Cloud Hosting

All Domain, Networks / Cyber, Space

WASHINGTON Space Systems Command in June plans to start testing the first set of hardware and infrastructure deliverables under its new Enigma program, meant to seamlessly facilitate collaboration between industry and the Defense Department under one common environment, a service official told Breaking Defense.

The problem that were trying to go after is being able to connect to anyone, anywhere, anytime that we want to, in a secure fashion, and in a way that we have a good user experience associated with it as well, Col. Jennifer Krolikowski, director of Space System Commands chief information office, told Breaking Defense at the sidelines of the AFCEA Tech Summit.

So were trying to have a full integrated picture from device to transportto the cloud environment or the hosting environment where we can do our actual work.

Put simply, Enigma will provide one single cloud-based environment where both industry and DoD can collaborate on a shared network. Those things can include digital engineering, or devsecops, or just regular collaboration on documents or something like that, Krolikowski said. She added that Space Systems Command is trying to create an integrated full picture of how data is generated, transported [and] secured from a full end-to-end perspective, something that currently doesnt exist.

In March, General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) was awarded an $18 million contract to build out an Enigma prototype. The prototype is currently being built out and Space Systems Command is on a very fast track with it, with the first deliverable slated for June, Krolikowski said during her keynote speech at the event.

She elaborated on that first deliverable after her speech to Breaking Defense, saying the work being done encompasses deploying all of the hardware and infrastructure that needs to be in place.

Space Systems Command is trying to use industry as much as possible for the solution versus us building it from scratch and then also having them operate it for us as well.So those connection points are going to be deployed out here in short order, and then start to do some of the early testing and adoption for it, she added.

The first phase of Enigma will span Impact Levels 5 and 6 (IL5 and IL6) classification levels, or unclassified level up to the classified secret level for national security systems.

Its eventually meant to work up to the highest Special Access Program (SAP) classification level that another effort currently being built out, called the integrated operations network (ION), will span, Krolikowski told Breaking Defense. Space Force Chief Technology Information Officer Lisa Costa is spearheading the effort to build out the ION.

Enigmas always meant to scale up to that SAP level as well, Krolikowski said. But with the work that [Costas] doing, we may be able to get there a little bit faster.

Originally posted here:
Connect anyone, anywhere, anytime: SSC slated to test Enigma infrastructure in June - Breaking Defense