Booz Allen chosen as prime contractor for $621m order to boost cyber security

US Department of Homeland Security has chosen Booz Allen as the first prime contractor under the new chapter of the CDM Program.

The $621m six-year task contract will extend across  three current and possible future CDM Phases and is part of the larger DEFEND Program, which carries a value of up to $3.4bn.

The CDM DEFEND Program is intended on minimising the threat faced by the federal government from cyber risks.

Under the programme, next-generation cyber capabilities will be developed, led by a partnership between DHS, the Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM) within the Government Services Administration as well as the task order’s seven participating agencies.

Booz Allen principal and leader of CDM work Marcie Nagel said: “We’re thrilled to grow our partnership with Department of Homeland Security in their critical mission to protect the United States and its citizens from cybersecurity threats.

“Our work will expand into new areas of cybersecurity, like incident response and automation. This work aims to help these federal departments and agencies leverage new capabilities that will ultimately empower our clients to defend their networks faster with more flexibility and greater visibility into the network itself.”

Booz Allen senior vice president and leader of the firm’s civil cyber business Brad Medairy said: “The cybersecurity threats facing government agencies today are growing increasingly dynamic and sophisticated, making them more challenging to defend against.

“We are well positioned to help in this fight, applying experiences that our analysts, threat hunters and engineers gain by working on the cutting edge of cybersecurity. We are embedded in the nation’s most important missions and will continue to help drive toward innovative solutions like CDM to make the world a safer place in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats.”

DHS set up the CDM Program in 2012 to bolster cybersecurity within the government system.

Three years later, Booz Allen was awarded several contracts to partner with DHS and to implement the CDM Program.

Under the first Phase, Booz Allen integrated foundational cybersecurity solution. Under this phase, the company covered 80% of the government enterprises and provided network visibility to 13 participating agencies/departments.