Forterra Forms New National Security Division

Forterra Systems announced today that it had created a National Security Division to focus on training and education in a sector with unique security requirements.  Dr. Michael Macedonia, formerly Director of the Disruptive Technology Office and Chief Technology Officer for the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, will be joining to head the division.  Forterra released its OLIVE software development kit in June, signaling a shift from focusing on servicing virtual worlds needs to creating software to support their development. It seems like that's still the goal. The release mentions several benefits of building on OLIVE, but none of contracting with Forterra.

Dr. Michael Macedonia Joins Forterra Systems to Lead New National Security Division

Pioneering Defense Technologist Brings Wealth of Experience and Know-How to Better Serve Forterra’s Military, Intelligence and Homeland Security Customers

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Forterra Systems, the market and technology leader in private virtual worlds, announced today the creation of a National Security Division that will be based on Orlando, FL. Forterra’s National Security Division is a commitment on the part of the company to address the unique technology, business, and security challenges of the sector. The new Division will be headed by Dr. Michael Macedonia, the former Director of the Disruptive Technology Office (DTO) and former Chief Technology Officer for the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI).

In his role as vice president and general manager of the company’s National Security Division, Macedonia will accelerate industry adoption of Forterra’s OLIVE™ (On-Line Interactive Virtual Environment) software platform. The transformational technology of the OLIVE Platform allows government customers in the national security arena to rapidly generate realistic, collaborative, 3D Internet solutions that easily scale from single user applications to large-scale simulated environments supporting many thousands of concurrent users.

“We are thrilled to have Mike join Forterra in order to lead our National Security Division, located in the heart of Central Florida’s simulation industry and with the sole mission of focusing on our military, intelligence and homeland security customers,” said Dave Rolston, Forterra’s CEO. “Mike is a highly experienced defense technology executive who has demonstrated a keen ability to lead diverse teams of professionals to new levels of success in a variety of technical and fast-paced organizations. His breadth of experience will better serve our national security customers as they look to us for innovative virtual world solutions."

Macedonia led the DTO where he built a program management team and technology portfolio for the intelligence community that is having a major impact on science and U.S. national security. At PEO STRI, Macedonia was responsible for developing the technology strategy for the U.S. Army’s lead training and instrumentation acquisition organization.

As CTO for PEO STRI, he led the Army’s effort to develop the Institute for Creative Technologies, initiated the Full Spectrum Warrior X-Box project, and encouraged the Army’s adoption of advanced super-computing technologies for training and simulation.

“I joined Forterra because I believe the world is rapidly being transformed by 3D Internet technologies and that Forterra is the leader with a truly disruptive capability. We are in a time of unprecedented opportunities for the company and its partners in the defense, intelligence, and homeland security communities,” said Macedonia. “Having a separate division dedicated to National Security allows Forterra to remain nimble and ride the wave of commercial developments yet be able to address the unique long term business, accounting and security clearance requirements essential for success with the government.”

Virtual worlds built on Forterra’s OLIVE Platform allow these organizations to quickly construct realistic scenarios, modify or augment the environment, conduct training and mission-rehearsal exercises, and review outcomes. For defense partners, OLIVE’s distributed virtual world technology makes it an ideal platform for quickly transferring lessons learned between deployed and pre-deployed units in rapidly changing operational conditions and for developing joint, interagency and multinational teams. In the homeland security arena, virtual training applications built on Forterra’s OLIVE Platform provide a flexible and cost-effective extension to existing training methodologies, dramatically increasing the opportunities for first-responder training.

Macedonia is a 1979 graduate of the United States Military Academy and served as an infantry officer in a variety of command and staff positions in the United States and overseas assignments including Germany and the Middle East. Following his military service, Macedonia became the Vice-president of the Fraunhofer Center for Research in Computer Graphics, Inc. (CRCG) in Providence, Rhode Island. Macedonia has a Ph.D. in Computer Science and a M.S. in Telecommunications and is a contributing editor to IEEE Computer.

About Forterra Systems

Forterra Systems is a leader in providing online distributed virtual world technology for the corporate, healthcare, government, and entertainment industries. Forterra’s software and services enable organizations to build their own virtual worlds to train, plan, rehearse, and collaborate in ways previously considered impossible or impractical. Using the OLIVE (On-Line Interactive Virtual Environment) platform and industry standard PC hardware, customers can rapidly generate realistic, collaborative, 3D Internet solutions that easily scale from single user applications to large scale simulated environments supporting many thousands of concurrent users. http://www.forterrainc.com

Chris Badger, 650-433-4002
press@forterrainc.com