Capabilities

Edge Computing for Decision Superiority

From information to advantage with Amazon Web Services

Abstract

From the digital battlespace and the telemedicine arena to the world of autonomous transportation, new technologies are accelerating data analysis to enable better decisions and outcomes. But to get the most powerful insights, organizations are thinking outside the traditional cloud. Processing data at the edge where it is collected maximizes organizations’ information advantage and real-time mission impact. Together, Booz Allen and Amazon Web Services (AWS) help organizations harness today’s modern edge-computing paradigm for insight-driven missions.

Edge computing lets organizations distribute computing functions away from a centrally hosted cloud to the positions where essential operations live. It moves processing power and storage capacity as close as possible to tactical environments, citizen touchpoints, and remote sites. These are the critical spaces where users, their devices, and real-time data sources increasingly interact to move missions forward.

Today, Booz Allen and AWS are collaborating to expand the technical and mission advantages we deliver through edge-computing systems—from faster data processing to real-time artificial intelligence (AI) at the edge and robust endpoint security. With data collection, analysis, and storage all happening at the points where data is generated, clients’ critical applications benefit from low latency and high reliability and can overcome connectivity challenges. The result is decision superiority that drives mission success across the defense, national security, and civil sectors.

Solutions

Secure Operations at the Edge

Our edge cloud solutions enable decentralized decision making for today’s modern missions. Read More

Solutions

Booz Allen and Amazon Web Services

Booz Allen and AWS partner to support the nation’s critical missions through cloud services. Read More

Solutions

Product

District Defend: Go Mobile. Stay Secure.

This endpoint security is designed to accelerate mission success by protecting data, devices, and networks. Read More

Product

Article

Booz Allen and Amazon Web Services

For more than a decade, Booz Allen and AWS have joined forces to deliver cloud services to government and commercial enterprises. As an AWS Premier Services Partner, we have unique technical insight into AWS offerings and have built an experienced team of thousands of AWS-certified professionals. Complementing Booz Allen’s deep knowledge of federal missions, our AWS-specific expertise encompasses government and classified clouds, DevSecOps, cybersecurity, and more.

Through the Booz Allen BrightLabs innovation unit, we collaborate with AWS technical teams to prototype and beta-test new edge-computing services and capabilities. From blueprinting and 5G architecture to deployment and hosting, we integrate capabilities like the AWS Snow Family, AWS Outposts, and AWS Wavelength into cohesive, end-to-end edge systems. With an innovative approach that emphasizes reuse and modular open systems, we assemble and deploy these systems with the speed, scale, and reduced risk and cost our clients expect, no matter their unique mission requirements. Research-and-development projects include:

Deploying Booz Allen capabilities onto new AWS hybrid edge services that incorporate smaller edge-cloud devices for specialized applications
Designing an edge cloud node that provides private 5G services to other end-user devices
Honing tools to improve AI processing and AI-5G integration
Hosting an Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) on the AWS Snow Family to provide situational awareness without a need for reachback to a central cloud
Hosting a client mission systems platform on Classified AWS Snow Family to provide a surrogate for software-in-the-loop/hardware-in-the-loop configuration used in rapid prototyping in a Government Systems Integration Lab
Enhancing the performance of artificial reality and virtual reality tools for on-demand training in maintenance procedures on naval ships
Modeling the use of edge systems to improve vehicle-to-vehicle communication for a fleet of autonomous vehicles

Throughout, our shared focus is to help agencies quickly move beyond prototypes so they can configure, integrate, and operationalize new edge capabilities to support their real-world missions.

Learn how Booz Allen is harnessing AWS Outposts to bring cloud tools to the edge of the mission, for accelerated data processing and decision making.

Click Expand + to view the video transcript

Defense organizations increasingly use cloud innovations to improve operations and mission outcomes.

