Jerry Petersen 
- Knox Systems has unveiled a new cloud landing zone meant to handle software that processes sensitive Department of War data
- Knox’s new environment is approved at DISA Impact Level 5 and is sponsored by the U.S. Space Force
- Knox CEO Irina Denisenko said the Space Force’s sponsorship of the IL5 environment will help provide warfighters access to secure commercial technologies
Managed government cloud operator Knox Systems has launched a new Defense Information Systems Agency Impact Level 5 landing zone for commercial software and artificial intelligence applications handling sensitive Department of War data, including controlled unclassified information.
Which Agency Sponsored Knox’s IL5 Landing Zone?
The company said Wednesday that the U.S. Space Force is sponsoring the environment. Commenting on the sponsorship, Hemant Baidwan, who was named Knox executive chief information security officer in March, said, “Government should not have to choose between the strongest security standards and access to the best commercial technology. IL5 raises the bar for both.”
“With Space Force’s sponsorship, we’re bringing mission-ready capabilities into some of the Department of War’s most sensitive workloads, both at the height of security and at speed,” the former Department of Homeland Security CISO added.
For her part, Knox CEO Irina Denisenko said, “The American warfighter deserves the same leading edge technology the private sector can access – without sacrificing security. Space Force’s sponsorship of the Knox IL5 environment makes this possible at speed and scale. I’m proud that, together, we’ll help enable the next phase of defense innovation.”
What Does Knox’s IL5 Landing Zone Do?
Knox’s new IL5 offering operates as a standalone, dedicated security boundary. It is built to satisfy the isolation, security and operational demands associated with defense missions.
The new environment builds on capabilities Knox has maintained since 2019: FedRAMP High and DISA Impact Level 4 authorization for Department of War use. With IL5 now added, Knox extends its accreditation footprint further up the impact-level scale.
