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Cybersecurity Deadline Looms for DoD Manufacturers

By John Killam, President, MassMEP

Cybersecurity guidelines required by the Department of Defense (DoD) are likely to have an enormous impact on hundreds of Massachusetts approved manufacturers who may have received DoD contracts in 2016. By December 31, 2017, all DoD contractors (including small businesses) must meet minimum cybersecurity requirements or risk losing DoD business. Alarmingly, most manufacturers aren’t even aware of the looming deadline or what they must do to comply.

Why Cybersecurity Matters
Small manufacturers are a vital part of our nation’s economic and cyber infrastructure. There are over 289,0001 small manufacturers in the U.S. In 2015, the average cost of a data breach for small companies was $38,000. It has been estimated that more than half of the companies go out of business within six months of a cyber attack.

For most small manufacturers, the security of your information, systems, and networks is not the highest priority given everything else you’re facing. But an information security or cybersecurity incident can be detrimental to the business, your customers, partners, or suppliers. It’s important that manufacturers understand and manage the risk and establish a cybersecurity protocol to protect your most critical assets.

MassMEP has informational sessions on how you can protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your information. Join us for one of the sessions or contact us today to learn how we can help you.

Cybersecurity Framework  Steps for Manufacturers Info Session

September 12, 2017, 8:00am – 11:00am, Devens, MA
Register now

September 21, 2017, 8:00am – 11:00am, Taunton, MA
Register now

September 26, 2017, 8:00am – 11:00am, Western MA, TBD
Register now