OIL & GAS

SAS, the leader in business intelligence, today presented the 14th annual SAS Enterprise Intelligence Award for government to the Navy Computer Incident Response Team (NAVCIRT) for excellence in applying solutions for computer network defense. The NAVCIRT uses SAS software to run a Web-based solution named MOBIUS that helps maintain a secure computer network for the U.S. Navy. This world-class solution helps the Navy monitor, report and thwart malicious network activity. The Enterprise Intelligence Award was presented at the seventh annual SAS Government Executive Event in Washington. The event, held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, brings together nearly 300 senior level federal and state government leaders for a program that centers on the theme of performance management across the enterprise. James Carville and Mary Matalin added a Washington insider's perspective as they delivered this year's keynote address. The award recognizes organizations that best demonstrate the use of SAS software to achieve organizational goals and maximize return on investment. "The NAVCIRT is pleased to receive the SAS Enterprise Intelligence Award for government," said Capt. Steven Carder, NAVCIRT commander. "The Department of Defense runs the largest computer network in the world, and our job is to defend the Navy portion of the network. Information is a critical commodity, and it is essential for all the network components to work together to make us an effective war-fighting force because any compromise of those components degrades our war-fighting capability. "The potential for cyberwarfare is very real, and we deal with thousands of probes against DOD perimeter defenses every day," said Carder. "We know that we have enemies with capabilities to wage war in an information domain. By applying information technology, the war fighter has options beyond fighting the enemy on the seas, above the seas or under the seas. We are taking the fight to the enemy in the cyber domain." Faced with the threats of information warfare and cyberterrorism, the work of the NAVCIRT is mission-critical. Its personnel keep watch over and prevent virus attacks or other types of intrusions or disruptions to computer network services that control weapon systems, financial transactions and a wide range of other vital communications traffic. The MOBIUS application provides commanders with situational metrics on the status of the network and stores cybersecurity data for historical analysis, trending, data visualization, reporting and event-correlation capabilities that deliver real intelligence on potential threats. "The MOBIUS application helps us look for anomalies or indications of warnings of a computer network attack," said Jim Granger, NAVCIRT technical director. "We look for probing activities, precursors of someone doing reconnaissance for a possible later attack. We can use this information to stop attacks in progress or predict future attacks, and ideally stop them before they start." MOBIUS delivers event-correlation capabilities and a data warehouse to integrate and store extremely large volumes of computer network defense data, while providing customized interfaces that make information available to Navy analysts and other information consumers. The system is based on SAS Intelligence Platform components that include SAS Enterprise BI Server, SAS ETL Server and SAS Intelligence Storage. "Our people are our greatest strength, and through an interactive development and implementation process to ensure that the data warehouse meets their day-to-day requirements, the MOBIUS application has become an extension of our team and its great work," said Granger. "This solution enables our operators and analysts to use the best of their talents to defend our networks and provide assured information to our war fighters." SAS recognized the strategic vision and collaborative efforts of the NAVCIRT in applying business intelligence to enhance organizational performance. "SAS is honored to present the NAVCIRT with the 2005 Enterprise Intelligence Award," said Marianna Clampett, vice president of Government, Latin America, Education and Canada for SAS. "The groundbreaking work of the NAVCIRT to ensure the security of naval computer networks stands as excellent model for how technology can be used to obtain a strategic advantage in supporting mission capabilities, readiness and a whole host of issues that can positively impact human outcomes for our military personnel and private citizens. We salute the NAVCIRT's outstanding work and unwavering commitment to carry out its mission with great success."