TTPs, CRADAs, MRM, and Fixmo

There are several different avenues for private enterprise and government to work together in the technology field these days. This can benefit all parties involved, from the government agencies to the industry, to the consumer. I want to explore a couple of them today and look at what they can mean to you.

Technology Transfer Programs (TTPs) are abundant throughout government, enterprise and academia. Specifically speaking, government TTPs are designed to leverage the research capabilities of government scientists with the commercial development potential of the private sector. They encourage the adoption, use, and commercialization of government research products through partnerships and are oriented toward finding potential users of the technologies. Nearly all of the governmental agencies participate in some sort of TTP, including NSA, DoD, CIA, NGA, NASA, and more.

A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) is a written agreement between a private company and a government agency to collaborate on research and development. Designated under the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 (which amended the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Act of 1986), a CRADA is intended to speed the commercialization of technology, optimize resources, and protect the private company involved. A CRADA allows both parties to keep research results confidential for up to five years under the Freedom of Information Act. Private corporations participating in a CRADA are allowed to file patents, and they retain patent rights on inventions developed by the CRADA. The government gets a license to the patents.

One recent success story involving TTPs and an ongoing CRADA involves a small company by the name of Fixmo. Evolving out of a relationship with the NSA/CSS Fixmo offers solutions that provide “automated integrity assurance, device management, policy compliance, audit ability, and risk management” to the government and to enterprise. I am talking about Mobile Risk Management (MRM) here. Fixmo’s products allow your business to more actively manage risk within your organization by concentrating on the mobile platforms that may be a vulnerability. Their line of Sentinel products give your network administrator power over phones, PDAs, tablets, etc. that your company might be using. It can protect personal identities as well as intellectual properties, and save you money.

Fixmo has driven the transition of these powerful MRM solutions from a government of-the-shelf (GOTS) products to a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) product. To learn more about Fixmo and how their solutions can help you, click here. Stay tuned to CTOvision for a closer look at these products from Fixmo and a more in-depth discussion of Mobile Risk Management in the next few days.