Transforming Our Clients

Transforming Ourselves

Appendix

TRANSFORMING

OUR CLIENTS

Booz Allen integrates creativity with technology to take clients beyond the expected. The art is seeing the true nature of the problem; the science is applying never-before-tried ideas and capabilities to solve it. We transformed how veterans’ benefits are processed, how defense leaders access critical data, and how warfighters receive essential training.

such as encountering an IED or employing Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS). Derald, a veteran himself, says that VR/AR helps Soldiers “experience the same conditions and environments they’ll be operating in, and in context with how they’ll execute their missions.”

+ FABRICATION/SIMULATION: In addition to encountering potential threats in a virtual world, Fabricator William Maxcy and Lead Engineer William Dietz can replicate the real thing from pictures and other specifications of threats (IEDs, drones, etc.) that U.S. Soldiers encounter. They make a copy—same materials, size, and mechanisms—in a matter of days. It’s immediately implemented into training where Soldiers are taught to identify and disarm—before they ever get deployed. “As veterans ourselves, if we can impart knowledge that keeps a Soldier or his or her buddy alive, that’s a good thing,” says Will.

+ AIR FORCE’S DISTRIBUTED COMMON GROUND SYSTEM (AF DCGS): Broadly defined as a weapons system, DCGS is an efficient, functional, and agile tool dedicated to processing and disseminating information to airmen. A cross-functional Booz Allen team is working with the Air Force to reimagine the capabilities of an international communications architecture by connecting multiple intelligence platforms. Most importantly, DCGS helps assess shifting battlefield threats—and save lives.

“The purpose of this program is to provide critical
intelligence to warfighters in theater,” says David Roberts,
solutions architect. “The system provides images and
information on electronic signals in the field,
and it helps them better plan operations
and protect their position.” And we’re
doing it faster—designing, building,
testing, and deploying technology
that would typically take 3 to 5
years in as little as 18 months.

The advanced technology solutions we provide are just one way that Booz Allen is pushing the envelope and evolving the way we offer client solutions to the defense and intelligence community. Check out a related story to learn more about our training solutions to the warfighter.

I sleep better at night
because I know my son and other Soldiers had multiple touch points with the training that Booz Allen provides. I know that the work we do is saving lives.

TODD BURNETT

Deputy Program Manager

Todd Burnett is passionate about training today’s Soldiers for the challenges they’ll face during deployment. A retired Command Sergeant Major for the U.S. Army who spent 30 years as a counter-improvised explosive device (IED) expert, Todd is committed to his work as the Booz Allen deputy program manager for the Global Threat Mitigation Program (GTMP)—a game-changing program that’s redefining excellence in client service. That dedication is magnified by the fact that his own son is now deployed in Afghanistan doing the same counter-IED route clearance operations that Todd once did. And Booz Allen helped to train him.

“I sleep better at night,” Todd says, “because I know my son and other Soldiers had multiple touch points with the training that Booz Allen provides. I know that the work we do is saving lives.”

This training is just one aspect of GTMP, a complex grouping of work comprised of 13 separate functions that Booz Allen performs for the benefit of 50+ Department of Defense, intelligence community, and federal civilian clients. These 13 distinct functions have a common goal: mitigating threats around the globe.

“With GTMP, we embarked on something that hadn’t been tried before—if you bring together clients with similar needs and requirements, you can create efficiencies, lower costs, allow for collaboration and knowledge sharing, and streamline processes,” says Booz Allen Program Manager Adam Straub. And it’s worked. Military, intelligence, and other organizations operate independently from one another, which can make information-sharing more challenging. GTMP is designed to bring people together—with its own motto: Victory Through Partnership.

