Srinivas Rautwar is CIO/CTO for AMERICAN SYSTEMS, where he leads the company’s vision, strategy and management of enterprise technology, cybersecurity and AI-driven innovation.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month — a good time to step back and remember why we do this work. Every day, our teams defend systems that keep missions running, protect sensitive data, and support the men and women who serve. That’s a responsibility no single organization can shoulder alone. Real security today depends on how well government and industry work together.
At AMERICAN SYSTEMS, we view cybersecurity as a mission requirement, not a box to check. A strong defense starts with a security-first mindset — building protection, detection, and recovery into every layer of the technology we design and operate. It also means staying curious, continuously testing ourselves, and learning from partners who see different parts of the threat landscape.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the cybersecurity landscape, offering new ways to detect threats and respond faster than ever before. At AMERICAN SYSTEMS, we’re already exploring and applying AI in targeted ways to improve efficiency, visibility, and decision support — always with human oversight. Through our participation in Defense Industrial Base (DIB) working groups, we’re learning from collective industry experience and refining our approach to align with emerging best practices. As we expand these capabilities, our focus remains on using AI to strengthen situational awareness, improve response time, and support mission outcomes — all within a framework of security, transparency, and accountability.
Another key focus area is Zero Trust — a principle that’s easy to say but challenging to put into practice. In a fully cloud environment, Zero Trust means continuously verifying identity, access, and device health across every connection. It requires executive commitment, disciplined governance, and steady communication. It’s not about a single product or platform; it’s about changing how we think — trusting nothing by default while keeping the mission moving securely.
Equally important is the public-private collaboration that ties all of this together. Real progress happens when industry and government work side by side — sharing threat intelligence, conducting joint exercises, and learning from one another. With nation-state-sponsored attacks growing in sophistication and scale, no organization can face these threats alone. It’s never about “winning” or “losing,” but about testing readiness under realistic conditions, identifying strengths, and closing gaps. Continuous monitoring, penetration testing, and compromise assessments play a vital role in this process, helping organizations validate defenses and build confidence before a real attack occurs. These collaborative efforts strengthen collective defense and resilience across the Defense Industrial Base.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a reminder that defense is never static. It’s an ongoing commitment to learning, collaboration, and innovation. By investing as much in people and partnerships as we do in technology, we can stay ahead of evolving threats and keep our nation’s missions secure. True resilience comes from working together — government, industry, and partners — with a shared purpose to protect what matters most.
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. WashingtonExec is sharing OpEds from industry experts on critical cyber topics, and how GovCons and government can work together to secure critical missions.