IT Security

As cybersecurity threats increase, Government organizations are expanding their efforts to secure IT assets, protect the integrity of data and systems, and identify, prevent, and respond to cybersecurity threats. GST partners with its federal, state, and county government customers to meet their security goals so they can keep their assets protected and mission on track.

Our experienced cybersecurity team members have industry-standard training and certifications and real-world experience tackling security challenges for customers with limited resources. Through careful assessment of each customer’s IT threats, mission priorities, and logistical constraints, GST has been able to maintain the security of its customers’ systems and networks while staying within cost and schedule targets and keeping the customers’ mission at the forefront.

Since 1998, GST has provided network management and security support for facilities across all 55 West Virginia counties. We manage more than 50 routers, 150 switches, wireless systems, and a variety of firewall appliances for more than 1,500 users. GST also manages County and Courthouse Network Attached Storage and Storage Area Network solutions, VMWare environments, servers, desktops, printers, and a variety of mobile devices and smart phones functioning within the state/county network. To enhance cybersecurity efforts, GST works with the West Virginia Association of Public Safety Officials to incorporate county government entities into the Multi-state Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) program. MS-ISAC is charged with improving the cybersecurity posture of State, Local, Territory, and Tribal Governments through resource and information sharing among MS-ISAC members. This allows them all to benefit from the most up-to-date information to prepare for and respond to cyberattacks.

GST implemented a comprehensive IT security program for NOAA’s enterprise environmental data system CLASS. Our IT security experts participated throughout the lifecycle of hardware and software changes and upgrades, deploying procedures for security monitoring, event detection and response, security reporting, timely closure of Plans of Action and Milestones, and provision of Cyber Security Assessment and Management artifacts. IT security procedures included:

  • Monthly CLASS system-wide scanning
  • Periodic security tests and evaluations to ensure technical security controls are in place and functioning
  • Regular risks analysis and self-assessments
  • Proactive and on-time security patching
  • Role-based security training for CLASS team members
  • Review and update of policies and guidelines

Our full-lifecycle approach to personnel, facility, and IT security ensured that CLASS had a robust system security posture.

For NASA’s peer review system NRESS, GST SMEs develop, implement, and maintain system security and contingency plans in accordance with NASA Procedural Requirement 2810A and NIST SP 800-53. They apply malicious code controls, including antivirus software, anti-spam software, anti-spyware technology, and network-based intrusion prevention systems, and execute incremental and full data and system backups on a daily and weekly basis.

Scientific Visualization and Communication

GST creates world-class visualizations of scientifically meaningful content from observational and model data for broadcast and print media, the web, conferences, and museums.

Earth Science Applications

GST provides a variety of satellite missions concepts, sensor development, and instrument calibration and validations (cal/val), and provides data downlink, data capture, data storage, preprocessing, and data analysis.

Enterprise Data Systems and IT Operations

GST has decades of experience developing and supporting enterprise-level systems. These include enterprise-level data archives, major components of NOAA and NASA ground systems, and websites for broad user engagement.

Sensor Engineering

GST supports instrument calibration and validation of operational sensors from multiple Earth observation satellites, develops sensor data processing algorithms, perform cal/val, and provide image processing, and develops software and ground support equipment control of planetary spaceflight mission mass spectrometer and gas chromatograph instrumentation.

Cloud Computing Solutions

GST designed and implemented the ABoVE Science Cloud that combines high-performance computing and high-capacity storage for large-scale modeling and analysis of remote sensing data. On our NOAA Mesonet project, we collected and processed weather data from thousands of mobile and stationary sensors using cloud computing, storage, and processing services.

Commercial Weather Applications

GST's commercial satellite ground systems applications, DirectMet®2 and DirectMet®2 Cloud™, provide our customers with low-cost customized satellite imagery and products. Our WAFS-METLAB2™ meteorological workstation integrates worldwide data with multi-window displays, alerts, and customized macro overlays.

Peer Review and Program Support

GST performs peer review support; recruits SMEs and administers peer review panels. We support multiple research areas and provide business and transformational support activities through strategic planning, policy development, user engagement, property management, and project management.

Medical Device Consulting

GST provides technical consulting, engineering testing services, and regulatory and grant support and conducts testing in ISO 13485-2016–certified laboratory. We focus on medical device consulting in the areas of device durability, biomechanical compatibility, medical image processing, clinical research, and regulatory strategy.

Project, Program, and Portfolio Management

GST's management professionals support our clients' management efforts at the project, program, and portfolio levels. We perform policy analysis and strategic planning, and provide recommendations for a holistic approach to manage, collect, and track critical schedule, resource, and risk information. We link programmatic, financial, workforce, and risk data to better understand interdependencies. Our SMEs also develop program-level Integrated Master Schedules and implement Risk Management processes. Our portfolio management activities improve resource allocations across multiple products within an organization.

IT Security

GST partners with its federal, state, and county Government customers to meet their security goals so they can keep their assets protected and mission on track. Since 1998, GST has provided network management and security support for facilities across all 55 of West Virginia’s counties. Responsibilities include ensuring the operations and security of more than 50 routers, 150 switches, wireless systems, and a variety of firewall appliances for more than 1,500 users. GST builds IT security in all IT systems that we design, build, and operate, from individual networks to enterprise-level systems such as NOAA CLASS and NASA NRESS. We hold a TS-level facility security clearance and are actively working toward our CMMC certification.