Darkblade Systems, An Intrepid Solutions and Services Company

What Darkblade Systems, An Intrepid Solutions and Services Company does

Darkblade Systems operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary within the CIS Maxwell, LLC corporate family (d/b/a CIS Secure), which delivers secure communications, C5ISR solutions, and professional services to the U.S. Intelligence Community and Department of Defense. Darkblade itself provides cyber, engineering, technical, and training services to federal government and commercial clients per its firmographic profile, operating within a corporate family whose combined offerings span secure communications hardware, integration services, intelligence analysis, and counter-UAS support. The corporate family operates through multiple government-wide acquisition vehicles including RS3 IDIQ (W15P7T-17-D-0118), GSA Schedule (47QTCA19D00MR, GS00F012GA), DIA SITE III IDIQ (HHM402-21-D-0019), TENCAP, and VEMS, enabling direct enterprise sales into defense and intelligence agencies including NSA, DIA, NGA, ODNI, the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy SEALs, SOCOM, DTRA, and the White House Communications Agency. Headquarters are in Herndon, Virginia, with a 70,000 square-foot ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certified manufacturing and test facility in Ashburn, Virginia operated through subsidiary CIS Labs, Inc.

The technology stack rests on three product pillars. First, the altOS secure mobility platform — a security-enhanced Android operating system featuring policy-controlled secure containers, a device management console, over-the-air update capability, and a geofenced Secure Mode that locks down radios, cameras, and microphones near designated facilities. Second, NSA-certified TEMPEST products — including the TEMPEST Portable High Density Server Kit, Cisco Room Bar, Catalyst 9300 switch, HP T655 thin client, and HP Z2 Mid Tower G9 workstation — designed to suppress compromising electromagnetic and acoustic emanations. Third, TSG-compliant voice and video collaboration solutions — TSG-approved Poly CCX 600 VoIP phones, CIS Secure USB Positive Disconnects, Cisco Webex Desk, TSG USB webcams, and push-to-talk peripherals — preventing unauthorized audio/video capture for softphone and CUI deployments. Service offerings include end-to-end AV/collaboration, specialized engineering (AI/ML, cyber/EW convergence, hardware design, reverse engineering), enterprise modernization (cloud, DevSecOps, ITIL-4), multi-discipline intelligence analysis (All-Source, SIGINT, CI, HUMINT, GEOINT, biometrics), and Counter-UAS services. TEMPEST certification is performed in-house at CIS Labs under the NSA Certified TEMPEST Manufacturer and Test facility program.

The business model combines hardware sales of secure communications equipment, managed services under multi-year IDIQ contracts, and professional services including systems integration and intelligence analysis. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; revenue flows through government contract vehicles on multi-year terms. In February 2022, a sibling entity within the corporate family (Intrepid Solutions and Services) secured a five-year single-award BPA valued at more than $95 million to support an IC customer. Eighty percent of staff are DoD/IC veterans, 100% of delivery staff hold active security clearances, and 88% of delivery personnel operate at TS/SCI level. The corporate family holds CMMC Level 2 certification and operates 24/7 to support continuous customer missions.

Name

Darkblade Systems, An Intrepid Solutions and Services Company

Legal name

CIS Maxwell, LLC

Website

https://darkbladesystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Darkblade Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary within the CIS Maxwell corporate family, provides cyber, engineering, technical, and training services to U.S. federal and commercial clients, supporting secure communications and C5ISR missions of the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity and Engineering Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Security Systems Services (56162)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Network Security Managed Services (Firewall/IDS/IPS/SASE) (BPAEADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Network Security Services (Firewall/VPN/ZTNA/SASE Integration) (BPAEAEAG), Data Center Operations & Managed Services (Remote Hands, NOC/SOC) (HDABANAA)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity services
• Secure communications
• Federal contracting
• Engineering services
• Training services

