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Tag: cloud

Developer plans $3B data center in Appomattox County

A Connecticut developer plans to build a $3 billion data center on a 452-acre site in Appomattox County.

AVAIO Digital Partners announced Tuesday it had signed an agreement with the Appomattox County Economic Development Authority to purchase the industrial site.

“This project in Appomattox County exemplifies our strategy of expanding Virginia’s thriving data center industry beyond traditional hubs, bringing high-tech jobs and significant investment to communities across the commonwealth,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement.

The site will receive 300 megawatts of power from the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, and Dominion Energy and will have “substantial onsite green power,” according to a news release.

The site is fully zoned for data centers and is cleared and ready for “rapid construction,” according to a news release.

“We are delighted to be working with Appomattox County, Virginia, to make a major investment in the region’s digital and electrical infrastructure that will address the growing demand for digital services in a highly sustainable manner,” AVAIO Digital Managing Partner Mark McComiskey said in a statement.

AVAIO Digital Partners is a data center business managed by AVAIO Capital. The company focuses on developing and construction hyperscale data centers in the U.S. and Western Europe. It has secured more than 1.2 gigawatts of power from utilities “at sites across the country” and is planning to build out the full capacity, with almost 600 megawatts available by 2027.

Powhatan green-lights $2.7B data center campus

Although some Virginia counties are backing away from hosting more data centers, Powhatan County supervisors voted 3-2 in October to approve an estimated $2.7 billion data center campus.

The project will be on 119.9 acres partly bordering Chesterfield County, and supervisors OKed rezoning and a conditional use permit, rejecting the Powhatan Planning Commission’s recommendation.

The developer, Newport Beach, California-based Province Group, estimates that its capital investment at full buildout would be $3 billion, but county staff estimates the full investment would be $2.7 billion, based on Richmond region square footage values. The project buildout is expected to take five years at minimum.

The data center campus as proposed has three detached data centers with a combined 1.525 million in floor area square footage, as well as six supporting structures. About 20% of the property — roughly 24 acres — will be designated open space.

The conditional use permit will allow the developer to build structures up to 75 feet high, rather than being capped at a height of 45 feet.

A Mangum Economics study projects the development will create 165 direct jobs. According to the study, the property’s data centers would directly pay $17 million in county taxes by 2034, and the county’s total annual tax revenue, including indirect taxes from activity the data centers support, would be $21.5 million.

Several Powhatan residents said they were concerned that the project had no end user and has a provision for numerous possible other uses after 18 months.

To secure an end user, “we need to go to market,” Province Group CEO Mark Kerslake told the board of supervisors. “In order to go to market, we need our zoning approval. The users … have many sites being thrown at them. They won’t engage unless we have zoning approval.”

In response, Powhatan Supervisor Mark Kinney said the $17 million tax revenue projection depends on the project being fully built out.

“The $17 million is projected, and that’s if all three buildings are built out, they get a user that wants all three [and] all three buildings are packed to capacity with servers. Well, you know what comes after ‘if’ — ‘but,’” said Kinney, who voted against the permit.

The approved Powhatan data centers would use an anticipated 300 megawatts of electricity at full capacity. Dominion Energy will supply electricity to the facility, which will require building a substation. 

Cloud, cyber company to establish HQ in Loudoun

Fortreum LLC, a cloud-computing and cybersecurity firm, is establishing its headquarters in Loudoun County and creating 53 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday.

The company, launched in 2021, provides cybersecurity and cloud support with an emphasis on regulatory compliance and technical validations, for businesses operating in the public and private sectors. Fortreum expects to invest $125,000 in the headquarters, Youngkin said in his announcement.

Currently, the company uses co-working space in Ashburn in One Loudoun.

“Fortreum’s decision to establish its headquarters in Loudoun County demonstrates the competitive advantage that Virginia offers tech companies advancing this sector in the 21st century,” Youngkin said in a statement. “The commonwealth is a national leader in cybersecurity, and Fortreum’s role in securing and protecting data contributes to the industry’s continued growth.”

The company launched in July 2021, according to a post on its website. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Loudoun County to secure the project for Virginia and will support Fortreum’s job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP), which provides consulting services and funding to companies adding jobs in the state to support employee recruitment and training activities.

“Having been long-time Virginia residents, Loudoun County was our first choice because of the strong technology ecosystem and a diverse cybersecurity workforce within the Northern Virginia technology hub, as well as the collaborative relationship we’ve enjoyed with the state, county and respective universities,” Fortreum CEO James Leach, who also co-founded the company, said in a statement. “As we look to expand significantly, we determined this area provided the best opportunity for exponential business growth.”

