Security Assessment Report (SAR) Template, Guide, and Examples
Art Clomera Vice President, Operations Implementing effective security controls for information systems is a vital and complex undertaking. All Federal agencies require cybersecurity control measures in one form or another – and assessing their effectiveness is a challenge. Due to the complex and quickly evolving nature of cybersecurity threats, it can be difficult to accurately […]
How to Build Your System Security Plan (SSP) with Examples and Template
Art Clomera, Vice President Operations Information system development, use, and eventual decommissioning requires a lot of paperwork – reports, signatures, manuals, approvals, and more. Amongst this mountain of documentation, the System Security Plan (SSP) may well be the granddaddy of them all. It is the encyclopedia and guidebook of all security aspects related to the […]
How to Conduct Cybersecurity Compliance Risk Assessments in 4 Steps
Shawn Elliott, Vice President, Federal Solutions In an organizational context, “being in compliance” refers to an organization conforming to the applicable standards and rules set by governing entities. These standards and rules can be both external (e.g. laws, industry standards, regulations) or internal (e.g. company policies). Failure to adhere to applicable standards can lead to […]
What is a POAM? (Including a POAM Template and Example)
Art Clomera, CTO, Federal Services – Wouldn’t perfection be great? Everyone, every organization, every system working exactly the way they should with inexhaustible, flawless precision from the word “Go.” Never worrying about something not going exactly as planned. It sounds pretty great but also pretty impossible… (even boring). Perfection in the world of cyber security […]
The 7 Risk Management Framework (RMF) Process Steps
Art Clomera, Vice President, Operations We’ve all heard the adage: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” In essence, you have to risk something if you want to get things done. So much of our lives involves assessing risk and intelligently managing those risks to meet our needs and achieve our goals. It’s why a motorcyclist wears a […]
Common Cybersecurity Threats and How to Protect Your Government Agency
Shawn Elliott, President, Federal Solutions Cyber threats have become mainstays in the modern news feed. Nearly every day we learn about the latest ingenious digital tool that maliciously exploits its victims to steal their information or money and disrupt legitimate activities. The frequency and severity of these threats are increasing. Cybersecurity sensors recorded approximately 5.3 […]
What is Cybersecurity? (And Why It’s Important)
Art Clomera, Vice President, Operations It’s a simple question with a somewhat complicated answer – at a time when understanding its meaning couldn’t be more important. In a recent industry report, a series of digital trackers stationed across the globe logged more than 5.3 trillion – yes, “trillion” – cyber attacks worldwide in 2021. That’s […]
Risk Management Framework (RMF): The Complete Guide for 2024
Art Clomera, Vice President, Operations Every organization has to manage risk in one form or another. Suppliers manage the risk of having too much or too little product in stock, legal risks are present in virtually every contract negotiation, and of course, insurance companies are built entirely on the principle of managing risk for their […]
NIST 800-53: What is it and What are the Control Families?
Art Clomera, Vice President, Operations Ensuring the security of information systems is a complex but necessary task that virtually every modern organization must undertake to some degree or another. One effective method of tackling information system security is to use the Risk Management Framework (RMF) developed by the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST). […]
What is OSCAL in Cybersecurity? (And Why it Matters)
Art Clomera, Vice President, Operations Developing software to support any federal agency’s mission is a multi-faceted task today. Cyber threats, development complexity, and meeting operational mission requirements including security boundary continuous monitoring, is growing in complexity and resources. Additionally, achieving or maintaining an authorization to operation (ATO) remains a resource intensive task, burdened by very […]
