Check out this great piece by Andrea Siedsma that included our valued clients Sentek Global and DefenseWeb Technologies! Intertwined cyber networks, connectivity and decision-making systems have become essential elements of the U.S. military’s information technology infrastructure and everyday operations. Defense and IT industry leaders are working on creating a robust, flexible and open architecture — one that separates data, applications and hardware — that makes seamless interoperability of all cooperating forces possible. As the military continues to migrate to more modern IT, such as cloud computing and commercial off-the-shelf software applications, the private sector will become more of a critical component for fending off cyber criminals and state-sponsored attacks, which not only impact the military’s global operations but also homeland security. One San Diego-based firm helping the U.S. military secure its networks is Sentek Global, which specializes in government and commercial IT security. Under a $20 million, five-year contract, Sentek is leading a team that is performing information assurance and certification services for SPAWAR. Since the military is using more commercial off-the-shelf technology for its cyber infrastructure, the organization could be more vulnerable to the same cyber attacks as personal PCs, says Cameron Matthews, Sentek’s chief technology officer. Other computer networks and infrastructure in the military such as health care-based and family focused programs can also be vulnerable to cyber attacks. That’s why San Diego-based DefenseWeb Technologies Inc. is working with the military to create secure health care management applications and dynamic Web applications for service members and their families. Read the entire article here.