SAIC receives $1.3B Treasury contract

Reston-based Fortune 500 contractor Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) will provide the U.S. Department of the Treasury with a range of cloud and professional services under a seven-year, $1.3 billion contract, the company announced Thursday.

Dubbed “T-Cloud,” SAIC will deliver a shared-service cloud infrastructure model providing enterprise-wise efficiencies in access, contracting and security, SAIC said in a news release. The company will also provide business operations, technical, security, network, service desk, subject matter support and transition services.

“T-Cloud will enable the treasury department to rapidly and securely adopt a modern, flexible and cost-effective approach to utilizing and consuming data in the cloud,” Bob Genter, president of SAIC’s defense and civilian sector, said in a statement. “SAIC is honored to be the treasury department’s cloud services digital transformation partner.”

SAIC employs about 24,000 people and reported $7.7  billion in fiscal 2023 revenue. The company announced in May that SAIC CEO Nazzic S. Keene will retire in October. She will be replaced by former Microsoft Corp. executive Toni Townes-Whitley.

AWS teaches cloud skills in Arlington

Christie Bibbs already works in the tech industry as a systems engineer, but she wanted to add cloud computing tools to her abilities.

Through the Black Women in Tech Facebook group, Bibbs learned about Amazon Web Services Inc.’s new Arlington-based Skills Center and signed up for a three-part cloud practitioner course. During the free, in-person classes, Bibbs learned the fundamentals of cloud computing, including more about AWS products and services, as well as compliance with data and security controls. This month, she plans to take an exam to become an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, taking the first step toward her goal of becoming a cloud solutions architect.

“Our clients need various solutions, depending on what they’re trying to do,” says Bibbs, who works in Columbia, Maryland, for defense contractor TransTechSol LLC. “Taking these classes will help me advise them a little bit better.”

Opened in October 2022 near parent company Amazon.com Inc.’s HQ2 East Coast headquarters, the 10,000-square-foot AWS Skills Center includes classrooms and interactive exhibits that demonstrate cloud computing in real time, including a miniature smart home. The Arlington location is the second AWS Skills Center; its first opened in Seattle in November 2021. Both offer free, in-person foundational courses on cloud computing and are a piece of Amazon’s larger goal to provide free digital skills training to more than 29 million people worldwide by 2025.

Russ Cowley, global head of AWS Skills Centers, said the Seattle location has trained “thousands” of people. The centers are meant as launchpads for tech careers, and AWS is targeting “anyone who is new to the cloud,” including underrepresented communities and people seeking to change industries, Cowley says.

Additional courses on foundational topics in cloud computing are planned, and the center will also work with employers and local organizations for networking and career placement events. AWS is already working with Consult Lemonade, a nonprofit that works to connect underrepresented communities in the Washington, D.C., region with career opportunities. AWS partnered with the group to offer a hybrid cloud computing course that started in December 2022.

Bibb says she prefers face-to-face learning and the opportunity to meet other professionals.

“I might even have a nice little study group forming of people who, like me, are trying to learn so that we can move forward in our careers,” she says.

Pangiam to add 200+ jobs at new Tysons HQ

Pangiam, a travel and security technology company, will invest $3.1 million to establish its global headquarters in Fairfax County’s Tysons area, creating 201 jobs over the next three years, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday.

Pangiam provides facial recognition technology, cloud-based applications and data-driven identity solutions to customers including the Department of Homeland Security, the Air Force, Delta Airlines, United Airlines and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The company will expand an existing location it occupied at 7950 Jones Branch Drive by 20,000 square feet to create the new headquarters.

Pangiam was created in 2020 by Boca Raton, Florida-based private equity firm AE Industrial Partners LP through the acquisitions and combination of Alexandria-based software company Linkware LLC and Pangiam’s predecessor company, PRE LLC. In 2021, Pangiam acquired Georgia-based facial-recognition company Trueface. Also last year, Pangiam purchased veriScan, an integrated biometric facial recognition system for airports and airlines, from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

“When innovative companies like Pangiam establish their headquarters in the commonwealth, it strengthens our position as a leader in the technology sector and reinforces Northern Virginia’s reputation as an epicenter with the security industry,” Youngkin said. “Pangiam will benefit from Fairfax County’s proximity to its target customers and an outstanding tech workforce that makes this region one of the most desirable locations for IT businesses worldwide.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Fairfax County Economic Development Authority to secure the project for Virginia and will support Pangiam’s job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment program.

