Accelerating mission-critical software development, securely
Software's pivotal role in shaping our world has undergone exponential growth, surprising many with its foundational significance in virtually every aspect of modern life, as noted by Paul Burnette, vice president of the Leidos Software Accelerator.
“Software has now become foundational to almost everything people do," he said. “We're certainly seeing it drive what's going on in technology in every part of the federal government, from intelligence to health to defense."
Burnette and software architect Drew Formica shed light on the accelerator's approach to tackling the challenges posed by the rapidly evolving software landscape, particularly in the realm of mission-critical software.
Mission-critical software's special demands
“Our near-peer adversaries are rapidly advancing their technology, and it's requiring us to push our systems to adapt and to accomplish new missions at a pace we're not yet really used to," explained Burnette.
The result, noted Formica, is that there's a new need for speed in mission-critical software development. “Providing that speed isn't just about keeping up with the latest trends," he said. “It's a matter of everyone's safety."
But speeding up the development of mission-critical software is no easy task. “Mission software systems have to manage complexity in fast-changing environments that involve precision and scale," he said.
These systems play a pivotal role in critical decision-making processes, ranging from security checkpoints to battlefield operations.
Infographic: Agile Software on a Mission
Burnette acknowledged that significant advancements in rapid software development have stemmed from the commercial sector, prompting the accelerator to find ways to fuse the leading-edge techniques being pioneered in Silicon Valley and other start-up communities with the special demands of the defense world and other mission-critical customers.
“Today's fast is tomorrow's slow," said Burnette. “We need to deliver with the speed of a startup, without compromising on precision, scale, or security."
The key to leveraging that mix is collaboration, said Formica. “We work closely with the customer to understand their pain points, their mission goals, and what efficiencies they want to achieve," he explained. “Once we understand that, we collaborate across [the company] to find out what similar problems have been solved, and what new approaches are coming out of the commercial sector. Then we can share with the customer our vision for where we can take them."
Prioritizing adaptability and security
The adaptability and security of solutions remain paramount, Burnette emphasizes. Integration of both new and mature technologies is essential to ensure stability and reliability, especially when transitioning from legacy systems.
But in all cases, software security comes first, emphasized Formica, which means delivering solutions designed to work in a “zero trust" environment.
“Our systems have to be able to validate access in every component and at every level of the system, as well as across different systems," he explained. “And we need to know exactly what's in our software because when new vulnerabilities are identified, we need to understand exactly what's affected and what's at risk."
Because mission-critical systems can impact people's lives, special care must be taken to ensure that even successful cyberattacks don't take the systems down, added Burnette.
“We saw how the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline forced the pipeline operators to shut it down, stopping the flow of gasoline from the Gulf of Mexico to the entire East Coast," he said. “We want our solutions to be resilient enough to bend without breaking."
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Looking ahead, Burnette noted that the accelerator is exploring ways to integrate artificial intelligence technologies into solutions. “We want to be able to advance our customers' capabilities and lower their mission risks, without compromising reliability," he said.
But whatever new technologies become available, the software accelerator's mission will remain constant.
“We're going to keep delivering solutions that support our customers' missions and help their end-users get the job done," Formica said. “That's what drives the passion here."
