INSA announces the first INSA American Security Challenge in capital region

The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) announced on August 2 that it will partner with the American Security Challenge (ASC) to conduct the first-ever INSA American Security Challenge for the national capital region.

The mission of the INSA American Security Challenge (IASC) is to connect growing and innovative security, intelligence and technology focused companies (known as “Challengers”) directly with government agencies and/or government contractors, system integrators and potential investors (known as “Pilot Award Partners”).

As an example, Accenture, has signed on as a Pilot Award Partner, with several others to be announced in the coming weeks. Additional information about the INSA American Security Challenge can be found at www.insaonline.org.

Ellen McCarthy, president of INSA, said, “The INSA American Security Challenge is an incredibly efficient and effective way to connect the technology innovators with the public and private sector organizations who leverage the new technology while performing their respective missions of the most crucial work in intelligence and national security.” 

INSA anticipates more than 100 Challenger companies will submit technologies for evaluation.  Challengers can submit information at www.insaonline.org. Submissions will be evaluated against participating Pilot Award Partner requirements. Technology categories of highest interest by the Pilot Award Partners include cyber security, C4ISR, physical security and energy.

“Giving companies with great technologies exposure to qualified sales prospects (Pilot Award Partners) provides these innovators with new sales opportunities. Similarly, the Pilot Award Partners don’t have to spend the time or resources to find and wade through hundreds of ordinary companies outside of their current network to discover the valuable technology partners they would not have otherwise been aware of,” said Roger London, ASC’s chairman.

Industry thought leaders and technology experts are identified and selected to be reviewers.  They review each submission based on technology category and give the technology a “score” within disclosed scoring categories.

Challengers selected by Pilot Award Partners, as well as other high scoring Challengers, will present their technologies at an event on November 17, 2011. Pilot selections, top performers and new partnership relationships will be announced at this event.

“Supporting the American Security Challenge as a Pilot Award Partner is a great way for Accenture to help identify emerging technologies in the cyber security arena, and it fits well with our continual focus and priority on providing leading edge national security solutions and services,” said John Goodman, managing director of Accenture’s U.S. defense practice.

As part of the IASC, Pilot Award Partners will be entitled to “pilot” or test-drive one or more of the highest scoring Challenger solutions against real-world stresses. This pilot program helps accelerate the procurement process and shortens the time it takes to get an emerging technology to market.