[music playing] Female Speaker: Threats to America’s war fighters and borders are constantly changing. Booz Allen’s Global Threat Mitigation Program, or GTMP, diffuses threats by transforming training, streamlining procurement, and fueling collaboration across military and intelligence commands. Anja Vaughn: What distinguishes the GTMP task order from others is that there’s 1,700-plus people on it for 50 different agencies and 140 unique work activities. Adam Straub: We’re the largest task order that was awarded in the history of the firm, with nearly a billion dollars of sealing. Heather Fortuna Bush: It’s not just about the content but the processes that are shared, that are benefitting the program as a whole. Forging connections between government entities and missions I don’t think that would traditionally collaborate. Adam Straub: The diversity of GTMP is amazing. Not only are we training soldiers, but we’re also briefing four-stars and the Secretary of Defense on how to mitigate and deter the next conflict. Female Speaker: It’s often a personal mission. Todd Burnett: When I was a battalion Sar-Major -- it’s been about 58 months in Iraq and Afghanistan. Had about 1,050 people, and I lost two soldiers. And both of them were killed by improvised explosive devices. So, it touched me and it made this where I wanted to save every life and change the world through training. An example: we find a box mine on the DMZ. We take a picture, we send it back to our fabricator; he replicates that, and in 72 hours we head it back and implement it into training. Adam Straub: Traditionally, the army takes four to seven years to introduce new threat mitigation tactics. We’re doing it in days. Todd Burnett: This program is literally saving lives every single day. [end of transcript]

Here are a few ways that GTMP is helping transform our clients’ missions:

ADVANCED THREAT ASSESSMENT

Considered the program’s “nucleus” according to Booz Allen Quality Manager Tamara Luikart, intelligence analysis and threat assessment gathered through GTMP is disseminated across the program’s 50+ organizations. “They use the information to fulfill their missions of keeping our nation and its citizens safe,” Tammy says.

What’s more, all intelligence the program gathers is housed and shared through an existing defense information portal, where every GTMP organization and Booz Allen employees supporting the program can access it. GTMP training materials and other resources are also housed there.

TRAINING

Instructional design, virtual and augmented reality technology, and logistics and fabrication are among the numerous functions that support training delivery, mainly for the Army, on GTMP. Training is the program’s largest activity. “We ensure training is unified, standardized, and optimized. No matter where a Soldier is being trained, they receive the same content in a consistent manner,” Todd says.

Because of the advanced threat assessment, Booz Allen can assess and implement that new threat information into training module delivered to Soldiers in a matter of days, whereas it used to take months or even years.

And we’re not only taking care of our own Soldiers, we’re supporting the safety of the global community through our partner nation training for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, Partnership for Peace countries, and the Global Peace Operations Initiative.

SCALE

GTMP is the largest task order at Booz Allen, with about 1,700 employees supporting it worldwide. GTMP supports military commands in all geographic locations, paving the way for military organizations to collaborate in new ways. It’s a flagship not only for Booz Allen but also for our government clients, who are looking to model future work based on this program’s success.

“GTMP is an amazing effort. It’s really difficult to summarize the work we’re doing in a few words. We’re saving lives around the globe. We’re fundamentally changing the way things have been done,” Adam says. “GTMP is a trailblazing endeavor, and we’ve spent 2.5 years paving new terrain for others to follow, on a smoother path to how we can deliver solutions to our clients—better, faster, and more efficiently.”

In just 5 years, that small project has grown by leaps and bounds. We’ve transformed the agency’s IT enterprise, developing and delivering core secure mobile capabilities—with an integrated framework of engineering and requirements, rigorous testing and evaluation, and strategy and governance.

Now, more than 100,000 DoD mission partners are using the secured devices, enabling secure mobile communication at three different classification levels, including Top Secret for senior executive leaders. “We’re putting the full power of mobile computing into their hands with full DoD-grade security,” says Jeff Prevett, enterprise mobility support portfolio manager. “Whether it’s a government official or a tactical user overseas, we’re enabling real-time access to data and services to enhance open collaboration and near real-time decision making.”

Now that DoD is mobile first, it’s time for the next step in their transformation. We’re further supporting the enhancement of the DoD mobile enterprise, introducing new, more sophisticated capabilities like location-based awareness and mobile threat detection. The result: We’re able to deliver a secure, reliable mobile ecosystem that our clients require to evolve to a mobile workforce.

