Cybersecurity assistance program designed to keep MD contractors eligible for DOD work

Summit Business Technologies (Summit) has been selected as an expert resource to help Maryland defense contractors comply with NIST 800-171 cybersecurity standards. The expanded NIST standards define what contractors must do to protect sensitive defense information that passes through their IT systems.

The Maryland Defense Cybersecurity Assistance Program (DCAP) named Summit to a select team of cybersecurity providers with the experience and expertise to help contractors become compliant with NIST cybersecurity standards. Contractors and subcontractors found out of compliance will lose eligibility for Department of Defense (DOD) business, under the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations (DFARS) that govern DOD contracts.

“The process of complying with NIST 800-171 regulations can be intimidating for small and mid-size contractors,” said Leo Minegishi, Summit’s director of Information Security. “We remove the complexity by helping them draft policies, process changes, and secure the configuration of their IT systems to remediate security gaps that would put their federal contracts at risk.”

DCAP provides funding and support to help suppliers safeguard classified and sensitive unclassified defense-related information that is processed, transmitted or stored in their IT systems. The assistance program is funded by the DOD through the Maryland Department of Commerce and coordinated by the MD Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MDMEP).

MDMEP interviewed multiple cybersecurity providers before choosing Summit and other partners with the experience and capabilities to help contractors at each stage of the planning and remediation process. MD’s defense supply chain generates more than $57 billion in economic impact for the state.

Located in Millersville, MD, Summit Business Technologies prepares government contractors to meet DFARS and NIST 800 171 cybersecurity requirements, from initial gap assessments to planning and remediation. As a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP), Summit has experts skilled in policy, protocol and compliance services, remediation planning, security engineering, and comprehensive awareness training, as required under NIST’s data security standards.

Click here for more information on cybersecurity assistance for Maryland defense contractors.