Headquarters

HQ city

Herndon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Contract Vehicles: CIS Secure operates through multiple government-wide acquisition contracts (RS3 IDIQ, GSA Schedule, DIA SITE III IDIQ, TENCAP, VEMS) providing products and services to defense and intelligence community customers.
2. TEMPEST & TSG Compliant Products: Sale of certified secure communications equipment including portable servers, secure phones, USB peripherals, and video conferencing solutions.
3. AV & Collaboration Services: End-to-end audio visual and collaboration solutions including design, engineering, installation, programming, support, and training services.
4. Engineering & Integration Services: Custom engineering solutions, systems integration, mobile applications development, cybersecurity engineering, and unmanned aerial system/counter-UAS services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Darkblade Systems provides cybersecurity, engineering, technical, and training services to U.S. federal government and commercial clients. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of CIS Maxwell, LLC, the company operates alongside sister entities (CIS Secure, CIS Labs, and Intrepid Solutions and Services) to deliver secure communications hardware, the altOS secure mobile platform, intelligence analysis, counter-UAS, and engineering services to defense and intelligence customers.

Product overview

CIS Secure offers a comprehensive portfolio of C5ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) products and services. The core product lineup includes the altOS Secure Mobile Platform (a security-enhanced Android OS for government mobile devices), TEMPEST-certified products (computing, networking, peripherals, and secure video solutions that suppress electromagnetic emanations), and TSG (Telephone Security Group)-compliant voice and video collaboration solutions. The company provides an extensive range of secure communications hardware including TSG-approved VoIP phones (Poly CCX 600), USB positive disconnect devices, secure webcams, and push-to-talk peripherals. Their product portfolio also includes TEMPEST-certified workstations (HP thin clients and Z2 towers), network equipment (Catalyst 9300), and portable tactical kits (Starlink WAN kits, First Responders Webex kits). Services include AV/collaboration solutions, specialized engineering (AI/ML, EW, reverse engineering), enterprise modernization, intelligence analysis, and Counter-UAS services. The company operates through government-wide acquisition contracts including RS3, GSA Schedule, and DIA SITE III IDIQ.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• altOS: Secure mobile operating system platform based on security-enhanced Android, designed for mission-critical operations and government use
• TSG Voice & Video
• TEMPEST
• C5ISR