“We chose Virginia as our headquarters for a variety of reasons. First, it’s home. Our leadership team is either from Virginia or built their careers and families here, so it was only right to build and try to contribute to the local community when we started Pangiam,” Pangiam’s Chief Investment Officer Tom Plofchan said. “Second, Northern Virginia has really become a hub for technology companies like ours. The proximity to the federal government provides a unique opportunity to access partners and resources for a critical part of our business. Finally, the human talent in Virginia is world-class. Our collaboration with Virginia’s universities has helped our team, just a handful of people with a vision less than three years ago, compete with some of the largest companies in the world for talent.”

Google completes $5.4B Mandiant acquisition

Google LLC has completed its acquisition of Reston-based cybersecurity company Mandiant Inc. in an all-cash transaction valued at $5.4 billion.

Google is paying $23 per share for Mandiant, which is joining Google Cloud while retaining its branding.

The companies announced the deal in March. Together, Google Cloud and Mandiant will offer customers more capable end-to-end security operations, Mandiant said in a news release announcing the sale’s completion Monday.

“The completion of this acquisition will enable us to deliver a comprehensive and best-in-class cybersecurity solution,” Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, said in a statement. “We believe this acquisition creates incredible value for our customers and the security industry at large. Together, Google Cloud and Mandiant will help reinvent how organizations protect themselves, as well as detect and respond to threats.”

Mandiant was founded in 2004 by CEO Kevin Mandia. In a blog post about the sale, Mandia wrote that by combining Mandiant’s experiences with the scale and resources of Google, “we can make a far greater difference in preventing and countering cyberattacks, while pinpointing new ways to hold adversaries accountable.”

“Mandiant is driven by a mission to make every organization secure from cyberthreats and confident in their readiness,” Mandia said in a statement. “Combining our 18 years of threat intelligence and incident response experience with Google Cloud’s security expertise presents an incredible opportunity to deliver with the speed and scale that the security industry needs.”

Mandiant reported $483 in revenue for 2021, a 21% increase from the previous year.

ASGN acquires Mass. IT company for $350M

Henrico County-based IT and professional services provider ASGN Inc. announced last week that it has finalized its previously announced $350 million cash acquisition of GlideFast Consulting LLC.

Founded in 2015, Waltham, Massachusetts-based GlideFast provides tailored solutions for the ServiceNow cloud computing platform, which helps companies manage digital workflows for enterprise operations. GlideFast has more than 150 active customers and has completed more than 1,500 completed ServiceNow projects.

“We are pleased to announce the close of our acquisition of GlideFast,” ASGN CEO Ted Hanson said in a statement. “ASGN has a longstanding Fortune 1000 account base, and GlideFast has leading ServiceNow capabilities. Together, through the implementation of the ServiceNow platform, ASGN and GlideFast will support our customers in establishing a new digital layer that automates workflows and streamlines business processes.”

GlideFast’s team of more than 350 employees across the U.S., Canada and India is now part of ASGN subsidiary Apex Consulting Services LLC. GlideFast expected to generate approximately $95 million in 2022 revenue and estimated a 30% revenue growth over 2022 for 2023, according to a news release.

A Fortune 1000 company, ASGN reported $4 billion in 2021 revenue.

Reston’s LookingGlass Cyber Solutions acquires Texas tech firm

Reston-based cybersecurity contractor LookingGlass Cyber Solutions Inc. has acquired Austin, Texas-based AlphaWave Inc., a cloud-native tech company that provides attack surface management services.

Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. In a news release, LookingGlass said the transaction will complement the Reston company’s existing cybersecurity services for federal and state government customers by “enabling deeper attack surface visibility into cloud and container environments.”

“AlphaWave’s cloud-native foundation enables them to clearly understand the nuances of managing one’s attack surface across the cloud and containers. This expertise is only going to become more critical as the private sector and government continue to undergo digital transformations and move to cloud-first strategies. We are excited to bring AlphaWave’s expertise and attack surface capabilities into the LookingGlass Suite as we deliver actionable threat intelligence enhanced with an adversary’s view and customized models of an adversary’s capabilities,” said LookingGlass CEO Gilman Louie in a statement.

Founded in 2009, LookingGlass provides cybersecurity services and employs more than 300 people.

 

Lynchburg software firm names federal biz VP

Lynchburg-based CloudFit Software LLC in February hired Tom Sampson as its vice president for federal and regulated industries. 

Sampson previously served as the chief information officer of the U.S. Navy’s F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO). He has 22 years of leadership experience in Navy active and reserve service and 15 years of tech experience. In his new role, he will focus on services for the Department of Defense, the federal government and regulated industry customers.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his master’s degrees in ITM management and business administration from American University. 

Founded in 2018, CloudFit works to implement, manage and secure critical services and applications to the cloud.

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