News
Cloud-Based Lab Enables Rapid Prototyping, DevSecOps Delivery, and AI Integration to Get Capabilities to the Warfighter Faster
Washington, D.C. (April 22, 2026) – Saalex Corporation, an Advanced Technology Systems Integrator for the aerospace, defense, and federal sectors, today announced the launch of the ASCENT (Advanced Systems, Cloud Engineering and Next Gen Technologies) Innovation Lab, a secure cloud-based environment designed to bridge innovation with operational delivery for defense and government customers.
The ASCENT Innovation Lab provides Saalex development teams with a governed, production-line environment for rapid prototyping, designing, testing, and scaling digital solutions from concept through operational delivery. Built on secure cloud architecture with DevSecOps pipelines, the lab integrates machine learning and AI capabilities while maintaining cybersecurity compliance guardrails that mirror government requirements.
“The ASCENT Innovation Lab represents the kind of bold investment that sets Saalex apart,” said Travis Mack, Chairman and CEO of Saalex Corporation. “While larger contractors are still planning their digital transformation, we are already building, testing, and delivering AI-driven solutions in a secure cloud environment. Our customers need capabilities faster, and this lab gives our team the tools and infrastructure to move at the speed the mission demands.”
A core focus of the lab is automation and software modernization, taking costly legacy systems, analyzing them with advanced tooling, and reconstructing them as microservices that can be independently deployed and updated without risk to the broader system. This approach allows Saalex to dramatically accelerate the delivery of finished capabilities to the warfighter.
“The traditional measure in software development has always been velocity and story points, but what really matters is how quickly finished capabilities reach the warfighter,” said Kimberly Toy, Director, Program Operations at Saalex Corporation. “Where some teams deliver as few as two releases a year, our approach through the ASCENT Lab enables three or more releases per day. By adopting cloud infrastructure and breaking apart monolithic applications into purpose-built microservices, we are getting the latest requirements through our pipelines within hours, not months.”
The ASCENT Innovation Lab heavily leverages FedRAMP-compliant AI-native integrated development environment that accelerates software creation, cutting traditional development cycles from months or years down to days or weeks. It also supports the creation of Digital Workforce Agents, Unattended Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and the modernization of legacy monolithic applications into efficient microservices architectures. The lab seamlessly integrates with Saalex’s recently launched Saalex AI Management System (SAIMS), providing access to advanced AI capabilities across environments.
The lab is accessible from any location through cloud-based authentication and is currently being used to develop prototypes, including digital workforce agents, that can be demonstrated to customers.
About Saalex Corporation:
Established in 1999 under the visionary leadership of Travis Mack, Saalex Corporation has transformed into an Advanced Technology Systems Integrator. Saalex delivers cutting-edge artificial intelligence, automation, software modernization and development, information technology, and cybersecurity solutions to advance missions across the defense, space, and intelligence markets. With nearly 1,000 dedicated employee-owners, we specialize in strengthening battlefield capabilities across undersea warfare, surface warfare, air warfare, and the expansive reaches of the space program.
