The View From NCS Technologies

See You at Booth #1010

WEST 2018, sponsored by AFCEA, enters Day Two at the San Diego Convention Center.  WEST is the premier naval coference on the West Coast, now in its 28th year of bringing naval and industry leaders together.

NCS showcases a broad range of technologies and solutions at the show. NCS is featuring its own zero client end point portfolio, as well as its renowned SecureView government security solutions. In addition, NCS is highlighting key hardware solutions from partners HP and Getac.

See You at Booth #1010

WEST 2018 sponsored by AFCEA opens today at the San Diego Convention Center.  Held through Thursday, WEST is the premier naval coference on the West Coast, now in its 28th year of bringing naval and industry leaders together. Co-sponsored by AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute, WEST provides the opportunity for makers of platforms and designers of technologies to network and demonstrate solutions to the military community. This event brings together the Chief of Naval Operations, the Marine Corps Commandant and the Coast Guard Commandant for a town hall discussion. Smaller town halls are available for drilling down into deeper discussions of specific topics and issues.

NCS is showcasing a broad range of technologies and solutions at the show. Equipment on hand includes:

From HP - The HP Elitebook 840, which is impressively thin and light, and empowers users to create, connect, and collaborate, using enterprise-class performance technology that helps keep users productive in and out of the office. The Elitebook 840 is ideal for mobile professionals needing best-in-class, business rugged notebooks with enhanced system and graphic performance in a managed-IT environment. NCS is also showing the HP Pro x2 tablet detachable PC which delivers versatility, security and serviceability. The HP Pro x2 strikes the right balance of mobility, durability, and security in a device that is designed to last. Ideal for challenging environments, this versatile detachable PC lets users be productive outside the office.

From Getac - The Getac B300 ultra rugged notebook is Getac's most popular model and is considered the best rugged laptop on the market. With state-of-the-art processors, long battery life, 4G LTE and one of the brightest displays, the 6th generation B300 delivers in some of the most extreme conditions on the planet. Also on display are the Getac V110 fully rugged convertinble notebook and the Getac F110 rugged tablet.

From NCS - We will feature two innovative selections from our zero client portfolio, the NCS Cirrus LT Plus and the Cirrus DT WiFi. The military are avid users of our patented zero clients.

Our desktop, mobile and portable zero client end points lead the industry in manageability, reduced cost of ownership and improved security. Event attendees are participating in demonstrations of all of our products and have been very eager to learn more about our broad portfolio of solutions.

Earlier this month, NCS was notified about industry-wide security vulnerabilities which affect the Intel-, AMD- and ARM-based products we provide. We are taking action to help our customers address their concerns.

NCS Technologies packages sophisticated general-purpose-rugged and VDI IT infrastructure to support organizations needing rapid deployment to the field. These solutions were developed for the robust needs of the military, but are also useful for first responders and field organizations in need of rugged infrastructure and/or VDI.

NCS Deployable Infrastructure fits into a number of scenarios:

Basic VDI Configuration Workgroup

This configuration includes a Getac ultra-rugged server and patent-protected virtualized NCS end points intelligently integrated into rugged transit cases. The workgroup is capable of supporting a scalable number of clients while delivering centralized control and easy maintenance. The basic workgroup simplifies the reset process that must occur upon returning from deployments. Client images may be easily and quickly changed to support multiple applications and specific use-case scenarios.  A basic configuration includes 1  magnesium alloy Getac X500 Ultra-Rugged Server platform and 7 Cirrus family zero client notebooks.

Come Join Us at Booth #1010

At the beginning of the year we like to showcase a few larger upcoming trade shows where visitors may visit our booth and learn about the comprehensive portfolio of NSC and partner solutions. Today we are talking about AFCEA West, which will take place Feb. 6-8 at the San Diego Convention Center.

West is the premier naval conference and exposition on the west coast, now in its 28th year. Co-sponsored by AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute, West is one of the most popular events where the makers of platforms and technology innovators network, discuss and demonstrate leading solutions in a single place. One highlight of West is a town hall discussion among the Chief of Naval Operations, the Marine Corps Commandant and Coast Guard Commandant. In addition to the main program, there are Engagement Theaters, which are smaller, more intimate venues where military and industry professionals discuss hot topics and issues.

Make plans now to meet up with us at West!

NCS is an important presence at the show, anchored by Booth #1010 and a staff of NCS and partner professionals on hand to answer any of your inquiries about the latest PC technologies, rugged computing and desktop virtualization.

