Tuesday, California-based Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO), along with Massachusetts-based EMC Corp. (EMC) and Washington-based Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), announced the creation of an alliance of technology vendors to offer an end-to-end information-sharing technology architecture, Secure Information Sharing Architecture, or SISA, for protecting and sharing sensitive government information.
Cisco said that the SISA alliance will develop IT architectures that permit only authorized personnel to access specific information, while easing the management of shared, protected information across trusted communities. The companies also believe that the SISA will enable a new scenario for cross-government information sharing.
Cisco, a provider of IP-based networking and other relating products, said that the SISA includes industry-leading applications, information infrastructure, and networking technologies to protect customers' existing information technology investments. The company added that the architecture would offer increased protection and sharing for financial and other critical information among authorized communities more effectively.
Cisco would be providing network protection, security-enhanced, virtualized network links, and data protection features for sharing sensitive information across the network platform. EMC, a provider of information infrastructure technologies and solutions, would make available a flexible information infrastructure for storing, managing and protecting critical and sensitive data, with its networked storage systems, information management and security software provides. Microsoft, a provider of software products for various computing devices, will offer identity management, client and network operating systems, and a collaboration framework to help keep content in the hands of authorized users.
In addition, the SISA alliance includes technology vendors that bring innovative approaches to fulfill specific requirements. The additional technology vendors include Liquid Machines in Waltham, Massachusetts, Swan Island Networks, Inc. in Portland, and Titus Labs in Ottawa, Canada. As the customers' needs evolve, the alliance will incorporate additional technology vendors to bring innovative approaches to fulfill other specific requirements, Cisco said
Currently, the six companies have agreed to employ a partner-led go-to-market strategy, with a three-tier certification program, to allow potential SISA customers to select from a range of delivery partners offering a variety of strategy, technology and business services. The alliance would also be providing SISA training for the SISA delivery partners as part of the certification program that will validate the capabilities of systems integrators and other professional service firms to provide implementation, administration and analysis support to SISA customers.
While commenting on the SISA alliance, Steve Cooper, former Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said "I applaud Cisco, EMC and Microsoft for coming together to provide us with a multi-vendor architecture for sharing information across different agencies so government agencies can collaborate better and respond more effectively where and when they are needed."
CSCO closed Monday's regular trading session at $28.45, down $0.02 or 0.07%, on a volume of 33.28 million shares. In Pre-Market trading, the company's share dropped 0.39% or $0.11 to $28.34.
EMC closed at $18.59 on Monday, down $0.07 or 0.38%, on a volume of 36.94 million shares. During Tuesday's Pre-Market trading, the company's stock gained 0.65% or $0.12 to $18.71.
MSFT, which closed on Monday at $29.87, down $0.10 or 0.33%, dropped $0.07 on Tuesday's Pre-Market activity to $29.80.
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