It seems like every day we turn on the news or read from our favorite publications that there has been yet another data breach. Entities small, medium and large are all threatened by the looming cyber predators that wreak havoc on our infrastructure. As they say in sports, the best offense is a good defense, so what should you be doing today to fortify your security? As government contractors know all too well, our foreign enemies stop at nothing to infiltrate our system. To counteract their efforts, the federal government has established CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) to stabilize our process, and patch up the holes that these nefarious entities weasel through to get in.
You have undoubtedly heard about CMMC, unless you literally have been under a rock for the last year. These regulations were rolled out in January of the dreaded 2020, and have been etched into stone over the last 12 months. Granted, unlike the last set of stone tablet rules from the hill (or mountain top), there have been many changes, blurred lines and unknowns. But the DoD is making a concerted effort to prove this is not just a dress rehearsal, this is opening night, and we all need to start making the preparations for September 2025 when we will have to be certified and that is the only unwavering fact in this whole process.
Many companies are taking the first steps to identifying the holes and making preparations to patch them up. The best advice we can offer is to take it step by step. Use this link to access a free Assessment to identify your company’s readiness for CMMC: https://lnkd.in/eFE78Up
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Project Spectrum is the latest tool in America’s cybersecurity portfolio and is a Department of Defense-supported initiative. An interactive platform, Project Spectrum helps small and medium-sized businesses, as well as Universities, enhance their cyber-awareness of and readiness for cyberattacks targeting American innovation and intellectual property (IP)
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Next step? Start interviewing cyber professionals with a proficiency for NIST 800-171 and CMMC. They go hand in hand as NIST 800-171 is the framework for CMMC. Once you identify 3 services that you can choose from, begin your process of elimination based on offerings and price. This will become a standardized process, and the variances in pricing should not be vast. Uncover who offers the most transparent approach AND the best pricing.
Our advice for the last step…. start small. Given that this process will undoubtedly cost you more than you expect, the sooner you start one stage at a time, the easier it will be on your bottom line. Think of it this way, you don’t get medicine for an ailment and drink the whole bottle the day you get it, right? You take a little bit at a time, every day, until you reach the end and feel better. Use that same mentality for this process.
Your “cyber hygiene” needs to be up to speed if you want to play in the DoD space. Our military and warfighters can’t afford our national secrets to be exposed because of laziness with getting compliant. We all have responsibility in this, and if this is the roadmap we must use, then so be it. But don’t rest on your laurels that you are “fine”. This set of regulations aren’t going anywhere. If anything, they will grow. So take our advice and get started now, and work at your own pace. The longer you wait, the more arduous the remediation and implementation will be. Not to mention it will cost you, literally and figuratively!
Look to your trusted partnership with us to advise on budgeting and access to professionals that can help you get started. We are in this with you and will be happy to share our own process to help guide you. Visit our website to learn more about how Parabilis can support your team and your contract efforts. We are always ready to help!