Security Vitals, a Pontiac-based cybersecurity services firm, today announced the release of the Compliance as a Service (CaaS) offering to help manufacturers retain their government contracts by complying with the NIST 800-171 security standard.
NIST 800-171 is a collection of technical and process controls designed to protect Department of Defense product data from being accessed by unauthorized individuals and organizations. The data, which is designated as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), must be secured using a blend of security technologies and policies.
Manufacturers that produce parts or assemblies which fall under the CUI designation must comply with the NIST 800-171 standard by Dec. 31, 2017.
Early estimates indicate there are more than 2,000 Michigan-based manufacturing firms that need to meet the requirements and organizations that do not comply risk losing their government contracts. Lost contracts could have a significant impact on the economy as companies may be forced to cut expenses and employees to make up for the revenue loss.
With the tight timeframe for addressing compliance requirements, Security Vitals provides a subscription-based program that delivers the hardware, software, and consulting services necessary to achieve compliance.
“The main advantage of our approach is there’s no hardware to buy, no employees to hire, and we deliver ongoing NIST compliance for a fixed monthly fee,” says Rob Cote, CEO of Security Vitals. “This service is a turn-key approach that compresses the compliance timeframe, preserves contracts, and keeps jobs in Michigan.”
Offering a blend of technology and consulting services, Security Vitals helps clients address the challenges related to ongoing compliance and IT risk.
