Do you meet your industry’s compliance requirements?
Until recently, most SMBs – unless in healthcare or finance – haven’t needed to worry much about the business challenge of compliancy and routinely undergoing mandatory IT security audits. But today, especially if you’re in the defense industry or a supplier to other highly regulated or security-sensitive industries, passing a compliance audit is a requirement to do business.
- Many companies – large and small – do, or will, require compliance, often based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework
- The DoD will require all suppliers in the defense supply chain to pass a Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)
The good news is that compliance is not just a bureaucratic hurdle. When properly implemented, most requirements are in the best interests of the business and protect them against an array of cybersecurity threats. But achieving compliance is still a time-consuming task and a major drain on management. Navigating the process to implement and document the controls and processes to ace an audit is challenging and time-consuming, especially if you’re not an IT expert.
Luckily, we’re experts and can provide free compliance risk consultations. And if you opt for a full assessment, we’ll help implement and document the required security controls and train your team on associated procedures. The compliance risk assessment is an essential tool to position your business to compete successfully and safely.
Here’s what a PCGiT compliance risk assessment includes:
- Review of IT system – assess IT environment to determine the technical and business challenges in achieving compliance goals
- Vulnerability scan – run scans that examine IT infrastructure to detect potential technical vulnerabilities that impact compliance
- Compliance evaluation – audit compliance with controls specified in the target compliance framework(s)
- Remediation recommendations – prioritize recommendations, policies, and tools that will address compliance shortfalls
Assessment results are delivered in a customized report, detailing and scoring your current compliance stance. It includes practices that need further documentation and a roadmap and budget to guide you through risk remediation.
Roger Walton discusses compliancy and risk assessments
Cybersecurity Risk Assessment Benefits
- Qualify to bid for work. Compliance is increasingly a prerequisite to qualify for contracts
- Keep your business running. A cyberattack can bring your business to a halt, and some never recover. Becoming compliant helps you avoid one
- Privacy for your employees and partners. Your team and your customers depend on you as a trusted custodian of their confidential information
- Protect your reputation. When your data gets leaked, people find out
- Build a plan of action. Compliance takes time, not just money. Prioritize BOTH investments
- Identify your vulnerabilities. If a bad actor wants to attack you, where would they start?
- Comply with legal requirements. Failing to protect private information doesn’t just harm your reputation, it can put you in legal jeopardy too
- Help with jargon and acronyms. IT security is laced with technical terminology that’s difficult for non-specialists to navigate. We can help
- Reduce cyber insurance premiums. Every business should carry insurance. Becoming compliant may help you qualify for lower premiums
Compliance issues that our risk assessment address
Our risk assessments focus on all types of compliance needs, including the CMMC model and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST 800-171).
Other popular compliance standards we provide guidance on:
- NIST 800-53 for Federal compliance
- HIPAA and HITECH for the medical industry
- PCI for businesses processing credit card payments
- ITAR and DFARS, also for the defense industry
- State privacy regulations
- GDPR, for EU data protection and privacy
- GLBA for the financial industry
What is the CMMC & the CMMC Framework?
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a unified standard for implementing cybersecurity across the defense industrial base (DIB), which includes over 300,000 companies in the supply chain. The CMMC is the DoD’s response to significant compromises of sensitive defense information located on contractors’ information systems.
Previously, contractors were responsible for implementing, monitoring and certifying the security of their information technology systems and any sensitive DoD information stored on or transmitted by those systems. Contractors remain responsible for implementing critical cybersecurity requirements, but the CMMC changes this paradigm by requiring third-party assessments of contractors’ compliance with certain mandatory practices, procedures and capabilities that can adapt to new and evolving cyber threats from adversaries. Visit the CMMC webpage where contractors can stay up-to-date on the certification process.
The Framework
The CMMC establishes five certification levels that reflect the maturity and reliability of a company’s cybersecurity infrastructure to safeguard sensitive government information on contractors’ information systems. Levels are tiered and build upon each other’s technical requirements. Each level requires compliance with the lower-level requirements and institutionalization of additional processes to implement specific cybersecurity-based practices.
Why Choose PCGiT?
You need a security partner with a deep knowledge of IT technologies, and an understanding of the realities of running a business. We take pride in offering a wide variety of cybersecurity solutions and have the skills and competencies to keep you safe, while clearly communicating the threats and risks you face.
Our expertise in IT planning, budgeting, and security risk minimization adapts and changes as IT requirements do.
Ensure your data and IT infrastructure is protected and managed efficiently with an experienced Managed IT Services Provider. PCGiTs strive to give our customers predictable outcomes, including cost and security. Call us today at 603-431-4121.
