BAE Systems is one of the largest defense contracts on the planet. With a rich heritage behind its back in the areas of arms, security and aerospace, BAE Systems is a supplier and systems integrator for many other defense related projects and equipment.
Like many other fields, digital technologies have made great in-roads in defense related equipment and armaments. It might seem interesting to few that Cloud Computing is very much among those digital technologies being leveraged by the defense industry.
According to the top executives at BAE Systems, the two aspects of cloud powered solutions that clearly stand out from the rest are scale and agility. Given the time sensitive nature of military hardware development and operation, even milliseconds count.
Fast Development Cycles
Behind any modern day military hardware, there is a lot of programming, coding and software involved at the back-end. Each of these elements has to be in perfect synchronization with the other building blocks of such hardware.
For this very reason, such equipment passes through some of the most rigorous testing and evaluation. By leveraging hybrid multi cloud environments, BAE Systems was able to accelerate the development cycles for military grade software and weapon systems.
Rapid Deployment Times
Most military grade hardware is a “race against time”, in which rival companies as well as countries are working on weapon systems with similar capabilities. By accelerating the development cycles of such systems, it becomes possible to rapidly deploy them.
The timely deployment, or commissioning of advanced weapons systems can act as a major deterrent for the country that can achieve this feat. Hybrid multi cloud infrastructures are helping leading organizations like BAE Systems accomplish this goal effectively.
Constant System Upgrades
Like any other super expensive equipment, companies like BAE Systems always strive to extract even the last ounce of performance from their hardware. This is made possible by constantly upgrading the existing software related elements of weapon systems.
Hybrid multi cloud environments help companies like BAE Systems to rapidly develop, speedily deploy, and constantly upgrade their equipment. With multi cloud environments, the company, or its sub-contractors, need not worry about vendor lock-in.
Neutralizing Cyber Attacks
Interestingly, multi billion dollar weapons systems that exist today are way too lethal and destructive to be used in conflicts. The primary role of such military hardware, with such a massive potential for destruction, is creating deterrence.
However, modern day military warfare has also evolved with digital technologies. It comes as little surprise that cyber attacks are now being considered in the broader context of a country’s national security.
It is for this very reason that the overall portfolio of BAE Systems also includes cyber security solutions for the top organizations and weapon systems out there. In the first instance, these robust cyber security solutions secure BAE’s own multi clouds.
It is only after dealing with the potential cyber security threats that companies like BAE Systems are able to leverage multi cloud environments in a big way. Technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are playing a lead role here.
It is by leveraging the power of AI and ML that companies like BAE Systems are able to deliver top notch, contextually aware cyber security solutions to defense organizations all across the globe.
Conclusion
The global Cloud Computing space has evolved in a big way over the past few years. Who would have thought that cloud computing technologies would also make their way into the realm of defense related equipment and entire weapons systems.
By fully leveraging cloud computing technologies, BAE Systems was also able to exit the IT infrastructure business for sensitive workloads and systems. That bit of the company’s portfolio has lately been taken over by hybrid multi cloud environments.
As cloud computing continues to play a key role in the evolution of technologies around us, we always need to be mindful of the cyber threats that lurk around. AI and ML based security systems will have to be augmented by human oversight as well.
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