“We’ve built a functional brand, while making significant impact and bringing more value to our clients, championing everything that Booz Allen brings to bear,” Mark says. “We’ve set the stage for a mobile capability that will be around for years to come.”

Booz Allen is the only company in the world to hold all three of the U.S. Government’s elite cybersecurity accreditations.

These (1—3) and the other accreditations listed here demonstrate our ability to deliver highly trained cybersecurity professionals, documented and repeatable processes, and industry-leading technologies and methods in the defense of the most critical systems out there.

Our cyber professionals hold more than 6,800 individual cyber certifications between them, including Security+, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).

NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY (NSA)

CYBER INCIDENT RESPONSE ASSISTANCE (CIRA)

NSA’s CIRA accreditation distinguishes Booz Allen as a qualified provider of rapid, onsite incident response and intrusion detection support.

NSA VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT SERVICE (VAS)

NSA’s VAS accreditation distinguishes Booz Allen as a qualified provider of security scanning and vulnerability assessment services.

GSA HIGHLY ADAPTIVE CYBERSECURITY SERVICES

As a holder of all four GSA Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services special item numbers, Booz Allen is pre-vetted to provide agencies with critical cybersecurity support.

AGENT OF THE SECURITY CONTROL ASSESSOR (ASCA)

As an ASCA, Booz Allen is authorized to perform cybersecurity risk assessments on systems and devices intended for use on U.S. Air Force networks.

CREST CERTIFICATION

Booz Allen has received CREST’s internationally recognized cybersecurity accreditations in the areas of incident response, penetration testing, and threat intelligence.

MITRE CVE NUMBERING AUTHORITY

Booz Allen is authorized to add newly discovered software and system vulnerabilities to MITRE’s archivally numbered list of common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE).

[music playing] Owen Beste: The CSN platform is making sure that teams have the tools that they need and that they can get those tools quickly efficiently, and securely. Leann Adams: Prior to the CSN and the Self-Service Portal, there were a bunch of team that were running the same or similar systems and applications, and each team was responsible for the security and compliance within their environment. We provide centrally-managed systems and applications which reduces the firm’s security risk footprint. Andy Lefko: So, what we do at bottom line is to enable team to focus on what’s important for fulfilling their client’s mission rather than dealing with these different types of administrative burdens and costs. Owen Beste: My team at the CSN provides impact on a daily basis to over 3,000 users of our platform. Oliver Morales: We support the infrastructure, we support the work, we support the applications, the systems. Users can call us at 24/7, 365, anytime when they have issues with their projects, their systems, and ensure they know things are working for them. Andy Lefko: I think we’ve had a great impact in many ways: cost, time, risk, security, to make sure that we’re hitting all of our service level objectives and also to continuously improve. [end of transcript]

Jennica Brodeur had a technical issue. She couldn’t access the firm’s cyber threat monitoring tools she needed to do her job. As client relationship manager for Booz Allen’s Cyber4Sight team, Jennica works with cyber analysts to help our commercial clients stay ahead of cybersecurity threats.

Jennica knew just who to contact to troubleshoot—the Client Solution Network (CSN). “They’re our go-to team,” says Jennica. “They effectively handle our technical issues, backend setup, and account management processes.”

CSN’s Network Operations Center Manager Oliver Morales is quick to point out that it’s a 24/7, 365-day-a-year operation. “Users call us anytime they have security and service issues with their projects and systems. We ensure things work for them.”

The process wasn’t always so smooth. “Before CSN, things were clunky,” Jennica says. “If we needed an account set up or had an issue, there were long delays as engineers juggled multiple service requests. Timeliness and consistency are much better now.”

The operational support provided by the Network Operations Center is one of many essential components in the CSN software delivery platform. We’ve enhanced our infrastructure firmwide to meet the evolving needs of our clients, with robust tools, cloud services, and more efficient governance.

Historically, client delivery teams procured, engineered, and operated their own tools, infrastructures, and hosting in hundreds of isolated project environments—which often took weeks to configure. Using heavy automation, we’ve transformed our internal processes to better create, deliver, and protect our client projects.

