Parallel Works Unveils ACTIVATE High Security Platform, Secures Key DoD Accreditation

Parallel Works has just launched its new ACTIVATE High Security Platform, a hybrid multi-cloud computing control plane designed to meet the Department of Defense’s (DoD) stringent security needs. The platform, which has achieved Impact Level 5 (IL5) Provisional Authorization from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), offers DoD agencies and contractors a faster, more affordable path to securely running critical HPC and AI workloads across public and private cloud environments. The launch positions Parallel Works among a small group of providers authorized to handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) data, a category that includes tech giants such as AWS, Google, and Oracle. It also marks a rare entry for a specialized control plane vendor focused specifically on hybrid HPC and AI workloads. ACTIVATE HSP addresses a major bottleneck in the defense sector: the slow and costly security accreditation process that has prevented wider adoption of cloud computing. By providing a pre-accredited IL5 environment, the new platform will allow agencies and contractors to bypass months of security work and begin running sensitive workloads with minimal setup. Meeting an Overdue Need in Defense Cloud Adoption Defense organizations are turning to cloud computing to meet modernization goals such as scaling compute capacity quickly, accelerating workload deployment, and gaining faster access to high-performance AI and simulation tools. These priorities are central to initiatives like the Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability (JWCC) program. However, actually using cloud services for classified or sensitive projects has remained difficult. In an interview, Parallel Works CEO Matthew Shaxted told AIwire that major cloud providers like AWS, Azure, Google, and Oracle “would probably agree that the DoD—and the defense industrial base in general—isn’t leveraging cloud to its full potential. The accreditation barrier is impeding wide adoption. It forms a ‘valley of death’ for using cloud in the DoD.” That challenge remains even after initial cloud accounts are set up. Even when cloud providers like AWS or Azure receive blanket security authorizations, end users still face a steep climb out of this valley of death. Setting up an account is relatively easy, but preparing it for real work requires configuring it to meet IL5 or similar standards, passing audits, and obtaining an Authority to Operate (ATO), which typically requires eighteen months or more, plus significant financial and labor investments. Parallel Works designed ACTIVATE HSP specifically to eliminate these hurdles. Customers can operate within a fully accredited IL5 environment without taking on the overhead of building and certifying their own. The platform provides immediate access to IL5-compliant cloud infrastructure while allowing organizations to retain total control over their data, workloads, and systems. What ACTIVATE HSP Does Founded in 2015 and spun out of Argonne National Laboratory, Parallel Works developed its original ACTIVATE platform to simplify the management of complex hybrid computing environments. Initially designed to streamline batch scheduler systems, ACTIVATE has evolved into a unified control plane that connects users to many different cloud and on-premises HPC and AI resources. ACTIVATE HSP builds on this foundation, offering a high-security version that supports deployment across AWS GovCloud, with support for Azure Government and Google Cloud Platform expected in late summer. Users can burst workloads across multiple cloud providers while maintaining strict IL5 compliance. The platform also links to Defense Supercomputing Resource Centers (DSRCs), so users can combine local HPC systems with cloud-based resources. Parallel Works also built real-time cost controls into ACTIVATE HSP. Instead of waiting for delayed billing reports from cloud providers, the platform monitors spending every three minutes and can enforce budget limits immediately. This helps prevent the budget overruns that have historically plagued government cloud projects due to billing cycle delays. In the interview, Shaxted explained that organizations have two options for using ACTIVATE HSP. Some, like the DoD’s High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP), are offering it as a shared service for other agencies. Others can inherit the accredited package to set up their own dedicated environments, cutting the time needed to achieve operational approval. Why IL5 Accreditation Matters Impact Level 5 is the DoD’s standard for systems that manage sensitive national security information but remain connected to the public internet. Achieving IL5 compliance requires meeting a long list of security controls, drawn from FedRAMP High standards with additional DoD-specific requirements. Parallel Works spent nearly three years on the accreditation process. The effort involved satisfying more than 400 security con

Apr 29, 2025 - 18:50

Parallel Works Unveils ACTIVATE High Security Platform, Secures Key DoD Accreditation

Parallel Works has just launched its new ACTIVATE High Security Platform, a hybrid multi-cloud computing control plane designed to meet the Department of Defense’s (DoD) stringent security needs.

The platform, which has achieved Impact Level 5 (IL5) Provisional Authorization from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), offers DoD agencies and contractors a faster, more affordable path to securely running critical HPC and AI workloads across public and private cloud environments.

The launch positions Parallel Works among a small group of providers authorized to handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) data, a category that includes tech giants such as AWS, Google, and Oracle. It also marks a rare entry for a specialized control plane vendor focused specifically on hybrid HPC and AI workloads.

ACTIVATE HSP addresses a major bottleneck in the defense sector: the slow and costly security accreditation process that has prevented wider adoption of cloud computing. By providing a pre-accredited IL5 environment, the new platform will allow agencies and contractors to bypass months of security work and begin running sensitive workloads with minimal setup.

Meeting an Overdue Need in Defense Cloud Adoption

Defense organizations are turning to cloud computing to meet modernization goals such as scaling compute capacity quickly, accelerating workload deployment, and gaining faster access to high-performance AI and simulation tools. These priorities are central to initiatives like the Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability (JWCC) program. However, actually using cloud services for classified or sensitive projects has remained difficult.

