My husband and I often chew the fat about what a pain it is to go back and forth between classified computer systems and non-classified systems—even rooms where the systems are housed. He works on government contracts in technology and intelligence, and he constantly accesses data throughout the day.

So my ears perked up recently when I heard that a technology designed to make life easier for folks like him—while keeping the data safe and sound—is nearing broad government approval. Systems based on the National Security Agency’s NetTop technology should be approved by the end of 2007 for a wide variety of applications in homeland security, the military, and law enforcement. Thousands of additional computer systems will be based on NetTop if all goes well, so government contractors working in these fields will want to keep their eyes peeled for possible system changes around the bend.

NetTop architecture isn’t new, of course. The NSA began developing it in the 1990s because they had specific needs regarding classified information. Their desire to develop the technology came partly as a response to security problems within commercial applications. They also wanted to be able to access different networks on the same workstation—networks that were at varying classification levels and that needed to stay safely separated.

NetTop technology accomplishes the goal of letting users simultaneously access domains at different security levels. Operators can also use the system to transfer data from one domain to another. A few more key advantages:

• It allows users to get rid of the collection of CPUs and tangle of cables they otherwise need to maintain domain security.
• Its architecture allows for the use of thin clients. These are systems that keep users from introducing security risks through a vehicle like a new software application.
• It offers robust performance by using the features in security-enhanced Linux.

Both Hewlett Packard (HP) and Trusted Computer Solutions (TCS) licensed NetTop technology and then built systems around it, and these systems are currently going through certification and accreditation. Certain products that use HP and TCS NetTop technology are already in use. These are specifically for accessing—not transferring—data in top secret and below (TSABE) environments, and only in certain conditions. For example, to access the current system, an individual may be required to have a high-level security clearance.

It will be interesting to see how quickly—or slowly—NetTop is implemented in additional government programs. If changes eventually affect most intelligence personnel and much of the military, I see a lot of CPUs going out the window.

Chris Rasmussen, Chief Knowledge Officer at the Defense Department’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, will speak at the Web 2.0 for Business conference this November. Rasmussen has spearheaded Intellipedia, the Wikipedia for the Intelligence community. Intellipedia allows for employees across the 16 United States intelligence agencies with classified clearances to edit and publish information.

One of the major differences with Intellipedia, as Rasmussen outlined in webcast presentation available here, is that there are no anonymous edits. This means everyone is accountable for the content they publish and edit.

“In the intelligence business, something that is 80 percent on time, accurate and sharable is much more valuable than a perfectly formatted report that’s over classified, has perfect fonts and comes too late,” Rasmussen said in a recent interview with Federal Computer Week.

Rasmussen will speak on his experiences in developing the intelligence community’s social-collaboration projects as well as his perspective on the web 2.0 world and its impact within the federal government.

If you have a moment, head over to Federal Computer Week to view Rasmussen’s full webcast. The presentation is a great Intellipedia 101.

Click here for a full list of conference speakers.

This past Wednesday I attended the Tech Council of Maryland’s 3rd Annual Ultimate Crab Feast and Summer Networking Event at Smokey Glen Farm Barbequers, Inc. And before you get any funny ideas, I was there purely to find out what some of the areas leading technology companies and executives were up to and network a little. The fact that all-you-can eat Maryland crabs were featured, along with Texas Beef Brisket and BBQ Chicken was, in all honesty, a refreshing surprise.

The event started at 4:30, but I figured it would be best to arrive fashionably late at 5:00. After all, how many attendees could possibly be there at 4:30? Well, as it turns out, quite a few. In fact, most of the well over 100 attendees were scattered across three long picnic tables with a mallet in one hand and a Sam Adams in the other. Overall, the event was expertly organized and went off without a hitch - though I did see two slightly inebriated network engineers engage in a heated argument over the best switching technology (just kidding).

In chatting with local tech executives and managers, there is much to be excited about. All pointed to rapidly growing businesses and strong future prospects. Being DC, it wasn’t surprising to hear that many, if not most, of the attendees were working on or counting on big government projects. Even smaller firms spoke of significant pieces of government business, that, according to this recent INPUT research report, may become even bigger as 2007 comes to a close. INPUT estimates that the Federal Government will spend $20 billion on IT in the fourth quarter - which has been the seasonal pot of gold for Federal IT providers.

One of the more interesting firms with a sizable presence - they were the event’s main sponsor - was Mantaro Networks. Mantaro provides product development services to technology companies, (primarily in the telecom, software, semiconductor space) enabling clients to outsource this functionality as needed. The model works well when the sector is going strong, and just as well during leaner times because clients are more apt to outsource product development functionality rather than the far more expensive alternative of building out the capability in-house. And, per my earlier post, they are yet another Germantown-based firm with a big play in the telecom space.

As a native Midwesterner who eats Maryland crabs just infrequently enough to forget the proper technique every summer, I stuck to the beef brisket. But judging by my conversations Wednesday night, it is safe to say the only thing hotter than the steaming hot crabs might just be the prospects of the attendees’ companies.