News Article

Department of Energy Awards AlphaBravo a Phase I SBIR for Cybersecurity
Date: Jan 07, 2022
Source: Einnews ( click here to go to the source)

Featured firm in this article: AlphaBravo of Frederick, MD



The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $35 million in funding for diverse small businesses to pursue scientific, clean energy, and climate solutions. The funding will support 158 projects across 29 states that will aim to develop an array of clean energy technology, from climate research tools to improved batteries for electric vehicles.

This funding is administered by DOE's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs which support a diverse portfolio of small businesses, including startups, across technology areas and markets relevant to DOE's missions to stimulate technological breakthroughs, meet federal research and development (R&D) needs, and increase commercialization by transitioning R&D into deployment. For more information about DOE's SBIR and STTR programs, visit the Programs Office  website

AlphaBravo identified high-performance computing (HPC) cybersecurity as a critically relevant topic and one that AlphaBravo is uniquely qualified to support. Chase Austin, AlphaBravo's Chief Operating Officer (COO) summarizes:

"ABScan is AlphaBravo's flagship cybersecurity solution and has the potential to be broadly adopted throughout the public and private sectors. It will significantly reduce cyber threats, in turn strengthening our country's critical infrastructure. Our selection is a testament to our skilled engineers and the company's dedication to innovation. Our team is agile, thorough, and embraces the challenges of modern cybersecurity. AlphaBravo will continue to push the limits and support the United States in its modernization efforts. "

AlphaBravo's Principal Engineer, Ed Engelking, and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Mike Johnson, incepted ABScan based on their extensive experience over a combined 40+ years of experience developing and securing software and infrastructure. Engelking discusses:

"ABScan will provide an automated, full-scope, platform scanning, reporting, and remediation service that is the first of its kind. The ABScan tool greatly enhances cybersecurity in HPC systems by pushing security left, scanning for vulnerabilities at unprecedented speeds, and automating remediation to reduce vulnerabilities for attacks. This is accomplished while aggregating data to inform sound decision-making and identifying counter-cyberattack opportunities for the future."

About ABScan (Provisional Patent # 63/282,342)

The purpose of ABScan is to provide an automated, full scope, Open Container Initiative (OCI) compatible platform scanning, reporting, and remediation service. With its ability to evaluate infrastructure and software, ABScan is designed to meet the needs of any organization, large or small. The service provides a streamlined path to ATO by both ensuring and maintaining the security posture of cloud and bare-metal infrastructure, as well as software repositories and container images. Additionally, ABScan provides real-time data and metrics, allowing stakeholders to make informed decisions and speed up the process of ATO approvals.