The Department of Defense’s technology agency is focused on acquiring support services for its Joint Regional Security Stacks (JRSS) network protection system and updated cyber analytics capabilities as it sets its procurement priorities for fiscal year 2018 and beyond.
Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) held its Forecast to Industry event Nov. 6 and pushed for greater partnerships centered on improving cyber security of the DoD network and acquiring more software-based solutions.
“We want to establish a defendable network – to automatically remediate vulnerabilities and insecure configurations,” said Col. Brian Lyttle, DISA’s cyber program executive officer, while addressing the Forecast to Industry event. “We need to be able to block, in cyber speed, known and unknown attacks at network perimeter, regions and endpoints.”
Lyttle announced several acquisition projects aimed at potential industry partners centered around improving analytical capabilities for the DoD Information Network (DODIN) and offering support services for JRSS network protection efforts.
DISA is preparing to award a contract in the FY ’18 second quarter to provide advanced audit and attack analysis capabilities to defend DODIN from external threats.
Looking forward to fiscal year 2019, DISA is seeking industry solutions to develop and integrate new analytics to improve DODIN cyber situational awareness monitoring. Potential partners would be responsible for integrating new tools, and sustaining those currently in use.
DISA is seeking more software-defined solutions, especially in support of its JRSS network protection system, according to Lt. Gen. Alan Lynn, the agency’s director.
“Instead of having hardware, it’s about building on this huge network just with software. It’s easier to defend a network if you can build multiple, equal networks that are identical in a row,” said Lynn.
Upcoming JRSS-related contracts include projects to provide software capabilities to analyze outbound traffic on the network and to deliver an inline intrusion prevention system to deter unauthorized access to DoD systems.
Lyttle also described software-related needs for JRSS to grow the system’s laboratory capacity and help with joint management network and joint migration team integration services.
DISA anticipates a rise in operating expenses for FY ’18 as it hopes to take on projects aimed at growing machine learning, building interoperability across vendors and shoring up endpoint device detection, according to Lyttle.
Other upcoming opportunities announced at the Nov. 6 industry event include secure configuration management support, development of risk management features for DISA’s big data platforms, and delivery of new CyberNetOps capabilities.
“The goal is simpler and better solutions for our warfighters,” said Lyttle.