As president of Frontier Technology Inc., Jose Hidalgo has helped the company sharpen its focus over the past two years, with the goal of accelerating U.S. military readiness.
In the face of global instability, the Department of Defense and the intelligence community “must be able to quickly identify threats and make decisions based on those threats with speed and confidence,” he said. Equally important, he added, is the need to collaborate and coordinate services.
All of this reinforces the need for data superiority, Hidalgo said, and that’s what FTI is focused on.
The company has a 35-year history of providing the DOD with data-centric solutions, and over the past four years, “we have increased our focus on accelerating DOD readiness through the development and refinement of agile technologies and services, based on AI/ML. “, he said.
This includes advancements in high-throughput data integration, sophisticated and predictive analytics, data modeling and wargaming, model-driven systems engineering, rapid software development, cybersecurity and more Again.
“These solutions leverage a portfolio of technologies developed with more than $200 million in government and FTI investments, and they can be implemented in weeks rather than months or years, at a fraction of the cost implementation of traditional enterprise software,” he said. “Because they are agile, they are also flexible and can be adapted quickly and cost-effectively to meet new and emerging requirements. »
FTI leveraged its strengths to implement these capabilities.
“We are fortunate to have a tremendous workforce of highly committed professionals with a deep understanding of the mission and strong technical skills,” Hidalgo said. “In recent years, we have added additional experts in the areas of AI, ML and predictive analytics, and we have reorganized our teams to get even closer to our customers, foster greater collaboration and accelerate the development of new solutions designed for today’s needs. rapidly changing environment.
With an eye on modern military readiness, Hidalgo highlighted key areas of focus, all of which require advanced data solutions. Advanced analytics, cybersecurity, collaboration, elite talent, speed and agility come together to deliver “data superiority – the ability to leverage data better than our adversaries to achieve mission success” , he declared.
To support data superiority, FTI has invested heavily in artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive analytics, all of which help “add immediate value to a range of missions that support and accelerate readiness,” a he declared.
Take asset maintenance for example. FTI’s Asset Maintenance and Risk Analytics solution “provides powerful AI/ML-based data analysis, key insights and predictive analytics to help manage critical combat asset readiness challenges” , he said.
“AMARA can predict system and equipment failures and other events before they occur and shorten the window from problem identification to resolution in enterprise environments such as maintenance centers in Air Force strength, Navy shipyards, Army general maintenance facilities, and logistics readiness centers, as well as in their supply chain and logistics. partners,” he said.
Another example: FTI added AI to its wargaming solution. It leverages decades of historical data to plan and execute next-generation multi-domain wargaming, “exploring unlimited potential scenarios and putting wargaming strategies to the test,” he said.
To help deliver new solutions like these, FTI has developed what Hidalgo calls an “advanced digital environment.”
FTI’s technology vision “centers on a digital environment that will maximize the value we deliver to our customers. This environment will ensure that as we deliver more capabilities and integrate more of our products, the value created will be more than incremental – it will be multiplied,” he said.
With an analytical framework at the heart of the portfolio, FTI can take individual investments and spread them across multiple solutions, which Hidalgo says is a win for the Army because it can potentially make new capabilities available across multiple branches, more quickly and inexpensively. .
Through standards-based technologies, FTI enables its customers “to leverage their past investments and use our capabilities in complementary and growing ways,” he said.
Regarding the cybersecurity challenge, “we consolidated our cyber offering earlier this year with the creation of the FTI Information Advantage Group,” Hidalgo said. It offers “a portfolio of advanced capabilities and technologies that help DoD customers gain self-awareness to maintain and optimize their cyber defenses.”
All of this appears to be paying off as FTI has won several major contracts from various branches of the DOD. It has recently secured spots on multiple defense contracts, with a maximum total value for all awardees of more than $2 billion.
“We are currently pursuing several more competitive opportunities and are engaged in other late-stage conversations that are close to making decisions,” Hidalgo said.
Looking ahead, the U.S. military faces “a lot of evolving and growing risks,” he said. In this environment, “FTI’s priority is to continue to innovate and equip our warfighters with the data-driven solutions they need to succeed in their missions, stay ahead of our adversaries and remain 110% ready to defend our country at all times. »
