The US Department of Defense (DoD) released cybersecurity regulations to be fulfilled by all external contractors and suppliers in December 2015. The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) ensures the safety of the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). The federal contractors based in Orlando must have to ensure DFARS Compliance for federal contractors in Orlando, FL. Here are some important questions related to the DFARS compliance for federal contractors in Orlando, FL.
What is DFARS?
DFARS is a regulation supplement related to the cybersecurity of the federal contractors. It deals with the implementation of cybersecurity regulation released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the form of NIST SP 800 – 171. It is mandatory for all federal contractors to implement all the requirements mentioned in the NIST SP 800 – 171 framework.
How can a federal contractor ensure DFARS compliance?
The federal contractors based in Orlando can ensure DFARS compliance for federal contractors in Orlando, FL, by using in-house compliance or outsourced compliance. In-house compliance is suitable for those contractors who have a good IT team in place. On the other hand, most of the smaller contractors can opt to go for outsourced compliance. There are several experts in Orlando that provide DFARS services for federal contractors. They ensure the DFARS compliance on the behalf of federal contractors.
Do DFARS regulations have some technical requirements?
Yes, DFARS has some technical requirements that can only be handled by the IT experts. Moreover, the cybersecurity technology is evolving with the passage of time. So, the security issues can only be dealt with by people who have specialization in this field. Here are some important technical requirements mentioned in NIST SP 800 – 171: -
- System and Information Integrity
- Risk Assessment
- Security Assessment
- Personnel Security
- Physical Security
- Media Protection
What is an MSSP?
An MSSP (Managed Security Service Provider) is a DFARS expert that implements the DFARS regulations on behalf of federal contractors. The MSSPs take the responsibility of fulfilling DFARS compliance for federal contractors in Orlando, FL. The federal contractors are recommended to consult an MSSP before starting their DFARS preparations.
What are the important steps to ensure DFARS compliance?
The federal contractors are advised to start work on DFARS compliance in the right manner. Here are some of the important steps in this regard: -
- Conduct Gap Analysis
- Remediation Plan
- Monitoring and Reporting
- Legal Documentation
Does DFARS require legal documentation?
Yes, the federal contractors have to prepare legal documents while working on DFARS compliance. They have to present these documents in front of the DoD. Moreover, federal contractors are required to pass an audit to become DFARS compliant. The MSSPs are experienced in preparing legal documents. So, federal contractors can consult them in this regard.
The federal contractors based in Orlando should take DFARS compliance a serious matter as their future is dependent on it. If they will fail to comply with the DFARS guidelines, they will lose their DoD contracts.