Overview
Collaboration.Ai, a leader in AI-driven innovation management software, sought to expand into the US federal government sector, particularly the Department of Defense (DoD), with its end-to-end CrowdVector innovation management platform. Obtaining the required Authority to Operate (ATO) on DoD networks—a complex, lengthy, and costly process—posed a significant challenge for the startup. By engaging with Second Front, a member of the AWS Global Security & Compliance Acceleration (GSCA) program and using our Game Warden DevSecOps platform on AWS GovCloud (US), Collaboration.Ai secured a Certificate to Field (CTF) for DoD networks in less than 90 days. The deployment was accelerated further by using a custom registry of secure, minimal container images from Chainguard. This approach saved nearly two years of work and $2 million in compliance costs, swiftly opening access to the US federal government market.
Navigating Complex ATO Approval to Access DoD Customers
Collaboration.Ai specializes in AI-powered software that accelerates innovation by leveraging the collective intelligence of communities. One of the company’s flagship products, CrowdVector, is a cloud-based platform that facilitates crowdsourced problem solving, relying on advanced business logic and open, transparent processes. This enables organizations to efficiently capture, prioritize, and advance game-changing ideas. Recognizing the potential impact of CrowdVector within the Department of Defense (DoD), Collaboration.Ai sought to make this software available to US military and aerospace customers to address pressing issues ranging from personnel recruitment to energy management. The platform also could contribute to the DoD’s digital transformation by enhancing collaboration among the more than 600,000 people across the Department of the Air Force.
However, obtaining an Authority to Operate (ATO)—a prerequisite for offering cloud services to the DoD—is a formidable obstacle for many startup companies. The traditional path to ATO is both time-consuming and expensive, often costing millions of dollars and taking multiple years to complete. After two years of attempting to navigate this complex landscape itself, including an initial deployment with the DoD’s Platform One, Collaboration.Ai’s leadership realized they needed an alternative solution to overcome these barriers and enter the federal market.
Accelerating Compliance with Second Front’s Game Warden on AWS
Collaboration.Ai partnered with Second Front, an AWS Partner known for accelerating software delivery to government agencies through its Game Warden platform. Game Warden is a fully managed, DoD-compliant DevSecOps application built on AWS GovCloud (US) that expedites the deployment and continuous accreditation of software to government users. By leveraging Game Warden, Collaboration.Ai could take advantage of the platform’s ATO, dramatically reducing the time and cost associated with the traditional accreditation process and obtain a Certificate to Field quickly. “The team at Second Front offered the speed, agility, and reliability we needed,” says Brennan Townley, chief executive officer of Collaboration.Ai. “They understand the unique challenges small businesses face when trying to deploy within the DoD, and their technology solution works. Deploying with them was straightforward, and their support was invaluable.”
“By deploying CrowdVector on Game Warden and AWS, we were up and running in less than 90 days. This allowed us to deliver for customers early in our relationships, and it changed the trajectory of our business.”
Brennan Townley, Chief Executive Officer, Collaboration.Ai
Game Warden leverages a suite of Amazon Web Services (AWS) products for development, compliance, operations, and monitoring. “Because it’s built on AWS infrastructure, Game Warden is able to more efficiently and effectively meet the security needs of our government clients,” says Mamie Cruse, vice president of partnerships and alliances at Second Front. The platform relies on AWS services such as Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS) for fully managed and simplified container management and is powered by Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) for secure and resizable compute capacity. It also uses Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS) for scalable file storage without the need for management or provisioning, Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) to automatically distribute incoming traffic, and Amazon Relational Database Service for PostgreSQL for scalable database deployments in minutes.
To enhance its ability to streamline compliance for companies like Collaboration.Ai, Second Front is a member of the AWS Global Security & Compliance Acceleration (GSCA) program. This program offers no-cost advisory services and connects customers with expert-vetted AWS Partners to expedite compliance journeys. “The GSCA program has been important to our growth and has opened the door for us to partner with AWS on go-to-market programs on a broad scale,” says Cruse. To further accelerate the deployment of CrowdVector on Game Warden, Second Front used a custom registry of secure, minimal container images from Chainguard, an AWS Partner that specializes in software supply chain security. “Chainguard’s images have 97% fewer vulnerabilities compared to standard market options, significantly reducing the workload for engineering teams that would otherwise need to mitigate hundreds of vulnerabilities per open source image,” explains Leon Jones, vice president of partnerships at Chainguard.
Rapid Deployment and Growth in the Government Sector
By leveraging Second Front’s Game Warden platform on AWS, Collaboration.Ai achieved a DoD authorization for CrowdVector at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional pathways. The typical two-year timeframe was reduced to less than three months, and the anticipated costs for staffing, consulting, and tooling were cut by $2 million. Collaboration.Ai was able to capitalize on immediate revenue opportunities within the DoD that would have otherwise been unattainable. “By deploying CrowdVector on Game Warden and AWS, we were up and running in less than 90 days,” says Townley. “This allowed us to deliver for customers early in our relationships, and it changed the trajectory of our business.”
Additionally, the use of Chainguard’s secure, minimal container images enhanced the overall security posture of the application and reduced the workload on the engineering team. These efficiencies have propelled Collaboration.Ai’s expansion into the DoD.
“We’ve experienced exponential growth in both revenue and deployment opportunities,” Townley noted. “We have new visibility and are now better positioned to help the DoD achieve its goals of innovation and digital transformation.”
Brennan Townley, Chief Executive Officer, Collaboration.Ai
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