How Microsoft supports AUSA 2023 and the Defense Industrial Base

The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) hosts an annual meeting and exposition that brings together military leaders, defense industry partners, government officials, and academic experts to discuss the current and future challenges and opportunities for the United States Army. This year, AUSA 2023 took place from October 9 to 11, 2023 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The event’s theme was “Transforming for Multi-Domain Operations,” which reflects the United States Army’s ongoing efforts to modernize its capabilities and readiness for the complex and dynamic security environment of the 21st century. 

Defense contractors from across the globe showcased their solutions and capabilities at AUSA 2023. Solution providers making up the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) community are a vital component of national and economic security delivering the research, design, production, integration, sustainment, and service of everything from microelectronics to platforms, airfields, and command and control (C2) systems—all to serve mission needs. Microsoft is proud to partner with the DIB community; innovating with cutting-edge technologies and accelerating adoption within the United States Army.  

Microsoft as a trusted partner is helping our DIB community embrace digital transformation by providing secure, scalable, and innovative cloud-based solutions that enable mission assurance, operational efficiency, and interoperability. Microsoft also supports its ability to modernize product lifecycle methodologies, including the adoption of modern software methodologies and digital engineering best practices.  

We collaborate closely with our partners to help them adopt cloud capabilities for enterprise use like Microsoft 365 in the Azure Government, and Microsoft is now working even more closely with the DIB to enhance mission offerings. This includes the full range of cloud capabilities and services—from commercial Microsoft Azure to Azure Government is the mission-critical cloud built to exceed requirements for classified and unclassified US Government data.

Microsoft unleashing innovation for the Defense Industrial Base

As a prelude to AUSA 2023, we brought the DIB together for the Aerospace and Defense Summit from September 12 to 14, 2023, at the Executive Conference Center in Redmond, Washington. This summit provided a unique opportunity to showcase Microsoft’s dedication to revolutionizing the defense industry through innovative, commercial, and classified technologies for the mission, and the benefits that Microsoft DIB partnerships can bring to the defense ecosystem. At the summit, we presented an overview of our cutting-edge capabilities encompassing a range of industry-leading solutions: from the fullness of the cloud continuum (including commercial hyperscale, edge capabilities, and secret and top secret-accredited offerings), to Quantum Computing, advanced AI, and DevSecOps adoption.

The summit hosted an impressive array of nearly 300 attendees—Chief Executive Officers, Information Technology Directors of DIB contractors, and leadership team members from “Best in Breed” Independent Software Vendor (ISV) partners. Major industry players participated such as Airbus, AM General, GE Aerospace, Ball Aerospace, Textron, Boeing, General Atomics, L3Harris, Leidos, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Palantir, Parsons, RTX, Saab, SAP, and Sierra Nevada Corporation.

We also leveraged this summit to gather varying DIB perspectives and insights as we seek to further inform our own product roadmaps.

Featured topics

The comprehensive agenda featured sessions that piqued the interest of attendees, covering topics such as:

• Microsoft 365 for secret classified workloads
• Edge solutions for mission
• Microsoft Fabric
• Microsoft Azure Government
• Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service
• GitHub CoPilot
• Digital manufacturing and engineering
• Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services
• Process automation
• Modeling and simulation
• Microsoft Azure Space
• 5G

Our intent was to showcase technologies that could improve the DIB’s offerings to DoD end customers. A standout moment was the panel discussion with Lockheed Martin and Leidos, shedding light on the DD254 approval process and their classified cloud migration efforts. The discussion took center stage during the summit because of the multiple partners present and seeking to expedite their journey to classified cloud environments. Yet most notably, it was Azure OpenAI Service that left an indelible mark at the event—igniting internal dialogue and discussions about its potential for the DIB. Microsoft is leading the way with such innovative solutions. 

Independent software vendor partners in the spotlight

ISV partners played a pivotal role in the summit’s success, with prominent booths showcasing their cutting-edge capabilities tailored for the DIB, and available on Microsoft Azure Marketplace.

• archTIS: archTIS, with its booth, provided insights into secure information sharing and collaboration solutions tailored for the defense sector. 
• C3: C3, a key ISV partner, demonstrated its advanced cybersecurity solutions designed to fortify the DIB’s security posture. 
• Conquest Cyber: Conquest Cyber showcased its expertise in proactive threat hunting and cyber defense, offering valuable insights to summit attendees. 
• Crestron: Crestron’s booth highlighted its innovative technologies for mission-critical command and control environments. 
• NeoSystems: NeoSystems, specializing in managed IT services and financial management solutions, offered strategic insights to support DIB entities. 
• Planet Technologies: Planet Technologies’ booth provided a glimpse into its comprehensive digital transformation solutions for the DIB. 
• Protiviti: Protiviti shared expertise in risk management and compliance solutions, addressing the critical security and regulatory challenges faced by the DIB. 
• Quzara: Quzara highlighted its data analytics and visualization capabilities, demonstrating how data-driven insights can drive mission success. 
• Summit 7: Summit 7’s booth showcased its expertise in compliance and security solutions, aligning with the DIB’s stringent requirements. 
• Thinaer: Thinaer’s presence revolved around Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and real-time analytics, emphasizing the potential for data-driven decision-making in defense operations. 

These partners added significant value to the summit by providing attendees with a firsthand look at innovative solutions tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities within the DIB. The event served as a platform for collaborative discussions, idea exchange, and networking opportunities that will undoubtedly drive innovation and success for the defense industry ecosystem. 

Mission engineering: Showcasing Microsoft capabilities

The summit not only showcased Microsoft’s commitment to developing innovative, secure solutions for the DIB sector but also, emphasized the pivotal role of the Microsoft Mission Engineering team within our comprehensive portfolio of capabilities. The team fosters exceptional defense customer engagement and a deep understanding of architectural requirements, feature priorities, and technical and procurement challenges in the defense arena. Among their standout sessions was the Microsoft Azure Government Secret briefing, providing invaluable insights into classified platforms for heightened security and performance like the MS-Isolated Secret Region (MS-ISR); showcasing our commitment to end-to-end solutions for mission-critical workloads. Additionally, discussions around Azure OpenAI Service ignited excitement about the potential of AI in classified spaces. The event also delved into Microsoft 365 classified, demonstrating how Microsoft is transforming collaboration and productivity in secure environments. Moreover, attendees discussed how to accelerate the DD254 approval process for classified cloud access, partnership opportunities, tailored licensing models, simplified legal considerations, industrial security alignment, and efficient cloud adoption and workload migration strategies, all highlighting Microsoft’s comprehensive approach to empowering the DIB.

Discover more

Microsoft for Defense and Intelligence is committed to our partners in the DIB community and our United States Army customers in the mission of providing stability and security for residents, nations, and multinational alliances. The DIB summit went beyond technology discussions and addressed the people, culture, and process improvements that underpin successful partnerships within the DIB ecosystem. Microsoft’s aim is to enhance skills, simplify processes, improve security, and enable cloud adoption working in close collaboration with DIBs to drive innovation and growth for the defense ecosystem. Our sponsorship of AUSA 2023 demonstrated Microsoft is a trusted partner by sharing a vision of how technology can act as a force multiplier for DoD and the United States Army. 

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Source: Microsoft Industry Blog