As Palantir continues to win U.S. government bids and remain a stock to watch, the world continues to watch as the organization grows and accesses more data. Palantir’s software helps governments and industry look at all the data that’s being collected and find patterns and connections – and that’s a key capability for national security. But not everyone is excited about Palantir’s role in the industry. As the organization backs other organizations in digital health, aviation, and robotics make their own public debut through a special purpose acquisition company, just across the pond, many are launching a campaign to stop the connection between Palantir and the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS). As the role of data grows throughout the world, the ability to make connections is critical to national security – as well as tracking health responses, like we have needed to do during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Layoffs Impacting the Cleared Industry
| Minnesota | While we tend to think of furloughs and shutdowns as only impacting the federal government, it turns out that states are not immune from the impact of budget woes either. Over Memorial Day weekend, 38,000 state employees got a letter from their governor, letting them know that if legislation doesn’t pass, by June 30, the possibility of a layoff is real.
“This past year has been unbelievably challenging, and I’m sorry that the budget situation at the Legislature causes additional stress and uncertainty,” Gov. Tim Walz said in a Tuesday, June 1, follow-up letter to state employees. “I will continue to do everything I can to reach a balanced budget agreement in time to avert a shutdown.” |
|---|
Hiring impacting the Cleared Industry
| Amazon Web Services | As Amazon has continued to grow its reach in its cloud-computing unit, they have made key moves to partner with national security agencies. According to Politico, Amazon Web Services has had its eye on recruiting former government officials with 66 hires since 2018 of candidates with acquisition, procurement, or technology adoption experience. Candidates have served mostly in the DoD, but others hale from DHS, DOJ, and the VA.
While Amazon Web Services has focused on candidates with an insider’s view to help shape their proposal process, they are also hiring cleared engineers, cloud developers, cloud architects, and more – in various locations around the country. |
|---|
Cleared Employer at Work: Northrop Grumman
At Northrop Grumman, you can visualize a career that can take you places, build your skills, and grow – not just for a project, but for a career. Ready to join the team that is Defining Possible?
Opportunity to Watch
With ransomeware and cyber attacks a constant threat, the recent Executive Order and response from U.S. Cyber Command highlight the opportunities for additional contracts in the days ahead. Not only will the federal government and industry increase scrutiny, but it also means that not only cyber, but other fields will continue to see talent demand.
“Organizations need to implement cyber defenses that can reduce the attack surface and detect ransomware attacks in real-time, not just prepare for quickly resuming operations after a ransomware attack,” Saryu Nayyar, CEO of unified security and risk analytics firm Gurucul told ClearanceJobs via an email. “Modern security operations should include data science powered technology paired with traditional cyber defenses to thwart ransomware attacks.”
Not only will contracts require ongoing cyber specialists once systems have been set up, but it will also need to be written into the requirements. The more connected we become, the more vulnerabilities are at risk. Reactive measures are important, but proactive efforts could be the game changer so we don’t live out a scene from a science fiction thriller.
