Helping the Air Force Bring Secure, Mobile Technology to the Flight Line

25.09.18 07:38 PM By Jennie Hempstead

“As we innovate, mobile is going to be at the forefront.” Dr. Tim Hoyt, Deputy Director of the National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2), Defense Centers of Excellence (DCoE) at Department of Defense is spreading the word. Hoyt joins a chorus of leaders looking for ways to put mobile technology into the hands of the DoD workforce. Todd Wieser, CTO, Special Operations Command, U.S. Air Force said earlier this year, “Mobile is the future; it’s where we’re going.” It’s easy to understand why mobile connectivity is becoming a high priority. It impacts everything from mobile communications and geospatial functionality, to logistics and supply chain clarity. Highly engaging training methods, including the use of artificial intelligence, are also impacted by the adoption of mobile technology.

Pockets of the workforce have been introduced to mobile platforms, but problems persist. The biggest challenge? Security. Defense-grade security does not exist as an off-the-shelf option. To “bake in” the right security to mobile platforms, Air Force leadership is establishing relationships with engineers and businesses that may be able to provide the right solution. WBI is helping them do that with our Collider Series, at 444 E. Second Street location.

On April 26th the AFRL/WBI Small Business Hub hosted a Collider on “The Mobile Device Threat in the Government and DoD”. Col Rick “Rico” Johns, Deputy Director for Air, Space and Cyberspace Operations & Chief Information Officer, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, opened the Collider with comments on the increased use of mobile devices for government employees and using them securely.

MobileIron, a world leader in mobile device management and enterprise mobility services, and Liona Enterprises, information technology specialists based out of Cincinnati presented information during the event. They focused on how government and DoD can use mobile devices securely via secure logins equivalent to the security of a Government CAC card. 12 WPAFB personnel and 20 Defense Contractors participated.

WBI’s Collider Series works with regional small businesses, SBIR/STTR companies and the Air Force to broker technology acceleration and economic development. Join https://www.meetup.com/collider/ to see upcoming events.

Jennie Hempstead