NCS is featuring HP solutions at the show, including the HP EliteBook 840, which delivers security, manageability and performance in an ultrathin design. The EliteBook 840 handles the most demanding tasks with streamlined efficiency and enterprise-class performance, comprehensive security and a refined collaboration experience. Also at the NCS booth, the HP Pro x2 612 tablet strikes the right balance of mobility, durability and security in a device that is designed to last. Ideal for challenging environments, this versatile detachable PC lets you work the want you want.

Speaking of challenging environments, we are also featuring Getac rugged products at Booth #1010.

Protecting Government Data With SecureView

A review of data breach incidents shows that foreign intelligence agencies remain focused on penetrating U.S. government organizations. Russia's ongoing hacking of U.S. assets are related to the historical competition between the two nations going back to the beginning of the Cold War. But Russia is not the only worry, as there are also worrisome hacking incidents tied to the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the China Ministry of State Security. From that part of the world North Korea also presents challenges. Close U.S. ally South Korea claims that North Korea pilfered classified military secrets tied to joint South Korea--U.S. operational plans. Finally, Iran remains a headache, and is linked to multiple malware and espionage incidents, in particular the hacking group that the company FireEye calls Advanced Persistent Threat 33.

U.S. government agencies must remain vigilant against all hacking threats, both known and unknown. And threats are real. Agencies that have been victimized include the National Security Agency, the National Archives and Records Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Office of Personnel Management, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Internal Revenue Service.

SecureView government security, offered by NCS, helps locks down government secrets. It particularly addresses the need to protect employee acess to multiple protected networks from one workstation or PC.

Government and military are using virtualization tools at the desktop to most effeciently access these networks. SecureView, developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and implemented by NCS, is the virtualization solution of choice.

Office Workers Benefit From Mobile Virtualization

During this holiday season it is axiomatic that there doesn't seem to be enough time available to get all the work done. As we all know, work demands do not necessarily stop just because we are out shopping late or making the rounds of holiday parties. When workers need to get do an office task on the fly, they still need to ensure that, no matter where they are, their virtualized end point is secure and functionally equivalent in performance to a standard notebook PC.

Laptop virtualization powered by zero client technology has proved to be the superior way to deliver the most secure and productive user experience available to mobile workers. From the perspective of the IT administrator, zero client end points have also proven to improve manageability and reduce cost of ownership.

From the Desktop to the Data Center

For nearly five years NCS Technologies has been a global leader in desktop virtualization innovation. This blog will discuss our virtualized end point solutions, how they can be used in offices or out in the field, and how we partner with Getac and HP Enterprise to give us the reach to solve any customer problem.

NCS Technologies packages sophisticated rugged and Virtual Desktop IT Infrastructure (VDI) to support the need of the military and first responders to have rapid deployment to the field. The need to be nimble and flexible to respond to military hotspots is obvious. And the just past hurricane season also reinforces the need for rapid, flexible response for civilian agencies.

With NCS Deployable Infrastructure Solutions, NCS has designed and built a packaged IT infrastructure capability to meet practically any need.

Deployable VDI Workgroup

From a VDI perspective, NCS offers hyper-converged back-end solutions and patent-protected virtualized NCS end points intelligently integrated into rugged transit cases. The cases are capable of supporting large numbers of clients in the field without losing centralized control while simultaneously delivering easy maintenance. This approach also simplifies the IT aspects of the reset process that must occur upon returning from deployments. The Deployable VDI Workgroup solution gives the flexibility to easily and quickly change client images to support multiple applications and specific use case scenarios. The NCS zero client notebooks in this solution contain no data making them far more secure than traditional rich clients. A basic configuration includes 1 high quality magnesium alloy Getac X500 Ultra-Rugged Server platform and 7 Cirrus family zero client notebooks.

Protecting Government Data Is a Daily Challenge

As the year is drawing to a close, it's important to recognize that protecting IT data remains one of the most important tasks in the workplace. Data breaches involve many different circumstances, but the loss of government data is always significant - and painful. Well known data breaches have victimized the National Security Agency, the U.S. voter database, the National Archives and Records Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Office of Personnel Management, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Internal Revenue Service.

Circumstances involving each data breach have been different. This blog addressed good security hygiene at the desktop level, where workers routinely access  information networks. Examples of protected information networks include NIPRNet (private IP network), SIPRNet (classified), and JWICS (top secret). 

More and more, the government and military are using virtualization tools at the desktop to most effeciently access these networks. Today, this is most effeciently done through SecureView, developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and implemented by NCS Technologies.