The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) is a set of cybersecurity standards to be implemented and maintained by all government contractors working with the US Department of Defense (DoD). The security regulations are constructed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The DFARS compliance for government contractors in Orlando, FL, is based on NIST SP 800 – 171 regulations. Let us discuss the DFARS compliance in detail.
How does a government contractor become DFARS compliant?
It is not a straightforward process to become DFARS compliant as there are some technical requirements in NIST 800-171. The government contractors based in Orlando must have to work with the right approach to become DFARS compliant. The best way to start preparing for the DFARS assessment is to conduct a gap analysis. The gap analysis will help the government to know their weaknesses in terms of information security. Moreover, it will help them to find the areas where changes will be required.
After getting the results from the gap analysis, the government contractors should work on the remediation plan. The remediation plan should aim to fix the issues highlighted through the gap analysis. Some contractors will require major changes while others will require minor changes. After the successful implementation of the remediation plan, government contractors should develop an efficient monitoring and reporting system. The main purpose of the DFARS compliance for government contractors in Orlando, FL, is to ensure that the government contractors report cyber incidents immediately.
Moreover, legal documentation is another important part of the DFARS compliance for government contractors in Orlando, FL. The government contractors are required to present their compliance in front of the DoD officials. After the successful audit, the government contractors will be declared as DFARS compliant by the DoD.
In-house Compliance and Outsourced Compliance
The government contractors have to decide at the initial stage about whether they will opt to go for in-house compliance or outsourced compliance. In in-house compliance, they have to implement the NIST 800-171 regulations by themselves. The organizations having a good IT security team can become DFARS complaints by themselves. But the government contractors who do not have an experienced information security team have to go for outsourced compliance. In outsourced compliance, they have to consult an MSSP (Managed Security Service Provider). It is a good investment as far as the importance of DFARS compliance is concerned. It can save time and money. The MSSPs are experienced in their field. The government contractors are advised to hire a trustworthy MSSP for acquiring DFARS compliance for government contractors in Orlando, FL.
The government contractors must have to keep in mind that their contracts with the DoD will receive a stop-work order if they will not be able to pass the DFARS audit. It shows how much important DFARS compliance is for government contractors based in Orlando.