Corsha has earned a contract via the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program's (OSD ManTech) "Point of Need Challenge Pitch Event," according to a prepared statement.
Corsha is also planning OSD ManTech project demonstrations for December 2023 in a simulated cold weather environment supported by Army DEVCOM, the company said.
A Closer Look at the Corsha's OSD Contract
With the OSD contract, Corsha will provide zero trust network access (ZTNA) to forward-operating bases (secure military installations) across their Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) environments, the company said.
In addition, Corsha will deploy its platform and demonstrate regulated access to a tabletop FANUC Robotic Arm and controlled, zero trust access to a shared artifact repository, the company said. This allows Corsha to cross operational technology (OT) and IT networks and treat all "machines" the same way. Corsha can therefore secure communications and data movement from OT equipment at the point of need to IT applications and the cloud.
What Corsha's OSD Contract Means for MSSPs
Corsha offers a zero trust platform that "sits at the intersection of machine identity, zero trust and API identity," the company said. With this platform, organizations can protect their machine identities, enforce authentication and access to systems and services and secure their service-to-service traffic. As a result, they are well equipped to secure their networks to the edge.
Meanwhile, MSSPs can utilize IIoT technologies to protect supply chains and other manufacturing networks. Corsha's OSD contract could lead to innovations that help MSSPs integrate such technologies into their portfolios.
Corsha founder and CEO Anusha Iyer referenced a recent MSSP Alert Top 10 article, Stopping Cyberattacks with a Self-Defending Factory Floor, explaining that this work with OSD and Arm would actually take that to the next level. Accordingly, his company is "taking a very identity-first approach to OT security at the very tactical edge."
Explaining why MSSPs should prioritize protecting their customers' networks all the way to the edge, Iyer told MSSP Alert:
"This work with OSD, ARM (advanced robotics and manufacturing) and Corsha shows the realm of possible here to protect the digital backbone of these industrial IoT networks all the way at the tactical edge. MSSPs need to get ready to protect these types of tactical edge networks, potentially filled with manufacturing devices, and enterprise networks may need to be able to support offshoots like this in scenarios where they go off, are disconnected for a bit, do their mission and then come back to reconnect and join the enterprise network again."
What the Future Holds for Corsha
Corsha will continue its work to improve cybersecurity in the manufacturing sector, the company noted.
At this time, Corsha does not offer a partner program for MSSPs, MSPs and other technology providers. However, Corsha may look to develop and launch a channel partner program in the future.