(Source: Parallel Works)

In an interview, Parallel Works CEO Matthew Shaxted told AIwire that major cloud providers like AWS, Azure, Google, and Oracle “would probably agree that the DoD—and the defense industrial base in general—isn’t leveraging cloud to its full potential. The accreditation barrier is impeding wide adoption. It forms a ‘valley of death’ for using cloud in the DoD.”

That challenge remains even after initial cloud accounts are set up. Even when cloud providers like AWS or Azure receive blanket security authorizations, end users still face a steep climb out of this valley of death. Setting up an account is relatively easy, but preparing it for real work requires configuring it to meet IL5 or similar standards, passing audits, and obtaining an Authority to Operate (ATO), which typically requires eighteen months or more, plus significant financial and labor investments.

Parallel Works designed ACTIVATE HSP specifically to eliminate these hurdles. Customers can operate within a fully accredited IL5 environment without taking on the overhead of building and certifying their own. The platform provides immediate access to IL5-compliant cloud infrastructure while allowing organizations to retain total control over their data, workloads, and systems.

What ACTIVATE HSP Does

Founded in 2015 and spun out of Argonne National Laboratory, Parallel Works developed its original ACTIVATE platform to simplify the management of complex hybrid computing environments. Initially designed to streamline batch scheduler systems, ACTIVATE has evolved into a unified control plane that connects users to many different cloud and on-premises HPC and AI resources.

(Source: Parallel Works)

ACTIVATE HSP builds on this foundation, offering a high-security version that supports deployment across AWS GovCloud, with support for Azure Government and Google Cloud Platform expected in late summer. Users can burst workloads across multiple cloud providers while maintaining strict IL5 compliance. The platform also links to Defense Supercomputing Resource Centers (DSRCs), so users can combine local HPC systems with cloud-based resources.

Parallel Works also built real-time cost controls into ACTIVATE HSP. Instead of waiting for delayed billing reports from cloud providers, the platform monitors spending every three minutes and can enforce budget limits immediately. This helps prevent the budget overruns that have historically plagued government cloud projects due to billing cycle delays.

In the interview, Shaxted explained that organizations have two options for using ACTIVATE HSP. Some, like the DoD’s High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP), are offering it as a shared service for other agencies. Others can inherit the accredited package to set up their own dedicated environments, cutting the time needed to achieve operational approval.

Why IL5 Accreditation Matters

Impact Level 5 is the DoD’s standard for systems that manage sensitive national security information but remain connected to the public internet. Achieving IL5 compliance requires meeting a long list of security controls, drawn from FedRAMP High standards with additional DoD-specific requirements.

Parallel Works spent nearly three years on the accreditation process. The effort involved satisfying more than 400 security controls, compiling a documentation package exceeding 2,000 pages, and undergoing third-party and DISA audits.

IL5 authorization allows users to store, process, and transmit CUI and ITAR-controlled data without requiring isolated, air-gapped environments. This distinction is critical because it enables more flexible computing architectures while still satisfying mission security requirements. By inheriting a fully audited environment, users can avoid the time and expense typically required to secure their own ATO. In many cases, projects that would have needed 18 months of security work can begin operating in a matter of days or weeks.

What ACTIVATE HSP Means for DoD Project Teams

The benefits of the ACTIVATE High Security Platform are practical: reduced costs, flexible access to secure compute, and deployment timelines measured in days, not months. Take, for example, a DoD project team preparing to run AI-enabled image analysis workflows on satellite data. Without a pre-authorized environment, the team would face months of system hardening, documentation, security reviews, and risk management evaluations, often before uploading a single dataset. These delays can stall mission timelines and slow the delivery of critical insights to decision-makers.

With ACTIVATE HSP, the same team could inherit a compliant environment, configure resources through a familiar interface, and begin training models within days. They can also scale up as needed across cloud and on-premises infrastructure, without being limited by local capacity or held back by compliance barriers.

The cost difference is just as stark. Building an IL5-compliant system independently can run into the millions, factoring in consulting fees, security tooling, and internal labor. By inheriting Parallel Works’ existing accreditation package, users reduce that overhead to the baseline costs of platform access and cloud consumption.

Expanding Access to Secure Cloud Infrastructure

The launch of ACTIVATE HSP comes at a time when the DoD is facing growing pressure to modernize its digital infrastructure. As AI, digital twins, and autonomous systems become more central to defense operations, the demand for computing environments that combine performance with strong security continues to rise.

Parallel Works CEO Matthew Shaxted

In the near term, Parallel Works is focused on onboarding new users through shared environments such as the HPCMP’s implementation. Support for Azure Government and Google Cloud is expected later this summer, giving defense teams the ability to choose the cloud providers that best meet their needs.

One may wonder, how did a small company end up building one of the only IL5-authorized control planes available to the DoD? The origin of ACTIVATE HSP traces back to a competitive solicitation issued by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) three years ago. DIU, which helps adapt commercial technology for military use, had called for hybrid computing solutions that could address emerging security and scalability demands. Parallel Works’ original ACTIVATE platform aligned with the technical vision but lacked the high-security capabilities needed for sensitive workloads.

Over the next three years, the company worked closely with defense stakeholders to develop, test, and certify what became ACTIVATE HSP. “They really saw the need first,” Shaxted said. “We spent the last three years making it real.”

Parallel Works executives will present the platform next week at Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week in Tampa, Florida, May 5-8, 2025, where they will meet with prospective users from across the defense and national security ecosystem. More information about the platform is available at this link.