Working with client teams to drive requirements, the CSN team designed a secure, self-service software delivery portal that’s centrally managed. Software development teams simply enter their project name and add team members, tools, and services. The platform automatically deploys those resources into the hosting environment—in a few short minutes.

“We’ve standardized and centralized apps and services,” says Owen Beste, platform and applications lead. “The platform gives teams the tools they need—quickly, efficiently, and securely.”

Now serving more than 3,500 people on more than 1,000 projects firmwide, CSN allows our people to concentrate on what’s important—ensuring the future success of our clients and their missions.

“Because of the operations support and tools CSN provides, we’re able to provide fast, effective, and streamlined services to our clients,” Jennica says.

Because of the operations support and tools CSN provides, we’re able to provide fast, effective, and streamlined services to our clients. JENNICA BRODEUR Client Relationship Manager

HELPING OUR CLIENTS TRANSFORM

Transformation is the heart of what we do. We’re helping clients with their most challenging and transformative projects—innovating solutions, enhancing capabilities, and modernizing processes.

U.S. NAVY

The Navy has one of the world’s largest intranets, comprising more than 800,000 users. Booz Allen helped them modernize and regain visibility and control of their intranet after relinquishing it for more than a decade.

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE (IRS)

Booz Allen helped develop a new streamlined and mobile-friendly IRS.gov and the popular IRS2Go app—now the No. 1 most downloaded government app ever.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DoD)

Booz Allen developed mobile capabilities for the DoD across three security classifications and deployed the Federal Government’s first enterprise mobile tablet solution at a Secret classification level.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA)

For the VA, Booz Allen led development of the Veterans Benefits Management System. The software solution replaced an antiquated, paper-based system and brought the claims backlog down by 88 percent.

When Sabina Shrestha emigrated from Nepal at 16, she never guessed she’d teach herself to code. Now the SharePoint developer and task lead is doing exactly what she dreamed of as a kid. “I wanted to wake up and solve problems that would make a difference in people’s lives,” Sabina explains.

Unconscious bias occurs when our brains make snap judgments without our realizing. A prime example is the perception that female leaders are aggressive rather than assertive—a stressor that can’t be ignored.

“Unchecked, this leads us to make decisions that support unintentional exclusion,” said Cheryl Wade, Diversity and Inclusion Lead. “We’re creating an unconscious bias and inclusive leadership curriculum that goes beyond training to create experiential learning and promote accountability.”

Army veteran and Project Manager Diane Wilkerson points out that this bias has other negative ramifications. “I’m much better than I used to be, but confidence is the thing that still plagues me. We must learn to walk into a room and project confidence,” said Diane. “As soon as someone hears a woman’s voice, there is this idea that you can’t stand up to the pressure. At some point in my lifetime, I hope people will stop all the nonsense—stop thinking women aren’t tough enough.”

Equally important, men must act as allies—challenging their own unconscious bias and where it shows up in our systems and processes.

“The No. 1 way men can be an ally is by sponsorship. Be someone who will advocate and put their own political capital on the table to elevate someone else’s career,” said Cheryl. “It must be an active activity.”

But it doesn’t stop there. Booz Allen is also constantly auditing and benchmarking to make sure we address inequities as soon as they emerge.

IT Strategist Jenny Oh sees progress—both professionally and personally. “We’ve had huge struggles, but we’re making strides. It makes a big difference because it helps how we navigate our home life as well. Confident women change the world.”

Booz Allen continues to evolve its employee value proposition—the promise we make to our employees about the kind of firm we are. Commitment to a diverse workforce is an essential part of that promise.

Vice President Bob Miller, a leader in

our Infrastructure and Environment

business, has 27 years of experience

as an advocate for diversity.

He asks tough questions of our

firm and of himself: Am I fairly

advocating for all employees?

How can I attract and retain

top talent—women and men?

For Bob, it comes down to five

behaviors that can help leaders

advocate for their employees:

It’s refreshing to see how much leadership truly cares.