Products and services

• Collaboration & AV Services Secure collaboration and audio/visual service practice delivering TSG/NTSWG-compliant conferencing, room systems, and endpoint deployments for federal customers operating in classified and CUI environments.
• Engineering Services Engineering services covering solution architecture, secure systems integration, and lifecycle support for secure communications and C5ISR environments serving federal defense and intelligence customers.
• Enterprise Modernization Services Enterprise modernization services leveraging AI/ML to modernize legacy federal IT estates, integrating secure communications and TEMPEST-compliant hardware into customer environments.
• Intelligence Analysis Services Cleared intelligence analysis services delivered by veterans with TS/SCI credentials to support intelligence community and defense analytical mission requirements.
• Counter-UAS Services Counter-UAS (C-UAS) detection and defeat services supporting force protection and counter-drone missions for U.S. defense and federal security customers.
• altOS Secure Mobile Platform Security-enhanced Android-based mobile operating system that transforms mobile devices into secure communications solutions, featuring secure containers, device management console, and over-the-air update capabilities for government users.
• TEMPEST Portable High Density Server Kit Portable TEMPEST-certified high-density server kit designed for mobile and field-deployed secure compute environments that require emanation security for classified workloads.
• Secure Personal Mobility Platform A secure mobility platform product designed to provide government users with protected mobile communications and computing in classified and CUI settings.
• TSG Approved Poly CCX 600 VOIP Phone TSG-approved VoIP desk phone based on the Poly CCX 600 platform that meets Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) standards for secure voice communications across federal networks.
• CIS Secure TSG USB Positive Disconnects TSG-compliant USB Positive Disconnect devices that physically disconnect USB peripherals to prevent data leakage between secure and insecure networks in classified environments.
• TEMPEST Cisco Room Bar TEMPEST-approved Cisco Room Bar collaboration endpoint providing secure video conferencing for classified environments requiring emanation security.
• Second Generation First Responders Webex Kit Deployable secure communications kit built on Cisco Webex collaboration technology, engineered for first responder and tactical deployment scenarios.
• TEMPEST HP T655 Thin Client TEMPEST-certified HP T655 thin client workstation for federal customers requiring emanation-secure endpoints in classified office environments.
• TEMPEST HP Z2 Mid Tower G9 Workstation TEMPEST-certified HP Z2 Mid Tower G9 workstation engineered for classified compute workloads requiring emanation security and high performance.
• Portable Starlink WAN Kit Portable Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite wide-area networking kit based on Starlink, providing tactical and expeditionary customers with deployable beyond-line-of-site connectivity.
• TSG-Approved Cisco Webex Desk TSG-approved Cisco Webex Desk personal collaboration device that meets CNSS standards for secure voice and video within federal environments.
• CIS Secure TSG Compliant USB Webcam TSG-compliant USB webcam peripheral designed for secure conferencing endpoints operating across classified federal networks.
• CIS Secure Single Port TSG USB Positive Disconnect Single-port TSG-approved USB Positive Disconnect device that physically isolates USB peripherals to prevent cross-domain data leakage.
• CIS Secure Push-To-Talk Peripherals Push-to-talk peripheral devices designed to support secure tactical communications and dispatch workflows for federal and tactical customers.
• TEMPEST Catalyst 9300 TEMPEST-certified Cisco Catalyst 9300 series networking switch for federal customers that require emanation-secure switching in classified environments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20,000 VoIP phones delivered to a cabinet-level agency
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• CiscocoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for secure collaboration solutions. CIS Secure integrates Cisco collaboration products including Room Bar, Catalyst 9300, Webex Desk, and CCX 600 VOIP phones into TSG-compliant secure solutions.
• Poly (HP)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for TSG-approved Poly phones and peripherals integrated into secure collaboration solutions.
• AvayacoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for secure VoIP phone solutions across Avaya platforms.
• VMwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for enterprise modernization including hyperconverged designs, virtualization, and containerized applications using VMware technologies.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreTechnology or IntegrationCloud infrastructure partnership for hybrid cloud solutions supporting IC and DoD customers globally.
• Microsoft AzurecoreTechnology or IntegrationCloud partnership for hybrid data center solutions and enterprise modernization.
• Oracle Cloud InfrastructurecoreTechnology or IntegrationCloud partnership for enterprise modernization and IaaS/PaaS solutions.
• ServiceNowcoreTechnology or IntegrationIT service management partnership providing automated methodologies and self-service portals using ITIL-4 best practices.
• CrestronmajorTechnology or IntegrationAV and control systems partnership for secure collaboration environments.
• DellcoreTechnology or IntegrationHardware partnership for hybrid private cloud data center solutions.
• GetacmajorTechnology or IntegrationRugged computing hardware partnership for tactical and field deployment solutions.
• ForcepointmajorTechnology or IntegrationCybersecurity partnership providing trusted interfaces and network defense solutions.
• Iron Bow TechnologiesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness partner for government technology solutions distribution and integration.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Sierra Nevada Corporation:
• L3Harris Technologies: L3Harris is a large defense prime with a substantial secure communications and tactical radios portfolio serving DoD and IC customers. It competes with CIS Secure at the higher end of the secure comms stack (and overlaps on TSG/TEMPEST-style certifications), making it the closest large-cap comparable.
• CACI International: CACI provides federal IT, cyber, and secure communications engineering services across the IC and DoD, operating on similar contract vehicles. It is a relevant comparable as a scaled, publicly-traded peer pursuing overlapping secure systems integration work.
• Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions: Curtiss-Wright supplies defense electronics and secure tactical communications hardware to DoD and allied customers. It is comparable to CIS Secure on the secure-edge hardware side, though at much larger scale and broader scope.
• General Dynamics Mission Systems: General Dynamics Mission Systems provides secure communications, cryptography, and tactical networking solutions to the DoD and IC. It overlaps with CIS Secure on secure comms and TEMPEST-style products and is a relevant incumbent reference.

Direct peers

• ManTech International: ManTech is a mid-sized federal IT and cybersecurity services provider deeply embedded with the Intelligence Community and DoD, offering secure systems engineering and mission solutions on vehicles similar to RS3 and SITE III. It is a near-direct comparable in headcount, customer mix, and contract vehicle strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Darkblade Systems, An Intrepid Solutions and Services Company