Cybersecurity & Systems Engineering

Thought Leaders in Zero Trust Cybersecurity and Systems Engineering

GTSC™ exists to help define and solve difficult problems with a holistic approach evolved from the vast intelligence, operational and technological experience we’ve amassed over the years.

We use state-of-the-art systems engineering, project management and process improvement strategies to provide agencies with solutions that enable missions and empower more dynamic, resilient cybersecurity, defenses and operations.

Our senior subject matter experts, cybersecurity engineers, and Zero Trust subject matter experts have been instrumental in crafting the DoD and NSS reference architectures and are serving as lead developers in the USG Classified and Unclassified Zero Trust Labs at DISA and USCC.

GTSC™ has also played a key role in the development and application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) strategies.

Expertise at Work for the Defense of Our Nation

Zero Trust Strategy

GTSC™ (via our subsidiary Advantage Engineering) is one of the primary contractors involved in the NSA Zero Trust Program, providing Zero Trust capabilities and technologies subject matter expertise and systems engineering support to the team.

Our team provides subject matter expertise and strategic thought leadership focused on outreach, engagement and additional efforts to drive the Zero Trust discussion with the DoD, intelligence and NSS communities. In fact, we contributed content for the congressional briefing on Zero Trust.

We continue to be an integral partner with the DoD CIO to develop a joint program management office (PMO), which will ensure uniformity of Zero Trust implementation across the DoD and its partners.

AI and Machine Learning Solutions

GTSC™ (through our subsidiary Advantage Engineering) is involved in writing “playbooks” to train machine learning models for Zero Trust solutions.

We’re also crafting predictive analytics strategies using AI and ML to address our nation’s cybersecurity threats and developing automated responses to cybersecurity threats for the DoD, the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and critical infrastructure systems.

Our specialized, targeted focus allows us to develop state-of-the-art IT systems that meet our clients’ unique needs. Our extensive field expertise allows us to quickly and effectively bring actionable solutions to the table without omitting any key considerations or neglecting crucial information.

Current Government Cybersecurity & Systems Engineering Projects

Nine current programs with the NSA (with FTEs)
On teams for two IDIQs with DISA (SETI and SITEIII)
Two different teams for NSETS III (NSA)
Contract with DoD CIO (with FTEs)
All current contracts have significant open, funded positions available to AEITS
Commercial prime contract with NFCU performing Zero Trust architecture support

Financial Health Solutions & Support

Clear and impactful health and wellness messaging is vital for service members and their families. Being able to provide reliable and compassionate support is our mission at GTSC™.

Whatever the message, we can create it and deliver it using a complete range of traditional and digital outreach.

GTSC™ Cybersecurity and Systems Engineering Capabilities

Full life cycle systems engineering
Mission-enabling IT solutions
Development and adoption of Zero Trust solutions using AI and machine learning
Acquisition strategy assistance to the government
DoD/IC/NSA acquisition regulations/memorandum to ensure affordable, supportable and effective systems are delivered
Experienced conducting information and intelligence operations as operators, planners and SMEs

DOTMLPF assessments, ensuring material solutions include holistic evaluations from policy, procedures, training, leadership and organizational influences
Classroom and web-enabled curriculum developers
Technology assessments
IT and mission systems architectures
Business analysis and business process re-engineering expertise
Functional and systems testing – validation and verification

Why Is Zero Trust Cybersecurity So Important?

Whether the threat is ransomware, persistent nation-state attacks or anything that’s self-propagating, Zero Trust is incredibly effective in mitigating risks, reducing the impact of cybersecurity attacks, and ensuring that missions and operations continue without disruption.

Zero Trust is essentially the concept of “context-based, least-privileged access” or “ICAM done right” (referring to identity, credential and access management). This is about moving away from static, network-based controls on access to things and focusing instead on people, their devices and the resources they are trying to access.

Federal Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Chris DeRusha has said the White House will push all federal agencies toward a “Zero Trust paradigm,” and OMB and CISA have established a Federal Zero Trust Strategy and Zero Trust Maturity Model, respectively.

The onus is now on federal agencies to: “meet specific cybersecurity standards and objectives…in order to reinforce the Government’s defenses against increasingly sophisticated and persistent threat campaigns. Those campaigns target Federal technology infrastructure, threatening public safety and privacy, damaging the American economy, and weakening trust in Government.”

Four main elements of a Zero Trust architecture

ICAM and identity
Data
The control fabric or control plane
Trust engine (or policy engine) – using tools and technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence to make sense of all of the data and then grant or restrict access based on dynamic risk assessments

NSA Zero Trust Program

The NSA Zero Trust Program began as a part of a joint team with NSA, USCYBERCOM, DDS and DISA in a Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) in response to the Ms. PACMAN Report, which identified security vulnerabilities on SIPRNET.

GTSC™ (via Advantage Engineering) is an integral part of the NSA Zero Trust Team, developing the next-generation Zero Trust cloud lab in the USCYBERCOM Innovation Center: Dreamport.

We provided subject matter expertise to the Cybersecurity Information Sheet (CIS) titled, “Embracing a Zero Trust Mindset” on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. This CIS was used as the foundation to broach Zero Trust integration across all NSA partners.