ERIKA INGRAM

Risk Business Analyst

When Hurricane Harvey barreled into the Texas coastline in August 2017, it devastated the Houston area. Harvey caused more than $125 billion in damages and changed the lives of 120 Booz Allen employees, leading to a tireless response effort to help those impacted. But Harvey was just one storm during one of the most active seasons on record—a sobering reminder of nature’s unpredictable power.

At its core, disaster response is an exercise in agility, and Booz Allen’s ability to snap into action quickly, nimbly, and effectively rests on a foundation of thorough preparation. But we also know response efforts must evolve, and what we learned from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma is helping us transform the way we prepare and respond to a wide range of calamities.

[music playing] Joe Thurston: Hi; my name’s Joe Thurston, and you’re listening to Booz Allen Stories. In this series, we’ll pull back the curtain on our projects so you can get to know who we are, where we come from, and why we do what we do. Today, we hear from Andrea Tennison, the emergency management specialist who led the effort to keep our employees safe and secure during and after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The stories of selflessness, courage, and passionate service that she heard coming from the impact zones left her feeling truly inspired. Andrea Tennison: I’m Andrea Tennison, emergency management specialist at Booz Allen. For me, passionate service means doing work that you love to benefit the greater good, whether that’s employees, our communities, our clients. For me, the Hurricane Harvey and Irma responses were really game-changing; I responded to disasters large and small before, but nothing to this magnitude that went on for so long. What gratified me was being on the phone with the leaders in our Houston, San Antonio, and Tampa offices day after day, trying to keep their spirits up, trying to account for their people, trying to make sure that they understood the resources and benefits available to them and the affected people within the communities. That was really what it was about for me: making sure those people who had just gone through a horrific, potentially life-changing situation, felt supported by the firm and ready to recover. What I hope in the work that we do is that we’re at least changing the world for the individual impact employee. You know, we unfortunately can’t stop bad things from happening, but we can show that, as a firm, we care for our employees when bad things happen. We have benefits, resources, time off, money available to support our employees in time of need. What I’m looking for is people to feel supported, feel engaged. I want to be in the background supporting our people so that they can then change our clients’ worlds. Joe Thurston: What role did Booz Allen leaders play in our emergency management response to these storms? Andrea Tennison: The leaders in the field for the Harvey and Irma responses really stepped up as leaders. It wasn’t about restating the state of the business and the effect on operations; there was a deep concern and caring for their employees. We had people, leaders, in the office organizing work parties to help rip out moldy drywall from people’s homes who were affected. We had people volunteering for search and rescue crews. It went above and beyond their day-to-day job duties at Booz Allen. There were just amazing stories that bubbled up from the ground level. Hearing those stories was very gratifying, and knowing that our firm was making a difference. We were helping our employees, we were helping our communities. Joe Thurston: Thanks for listening to this episode of Booz Allen Stories. To learn move, visit boozallen.com. [music playing] [end of transcript]

Natural disasters often allow for a few days’ warning—and Booz Allen is using collective brainpower to better prepare during those precious moments. To develop best practices, we tapped into our employees representing various emergency management functions, including client-facing expertise with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. We are leveraging all available resources and developing creative solutions to help those who need it most.

Our new emergency loan protocol is one example. For those who suffer catastrophic damage to their home or primary transportation, we recently introduced a new Booz Allen-funded and interest-free emergency loan program. Loans may equal up to 30 percent of an employee’s base salary, not to exceed $25,000.

“It’s refreshing to see how much leadership truly cares,” says Erika Ingram, risk business analyst.

We also have a wealth of trained emergency personnel within our ranks and want to encourage them to mobilize during disasters. Our updated Civic Responsibilities Leave allows employees who are trained, certified, or an active volunteer (e.g., volunteer emergency medical technician, law enforcement) and called up by a government agency (e.g., the National Fire Service, local police department) or non-governmental organization (e.g., the American Red Cross) to take up to 10 days each year to assist.

Booz Allen is thinking differently. We are anticipating. We’re better prepared. We’re empowering people to help themselves before disaster strikes.