In the high-stakes world of aerospace and defense, uptime isn’t just a convenience—it’s a necessity. Aerostar, a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance solutions, supports the U.S. military, government agencies, and commercial enterprises with cutting-edge technology. Their work, ranging from battlefield situational awareness to scientific research with NASA and disaster relief efforts, depends on continuous, reliable IT infrastructure. When Aerostar became a standalone organization in 2022, they faced the immense challenge of building their IT systems from the ground up. To ensure a seamless transition and secure future operations, they partnered with Xigent.
Faced with whether to build an internal IT team, hire additional staff, or work with a managed services provider, Aerostar found a natural fit with Xigent. The partnership quickly flourished, with Xigent bringing technical expertise and a deep understanding of Aerostar’s mission-critical needs. Rather than simply providing services, Xigent became a true partner—invested in Aerostar’s success and committed to solving problems and delivering IT solutions that would empower their operations.
Pictured from Left to Right: Dale Buhler – Xigent Client Success Manager, Rich Hagel – Xigent Senior Account Executive, Russ Van Der Werff – Vice President of Stratospheric Solutions, Brian Matherly – Aerostar Director of IT and Facilities, Jim Nelson – Aerostar President, Aric Blom – Xigent Vice President of Business Development
Xigent helped Aerostar establish its Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) environment, enabling the company to operate efficiently and securely without the burden of managing physical hardware. Beyond just setting up the Infrastructure, Xigent also designed and implemented a comprehensive Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) solution tailored to Aerostar’s unique needs. Given the high-stakes nature of Aerostar’s work, where system failures could disrupt military communications, scientific research, and disaster response efforts, having a robust disaster recovery plan was critical.
Aerostar’s technology is vital to national security, emergency response, and scientific discovery. Their radar and balloon systems provide real-time data and communications for military operations and first responders. Among the most mission-critical services within Aerostar’s data center is the Thunderstorm balloon piloting system, which supports ongoing surveillance and emergency response missions. If the data center were to go down, in-progress missions could fail—potentially leading to lost communications for firefighters or reduced visibility of wildfires. Xigent’s reliable infrastructure and disaster recovery solutions have ensured that Aerostar experiences no downtime, allowing them to execute missions without disruption.
Russ Van Der Werff, Aerostar Vice President of Stratospheric Solutions, shows the Xigent team a Thunderhead long-duration flight vehicle being prepared for launch to the stratosphere.
Understanding the importance of preparedness, Aerostar worked with Xigent to define a recovery time objective (RTO) aligned with their operational demands. Xigent helped design the disaster recovery system and facilitates routine testing to ensure reliability. Regular testing builds confidence that should a failure occur, Aerostar can recover quickly and maintain its critical services without interruption.
Beyond Infrastructure and disaster recovery, Xigent supports Aerostar with procurement, strategic IT consulting, and expert problem-solving. Whether optimizing IT operations, ensuring compliance, or overcoming complex technical challenges, Xigent is an extension of Aerostar’s team, always ready to provide solutions that drive business success.
What sets Xigent apart from other providers? It’s their commitment to being more than just a service provider. They engage deeply with Aerostar’s business, understanding the intricacies of their operations and investing in their long-term success. Xigent delivers results-driven IT solutions that empower Aerostar to focus on what matters most—advancing technology to connect, protect, and save lives.
By partnering with Xigent, Aerostar has built a resilient, high-performance IT environment that ensures mission success. As their operations evolve, Xigent remains a trusted ally, providing the expertise and reliability needed to support Aerostar’s critical work in aerospace, defense, and beyond.
Are you in need of a reliable and experienced partner to support your mission-critical operations? Look no further than Xigent! Our team of experts is dedicated to providing high-quality Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) solutions tailored to your unique needs. With our help, you can ensure continuous uptime for all of your critical operations, regardless of the industry or specific applications. Don’t let downtime disrupt your mission – click here or fill out the form below to contact us today.