Kristen Smith 
- DISA awards By Light nearly $792 million in cybersecurity contracts
- Programs support secure internet access and enterprise threat inspection
- The CBII contract adds AI-enabled tools for detecting and mitigating cyberthreats
The Defense Information Systems Agency has awarded By Light Professional IT Services two cybersecurity contracts, totaling $791.9 million, to strengthen the Department of War’s enterprise cyber defense and secure internet access capabilities.
DISA posted award notices on Tuesday on SAM.gov: a $298.1 million Cloud Based Internet Isolation, or CBII, contract and a separate $493.9 million Full Content Inspection, or FCI, managed service contract.
Under the CBII award, By Light will provide enterprise-wide remote browser isolation services using Menlo Security’s Cloud Browser platform to support approximately 3.2 million users throughout the DOW. The cloud-based isolation capability is intended to protect personnel from web-based cyberthreats by separating internet activity from endpoint devices through a secure cloud environment.
The follow-on contract renews existing Menlo Security subscription licenses, adds new licenses and integrates Menlo’s Highly Evasive and Adaptive Threats Shield artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities.
DISA’s presolicitation notice stated the procurement was limited to authorized Menlo Security resellers with active Secret facility clearances.
How Does the FCI Program Expand DISA’s Cyber Defense Architecture?
The larger FCI contract requires enterprise managed services designed to inspect, analyze and mitigate cyberthreats traversing the Defense Information Systems Network, or DISN.
According to a redacted justification and approval document, the FCI platform combines legacy intrusion prevention system capabilities with newer technologies, including network detection and response and content disarm and reconstruct.
DISA said the managed service enables advanced threat detection, real-time mitigation and predictive cyber analytics across DOW networks while supporting inspection of web, email and DNS traffic crossing DISN boundaries.
Why Did DISA Pursue Sole-Source Awards?
DISA justified the FCI procurement, arguing that Trinity Cyber’s proprietary TC:Edge platform was the only capability that could meet all operational requirements.
The agency said By Light is the sole authorized reseller capable of providing TC:Edge services, and that market research involving 31 industry responses found no competing platform that fully supports advanced “modify content” cyberthreat mitigation using content disarm and reconstruction technologies.
