Brooklyn, NY – November 18, 2024 – Simplesense, Inc, a company committed to rapidly protecting critical infrastructure from cyber attacks and unlocking information needed to monitor, diagnose, and respond faster to events in real-time, today announced that the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center awarded Simplesense a contract as part of a $20M expansion under the Department of Defense’s Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program.
This contract will support the Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) deployment of the Installation Resilience Operations Command & Control (IROC) cloud connected continuous monitoring of Operational Technology (OT) at five additional Air Force, Space Force, and Army installations and marks an important step in advancing the security of defense critical infrastructure.
The APFIT program, managed by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, aims to expedite the transition of critical technologies into production and accelerate their fielding to U.S. warfighters. Designed to support small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors, the program is a key initiative for ensuring that cutting-edge technologies reach military personnel faster and contribute to mission success.
“We are honored to expand our technology platform across the Department of Defense as part of the highly selective APFIT program,” said Eric Kanagy, CEO of Simplesense. “This contract is a testament to our team’s expertise in securing and unlocking OT systems and data to meet the evolving threats to critical infrastructure. By rapidly delivering new capabilities into the hands of warfighters, we are not only enhancing the nation’s defense but also proving that accelerated adoption of new technology is very possible within the DoD ecosystem.”
The APFIT program has become an important mechanism for ensuring that small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors can swiftly transition groundbreaking new technology capabilities into the the field much faster than traditional funding mechanisms. Since its inception, the program has provided crucial funding, with $300 million allocated for Fiscal Year 2024 across 19 projects.
“We must continue to move fast in order to maintain our technological advantage against our adversaries,” said Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. “APFIT now has a proven track record of accelerating capabilities by many years, and our warfighters will greatly benefit from accelerated feilding of the capabilities.”
In 2023, Simplesense successfully completed the IROC prototype at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, FL. Simplesense’s Installation Resilience Platform powers IROC, protecting OT in 140+ buildings for both Civil Engineering (CE) and Security Forces (SF) squadrons. The company led the effort to receive the Air Force’s first ongoing Approval to Operate (ATO) for cloud-connected OT. IROC fuses relevant OT data in Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) dashboards, combining critical CE, SF, and network data in one pane of glass.
As part of the broader DoD initiative to accelerate the fielding of innovative technologies, this project supports the Air Force’s mission to maintain cutting-edge readiness and operational superiority. Work is set to commence immediately, with Simplesense leveraging its cloud, automation, and cybersecurity expertise to rapidly meet the demanding timelines and security requirements of the effort.
About Simplesense:
Simplesense is a non-traditional defense contractor that rapidly deploys proven commercial cybersecurity solutions for Operational Technology (OT). Simplesense’s Installation Resilience Platform ensures mission operators can trust and rely on critical infrastructure data, protecting from cyber attack while unlocking previously siloed data to enable rapid adaptation and response. Formed in 2017, Simplesense is a success story of the defense technology ecosystem, graduating from industry accelerators to a prototype contract with the Air Force’s Installation of the Future in 2020 followed by a production contract with the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center in 2024.
