance programs for veterans. For more information about the program and the application process, visit HIREVets.gov.

AIS has been awarded Artificial Intelligence-Based Endpoint Defense (ABED), a $98.5 million, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract focused on researching novel and innovative artificial intelligence (AI)-based techniques for enhancing the effectiveness and increasing the autonomy of cyber capabilities being developed by the Air Force and its partnering combatant commands. ABED will result in the delivery of cyber capabilities characterized by greater flexibility, wider applicability, increased precision, and better security. 

“ABED is an opportunity for AIS to integrate and transition unprecedented defenses against the primary attack vectors employed by our adversaries – most notably, embedding sophisticated attack code and data in digital files,” said Salvatore Paladino, Director of Cyber Operations Research and Development at AIS. “This work will leverage AI and machine learning (ML) techniques to reduce the amount of manpower and expertise required to operate cyber tools effectively, at scale, and at the pace of cyber. The solutions developed in ABED will provide a revolutionary advantage for the Air Force, its DoD partners, and commercial entities.” 

ABED is a SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) Phase III award. According to SBIR.gov, the SBIR program is highly competitive and encourages domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research and Development aimed at commercializing solutions. A Phase III SBIR effort focuses on work that derives from, extends, or completes capabilities developed under prior SBIR agreements and is funded by sources other than the SBIR program itself. This is the third SBIR Phase III AIS has been awarded, and the second in the last 3 years. 

Work will be performed in Rome, New York, and is expected to be completed by September 30, 2028. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), also in Rome, is the contracting authority for the award. 

“This critical federal investment puts Central New York at the center of the transition into the new AI age right here in Rome, by investing in artificial intelligence to advance U.S. cyber capabilities and integrate new and unprecedented defenses against American adversaries. The contract will also bolster cyber jobs in the region, creating up to 10 jobs at AIS and securing 50 existing jobs for the next 5 years,” said Senator Schumer. “This major $98.5 million investment will not only strengthen our national security by harnessing the power of AI innovation – something I’ve been focusing on a lot recently in my new SAFE Innovation framework – but it will also provide a significant boost to the Upstate economy and channel the talents of Central NY’s world-class workforce for years to come.” 

An awards ceremony was held on Thursday, May 4, 2023 at the Trackside Restaurant in Utica, New York, to honor four local companies with a 2023 Mohawk Valley GEAR award. From left to right are award recipients from: Giotto Enterprises, Utica Zoo, Mohawk Valley Community College and Assured Information Security (AIS).

AIS is pleased to announce that it has received one of the 2023 Mohawk Valley GEAR (Growth, Energy and Revitalize) awards in the same month that it is celebrating the 21st anniversary of earning its first contract.   

The GEAR awards honor companies that have helped to reimagine, reinvigorate and revitalize the Mohawk Valley. The GEAR awards, presented annually by Central New York Business Journal and BizEventz, recognize local companies that have made an impact on jobs, real estate, stability in the community and helped to rejuvenate the Mohawk Valley. Giotto Enterprises, Mohawk Valley Community College and the Utica Zoo were the other three recipients.   

“AIS was born out of the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, New York, and our headquarters remains on the Griffiss Business and Technology Park today,” said Charles Green, CEO at AIS. “Our employees create technologies and develop offerings that protect the security of our nation, our warfighters and beyond. Although today we have employees located across the country, we had our start in the Mohawk Valley and we continue to take pride in advancing the area we still call home.”  

AIS has more than 200 employees and has received both local and national recognition. In 2018, AIS placed #101 on Cybersecurity Ventures top 500 list of the world’s hottest and most innovative cybersecurity companies. The company was named a Best Place to Work for three consecutive years and was named a Gem of Distinction in 2019, an award that recognizes businesses in the Mohawk Valley that shape the future of the region. AIS has also won a Leading Edge award, which recognizes companies and individuals responsible for the economic growth of the Mohawk Valley.  

“This GEAR award is such an honor, as we work tirelessly to positively impact the community and we take pride on offering meaningful careers to our staff, many of whom live and raise their families in the Mohawk Valley,” said Beth Bowers, Chief Human Resources Officer at AIS. “We’re grateful to be recognized along with other great organizations committed to the same notion.”

An awards ceremony took place on Thursday, May 4, at the Trackside Restaurant in Utica, NY, honoring the 2023 recipients. 

Assured Information Security is pleased to announce its Cross Domain Virtualization Solutions (CDVS) Group, in partnership with Broadsword Solutions, has been appraised once again at level 3 by the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Institute. CMMI is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes that ultimately improve their performance.

This achievement is a result of the hard work of AIS’s CDVS Group, which houses the SecureView® Team, as well as its strategic partnership with Broadsword Solutions, a leader in performance innovation and process improvement. Broadsword provided integrated agileCMMI workshops, coaching and consulting solutions to help AIS achieve its capability goals. agileCMMI uses methods such as incremental delivery, continuous build and collaboration, applying the same techniques used when writing software to deploy process and help engineers embrace process.

