Government contracting veteran Gautam Ijoor founded Alpha Omega in 2016 to help the U.S. government fight the newfangled threats of the modern era: cyber criminality, terrorism and environmental degradation. From its humble beginnings, the company has now risen to a net worth of $132 million and 55 percent year-over-year growth in revenue last year alone. They are now a trusted partner of agencies like the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Ijoor took the time out of his busy schedule to tell GovCon Wire about the foundational values of his company, Alpha Omega’s strengths in cloud migration and cybersecurity and the complex national security landscape, among other topics.
What are Alpha Omega’s core values? How do you think these values translate into continued success and growth in the GovCon market?
Alpha Omega’s core values—harmony, engagement, accountability, resourcefulness, and tenacity—drive our success and growth in the GovCon market by fostering a collaborative environment, enhancing stakeholder engagement, ensuring responsibility in project delivery, encouraging innovative solutions, and maintaining persistence in achieving objectives. These values align with the needs of the federal sector, enabling us to consistently deliver high-quality, reliable and efficient services. These core values have helped us not only retain our skilled employees but also onboard an additional 150 skilled individuals to fuel our three-fold business growth during the Covid pandemic.
What are some of the key barriers that remain in widespread federal cloud migration, and how do you think we can overcome them?
Key barriers to widespread federal cloud migration include data security concerns, compliance with regulatory requirements, budget constraints and resistance to change. Overcoming these challenges requires robust security frameworks, clear compliance strategies, flexible budgeting approaches and comprehensive change management plans to educate and reassure stakeholders. Alpha Omega’s performance in mission critical cloud solutions (from adverse weather event prediction to soft diplomacy advancements) has availed us the tools and playbooks to deliver transformative solutions that break down most of these barriers.
What do you think are the most pressing national security threats we’re facing today? How is your organization addressing these threats?
The most pressing national security threats include cyber attacks, terrorism and climate change. Our organization addresses these through our work with the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State, implementing advanced cybersecurity measures, counterterrorism strategies and climate science initiatives to enhance resilience and preparedness. Our adversaries are increasingly using emerging technologies resulting in dynamic threats. Since 2020, Alpha Omega has heavily invested in research and development and upskilling of our employees to deliver threat mitigation solutions leveraging artificial intelligence, polycloud and Zero Trust security.
Do you think the United States’ cybersecurity efforts are keeping up with demand? If not, how can we accelerate and broaden cybersecurity?
The United States’ cybersecurity efforts are improving but must continue evolving to keep up with growing threats. Accelerating and broadening cybersecurity can be achieved by increasing investment in cutting-edge technologies, enhancing public-private partnerships, promoting continuous education and training for cybersecurity professionals, and implementing more agile and adaptive regulatory frameworks. A strong government-vendor partnership is needed to accelerate and broaden cybersecurity. To that effect, a big component of our investments support Alpha Omega’s Cyber Center of Excellence, which continually upskills our cyber subject matter experts and increases the pool of cyber professions available to our customers on demand.
