Duane Shugars

A Visionary Leader in Cybersecurity Innovation

Omni Federal

Duane Shugars is the Cyber Domain Head at Omni Federal, a leading provider of advanced cybersecurity solutions for federal, state, and local clients. With over 25 years of experience, Shugars has established himself as a transformative figure in cybersecurity, driving innovation across multiple industries, particularly within the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC). His leadership at Omni Federal, and previously at Enlighten IT Consulting (a MacAulay-Brown subsidiary), has focused on delivering mission-critical cyber technology, data analytics, and secure cloud solutions.

For the past 20 years, Shugars has been at the forefront of transforming DoD and cyber operations. He spearheaded efforts to transition intelligence agencies to distributed cyber and intelligence fusion platforms, enabling more integrated and responsive threat analysis. His work with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and the U.S. Army centered on developing open-source big data platforms, notably the Big Data Platform (BDP), which enhanced data analytics and cybersecurity situational awareness. By advocating for and implementing AWS GovCloud, Shugars helped centralize fragmented cyber operations, providing a unified view of cybersecurity posture and reducing vulnerabilities across DoD networks.

More recently, Shugars has extended his expertise to states, municipalities, and small businesses, promoting cybersecurity maturity as an integral part of organizational strategy. He has worked to shift the paradigm, unifying defense, compliance, and maturity into a cohesive framework. Shugars emphasizes that without embedding cyber maturity into business models, plans, and culture, organizations will remain vulnerable to both basic and advanced cyber threats, despite investments in technology and resources.

Shugars’ visionary leadership, technical expertise, and ability to bridge operational and strategic needs have made him a pivotal figure in redefining cybersecurity across diverse sectors, ensuring resilience and readiness in an ever-evolving threat landscape.

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