Georgia Technology Authority Taps Unisys For Hybrid Cloud

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The Georgia Technology Authority has awarded a $219 million contract to Unisys for hybrid-cloud services.

Unisys’ contract win with Georgia follows a six-year, $242.4 million contract awarded to the company last week for server management in concert with the Virginia Information Technology Authority.

The GTA is working through an upgrade of its technology systems in order to improve service delivery and cut costs. Under the terms of the contract, which runs for 5.5 years followed by three 12-month option periods, Unisys will act as a cloud broker, enabling the state to improve its existing IT infrastructure with a more modern and secure hybrid cloud environment that includes access to the Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure public clouds. The GTA is also implementing new security measures including single sign-on authority.

The security of the new solution will be protected by Unisys Stealth®, the company’s microsegmentation software. The Stealth security portfolio, which includes Stealth(identity) for biometrics-based identity access management, relies on microsegmentation to protect information at the packet level. The goal of microsegmentation is to limit the ability of malware to be able to target critical information or move within a system looking for high-value information. Unisys released a new version of Stealth late last year.

As the cloud broker, Unisys is responsible for managing the state’s computing and data storage environment as well as providing deployment, technology refresh, patching, trouble shooting and asset management services. In addition to its cloud broker role, the state has options to acquire additional digital government services from Unisys that simplify access to services by both state employees and citizens.

Georgia’s upgrade comes on the heels of a $100 million investment in the local cybersecurity industry. In March, the Hull McKnight Georgia Cyber Center for Innovation and Training, launched a new website CyberCenter.Georgia.Gov, which provides information on the work being done at the Cyber Center as well as training opportunities.

The Georgia Cyber Center is the largest investment in cybersecurity by a state government to date and, when complete, will reach 332,000 square feet. The initial building, which opened in July and is aligned with Augusta University’s Cyber Institute, houses a cyber range, a 340-seat auditorium and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s new cybercrime unit. The second building, expected to be complete in December 2018, will serve as an innovation and incubator hub for technology startups and will include leasable space available to the private sector supporting the state’s cybersecurity ecosystem.