This appraisal indicates that CDVS’s processes are well characterized and understood, and that the team is dedicated to continuous performance improvement and is producing the highest quality of products and services.

“I want to thank the team for their dedication that has led to this achievement again in 2022,” said Charles Green, Chief Executive Officer at AIS. “This appraisal exemplifies our effort to continuously improve our processes so that we can provide our customers with cost savings along with reliable and consistent delivery.”

SecureView® is a registered trademark of the United States Air Force.

U.S. Secretary of Labor, Martin J. Walsh, recognized AIS as one of the 835 recipients of the 2022 HIRE Vets Medallion Award during an award ceremony presented by U.S. Department of Labor on November 9, 2022. AIS earned the gold award again this year. The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act) Medallion Program is the only federal award program that recognizes employers who successfully recruit, hire and retain veterans.

“AIS has always been a company committed to helping our veterans thrive in their careers and this award validates that commitment,” said Elizabeth Bowers, Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President at AIS. “We’re honored that our veterans choose to work at AIS and in return, we work diligently to ensure they have necessary resources, training and support, while also offering them an impactful career.”

AIS joins 834 other companies from 49 states, plus the District of Columbia, who have shown a commitment to hiring veterans and to ensuring that they have a long-term career and growth plan that uses the diverse skills they acquired through their military service.

Recipients of the 2022 HIRE Vets Medallion Award meet rigorous employment and veteran integration assistance criteria, including veteran hiring and retention percentages; availability of veteran-specific resources; leadership programming for veterans; dedicated human resource efforts; pay compensation and tuition assistance programs for veterans. More than 1,400 employers have earned a HIRE Vets Medallion Award since 2018.

AIS has been awarded the Agile Cyber Technology 3 (ACT 3) contract, a $950 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for technical documentation, technical reports, software and hardware. AIS is one of five companies that has received this award from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) located at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, New York.

The IDIQ contract provides a mechanism for any federal government department or agency to award a contract to AIS in a simple, expedited manner, with a ceiling totaling $950 million.

“The ACT program has been transformational for AIS, AFRL and the warfighters who are benefiting from the technologies it has yielded,” said Salvatore Paladino, Director of Account Management at AIS. “AIS has had tremendous opportunities to transition its cyber capabilities into operational use under previous ACT awards. The ACT 3 award is very exciting and puts us in a position to continue delivering exceptional solutions and to further strengthen partnerships with AFRL and its partnering combatant commands.”

This contract will contribute to the Air Force and partner organizations’ cyber missions through the development and integration of exceedingly innovative cyber solutions. Work for this competitive acquisition will be performed in Rome, New York. AFRL is the contracting activity.

“This exciting partnership between the Air Force and AIS to conduct important work in cybersecurity will enhance both our national defense and the regional economy,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. “Together, the workforces at AIS and Rome Lab will blend their expertise to deliver real results in developing our nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure. I will continue to do all I can to bring more federal work – and more jobs – to the Mohawk Valley through partnerships like these.”

“This is a well-deserved award for AIS and I know it will capitalize on this opportunity to provide AFRL with innovative cyber solutions,” said Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. “Oneida County continues to thrive as a hub for world-class technology companies that are securing our nation.”

“AIS has been a leader in cybersecurity since its inception,” said Rome Mayor Jacqueline M. Izzo. “The success of this locally grown company is further exemplified with the award of the ACT 3 contract, and it strengthens the company’s strategic position to deliver technical reports, hardware and software as only one of five companies to receive this designation. With a contract ceiling of $950 million it will allow AIS to provide cyber and information technology solutions to the Air Force. We are proud that the Griffiss Business and Technology Park is the headquarters for this innovative company.”

U.S. Secretary of Labor, Martin J. Walsh, recognized AIS as one of the 849 recipients of the 2021 HIRE Vets Medallion Award during an award ceremony presented by the U.S. Department of Labor on November 10, 2021.

The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act) Medallion Program is the only federal award program that recognizes employers who successfully recruit, hire and retain veterans, and AIS earned the Gold award.

“This recognition is evidence of our commitment to veterans and their career goals,” said Elizabeth Bowers, Chief Human Resources Offer and Senior Vice President at AIS. “We’re honored that our veterans choose to work at AIS and in return, we work diligently to ensure they have necessary resources, training and support to thrive in and out of work.”

AIS joins 848 other companies from 49 states, plus the District of Columbia, who have shown a commitment to hiring veterans, but also ensuring that they have a long-term career and growth plan that uses the diverse skills they acquired through their military service.

Recipients of the 2021 HIRE Vets Medallion Award meet rigorous employment and veteran integration assistance criteria, including veteran hiring and retention percentages; availability of veteran-specific resources; leadership programming for veterans; dedicated human resource efforts; pay compensation and tuition assistance programs for veterans.