NIST 800-171 Requirements & The Cost Of Not Meeting Them
The Department of Defense (DOD) put out a deadline mandating that specific controls for Covered Defense Information (CDI) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) residing in nonfederal information systems be in place. Many DOD contractors and subcontractors have missed the deadline and are scrambling to update their cybersecurity standards.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) requirements primarily focus on protecting the confidentiality of CUI in nonfederal systems and organizations are essential in safeguarding national secrets. So, whether you are a critical infrastructure provider striving to meet NIST certification requirements or a small-to-medium sized company looking to contract with the DOD for the first time, you play an essential role in our nation’s security. At this juncture, your most significant challenge is understanding the nuances of the NIST guidelines and determining how to implement the most straightforward, flexible, and cost-effective solutions available to you, as quickly as possible.
Read this whitepaper to find out How a Simple Key Management Solution Can Help Ensure Your Company is Ready to Do Business with the Department of Defense
What If My Company Cannot Afford an Experienced NIST 800-171 Expert?
Unfortunately, the list of requirements is daunting to say the least, and overwhelming to most who cannot afford an in-house team or a third-party vendor dedicated to the cause. Compliance with NIST standards is mandatory depending on the industry. Because each industry carries with it different inherent risks, there is some flexibility in various industries regarding their cybersecurity framework requirements. In short, it would be a wise exercise first to understand where your industry falls before throwing money and time at something that may not be necessary.
The Risks Associated With Not Meeting NIST 800-171 Requirements
Are you sitting down? The consequences for non-compliance may alarm you. If you’re already contracted with the federal government or a prime contractor and have not submitted an action plan for addressing non-compliance, then you’ve contractually agreed that you’re in compliance with NIST 800-171. If an audit is performed and your organization is found to be non-compliant, you’ll likely be in breach of contract resulting in grounds for protest and be on the hook for financial damages.
Encryption Key Management: A Cost-Effective Solution for NIST 800-171 Requirements
Fornetix is committed to helping organizations worldwide meet or exceed NIST requirements through their advanced encryption key management system, VaultCore. This powerful, patented solution is capable of:
- Ensuring you’ve maintained your data in the event of the loss of keys
- FIPS 140-2 Level 2 certified, and an unprecedented 5-minute integration with top Hardware Security Module (HSM) provider instantly increases protection to FIPS 140-2 Root Level 3
- Creating keys and interacting with Certificate Authorities and effectively support the management of not only certificate categories 1-4, but also Class 5 certificates
- Communicates policy across a variety of networks – meeting or exceeding industry standards – by supporting both KMIP and PKCS#11
- *Typically provides a Return On your Security Investment (ROSI) in less than two (2) years
- And so much more!
* ROI < 2 years for mid-to-large enterprise with VaultCore four (4) node cluster supporting approximately 50 servers
Once you understand the regulatory requirements necessary to meet NIST 800-171 requirements, it’s easy to understand how VaultCore can simplify the process of completing the requirements while simultaneously improving your security posture and save your company money.
For a full understanding on How a Simple Key Management Solution Can Help Ensure Your Company is Ready to Do Business with the Department of Defense, click here.
