RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Octo, a premier next-generation federal IT services provider, today announced it has completed a blockchain proof of concept for the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Division of Acquisition. This proof of concept proved the viability of blockchain as a solution for securing log transactions in support of national security reporting requirements and for creating “as-a-service” node solutions that federal agencies can use to verify their log files. The test case for this project involved the Department of Homeland Security’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program, which is part of the Federal Government’s deployment of Information Security Continuous Monitoring (ISCM). The CDM program requires agencies to submit log files and other elements for security risk analysis.
“At Octo, we believe there is immense opportunity for emerging technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence in the federal space,” said Sujey Edward, Octo’s Chief Technology Officer. “As our need for innovation increases, we must avoid disconnected approaches and solutions. Instead, we should employ a holistic view to see the connectedness of seemingly disparate technological innovations such as AI and blockchain.”
“With blockchain, every participant in the blockchain network can verify that their version of the truth matches everyone else’s,” adds Cesar Tavares, Octo’s Senior Director for Innovation and Technology. “This central capability is why blockchain is such a powerful innovation and demonstrates how it can help improve HHS’ security posture.”
Log files are an essential component of the CDM process. However, log files can be easily manipulated or corrupted, which weakens them as an investigative resource, especially for the CDM program. Under this contract, Octo proved how blockchain inherently protects the integrity of log files by ensuring their immutability and provenance. Octo cataloged all log files into encrypted “log transactions” in a blockchain ledger that showed when log files were created, changed, or deleted. This proof of concept proved that blockchain both supports the objectives of the CDM program and improves HHS’ security posture. Given the distributed nature of this blockchain proof of concept, it also acts as a service that any agency can leverage by standing up its own network node.
About Octo
A premier provider of technology solutions, Octo empowers federal agencies to modernize faster. Octo’s combination of technical innovation and pragmatic execution unleashes new capabilities, bolsters security, and transforms service delivery. Octo specializes in scalable Agile software development, user experience design, and cloud engineering solutions to improve, modernize, and optimize government IT systems. Known for challenging the status quo and continually exploring new ways to deliver value, Octo’s superior outcomes are the result of a collaborative, analytical approach and customer partnerships. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Octo builds flexible solutions that evolve as missions change, delivering results that last. For more information, visit www.octoconsulting.com.