But certain workloads need to remain on premises when data sovereignty matters, when every millisecond counts, or when large volumes of data need to be processed locally and within precision. Together, RWC outposts and Booz Allen allow command and control planners and intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance analysts to use SWC cloud tools no matter where their data sits.

Virtually any on premises. We Devsecops platforms can leverage US services locally on outposts and use services in the US region for a consistent hybrid experience. This allows warfighters to build, test and integrate applications and rapidly deploy production ready instances across multiple security environments.

Data is discoverable, accessed, stored and processed wherever it's needed so that the C2 ISR units can deliver positive secure outcomes at scale. In partnership with Booz Allen, DOD organizations can fully leverage U.S. outposts at the speed of relevance to push decision making to the tactical edge.

AWS Snow Family

Run operations in austere, non-data center environments and in locations where there’s a lack of consistent network connectivity

Advantage: Access to the storage and compute power of the AWS Cloud locally and cost-effectively with encryption built in

AWS Outposts

Extend fully managed AWS infrastructure, AWS services, application programming interfaces (API), and tools to virtually any data center, co-location space, or on-premises facility

Advantage: Consistent experiences across the cloud and on premises while meeting ultra-low latency, data residency, and local processing needs

AWS Wavelength

Enable developers to build applications that deliver single-digit millisecond latencies to mobile devices and end users

Advantage: Highly responsive decision-making tools for mobile-device users

From edge-only platforms to hybrid solutions with customized levels of cloud reachback, flexible blueprints align application performance with mission needs, including coordination among multiple edge locations.

Benefits of Edge Computing

When warfighters need on-the-ground intelligence in an instant, when federal leaders require secure storage of classified data during global travel, or when sensitive data must remain local for data sovereignty reasons, edge computing systems from Booz Allen and AWS offer a way to host and run data-rich applications where they’re needed most and for missions that extend far beyond the enterprise.

Low Latency

Improve situational awareness by storing and processing data locally even in low-power environments with large workloads when milliseconds matter

High Reliability

Reduce mission risks by removing dependencies on network availability and performance to the edge in demanding situations

Seamless Integration

Maintain efficient operations through full interoperability with devices, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, 5G networks, data sources, and more

Mission-Tailored Designs

Enable classified teleworking from edge to enterprise and neutralize anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) attacks with edge-only options

Resilient Security

Safeguard applications and devices with edge-ready firewalls and encryption to halt tampering and data theft

Edge Computing in Action

Together, Booz Allen and AWS are helping clients assemble and deploy comprehensive edge-computing systems that deliver decision superiority and other key mission outcomes in real time:

From Data to Decision in Flight

Challenge: Modernize a surveillance aircraft’s software “brain.”

Solution: Apply AWS Snowball Edge to enable large-scale storage capacity, high-speed data transfers, and local processing of highly classified data to support remote operations.

Result: Aircraft crews efficiently use data in command-and-control (C2) situations to gain decision superiority across the digital battlespace.

Staying Secure While Going Mobile

Challenge: Safeguard classified data as users move devices between facilities.

Solution: Complement Booz Allen’s powerful District Defend platform with Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), Amazon Workspaces, and AWS analytics tools to deliver automated security management—from a virtualized user experience and quick removal of classified data from hundreds of devices to locking of devices in transit and tracking of counterintelligence threats.

Result: Government devices rapidly adjust to threat environments and lock or shut down when unauthorized users remove them, providing constant protection for classified data anywhere in support of mobile and highly sensitive missions.

Cyber Dominance, On Land and At Sea

Challenge: Execute complex, forward-deployed missions despite A2/AD cyberattacks.

Solution: Harness Booz Allen’s Cyber Precog Flyaway Kit, powered by AWS Snowball Edge, to bring enterprise compute capacity to maritime and other tactical edges.

Result: Special operators access cyber intelligence and effects wherever the mission leads, with frictionless data ingestion and analysis for rapid decision making during unpredictable missions.

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Edge Computing for Decision Superiority