AIS receives $95 million contract for AWARE prototype

ROME, N.Y. — Assured Information Security (AIS) has been awarded a $95 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for an Antifragility Workstation for Resiliency (AWARE) prototype. 

The pact will be focused on researching “novel and innovative” anti-fragility concepts and integrating proven anti-fragility tools, techniques and processes into operational and emerging cyber platforms. 

Rome–based AIS is a cyber and information-security company that works in supporting critical cyber operations for the federal government, working with both the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the intelligence community. AIS currently has more than 250 employees and locations throughout the U.S.

“AWARE is an effort that provides AIS the opportunity to integrate and transition proven anti-fragility tools that make systems more secure, reliable and robust when subjected to attacks, failures and faults,” Salvatore Paladino, director of account management at AIS, said in a company news release. “This work will substantially improve software quality and reduce the resources required for incident response and recovery for the Air Force, its [U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)] partners and the commercial marketplace.”

AIS will perform the work in Rome, and it’s expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2026. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), also in Rome, is the contracting authority for the award.

AWARE will result in the delivery of 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,” AIS said. 

Fiscal 2021 DoD research, development, test and evaluation funds of $5,000; and fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance funds totaling $14.47 million will be obligated at the time of award, according to a Sept. 30 DoD contract announcement.