How Quality Support Uses NIST

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) operates under the U.S. Department of Commerce, which aims to support American innovation and healthy competition. The NIST furthers this goal by establishing standards for measurement science and technology in ways that support economic security and enhance quality of life.

NIST SP 800-171 standards focus on cybersecurity regulations to protect controlled unclassified information (CUI). CUI includes government information that non-government organizations, like contractors, manage. This information is considered sensitive but not top secret. The standards outline how the CUI should be protected during storage, transmission, and processing.

Learn more about NIST SP 800-171 standards, how to achieve and maintain compliance, and how Quality Support can help.

 

Key Aspects of NIST SP 800-171

The National Institute of Standards and Technology established NIST SP 800-171 standards primarily for defense contractors and defense-related information. All organizations that serve the DoD, NASA, the General Services Administration (GSA), and other federal agencies need to understand the following key aspects and implement the proper security controls.

Focus on CUI

NIST SP 800-171 focuses on protecting CUI. While controlled unclassified information is not as sensitive as top secret information, it contains the following data that must be protected:

  • Equipment information
  • Technical specifications
  • Logistical strategies

Applicability

All government contractors and subcontractors that handle CUI while engaging with federal agencies need to comply with NIST SP 800-171.

Security Controls

Under these standards, there are many different security controls your organization will need to implement and maintain. Some of the required elements include:

  • Access management systems
  • Incident response protocols
  • Measures for ensuring system and information integrity
  • Data encryption

Compliance Requirements

Contractors and subcontractors must set up the necessary security controls and adequately maintain them. They also need to prove their CUI safeguarding capabilities through periodic audits and evaluations.

Steps to Comply With NIST SP 800-171

Complying with NIST SP 800-171 standards offers a lot of advantages to contractors and subcontractors, such as enhancing cybersecurity, reducing risk associated with handling CUI, and protecting sensitive government information.

Implementing compliance with NIST SP 800-171 for the first time involves these fundamental steps:

  1. Evaluate your current cybersecurity environment and identify target areas for improvement.
  2. Create your organization’s system security plan (SSP), plan of action and milestones (POA&M), and supplier performance risk system (SPRS) score.
  3. Craft the proper system and policy changes.
  4. Implement those changes.
  5. Conduct ongoing audits and reevaluations to maintain compliance.

Over time, you'll need to continually prove compliance as your environment or organization changes. Here’s how:

  1. Assess your systems, and update your SSP, POA&M, and SPRS score.
  2. Implement new policies and processes as your technology or business evolves.
  3. Evaluate and update your IT environment to maintain compliance.
  4. Perform frequent system audits.

Work With Quality Support

Quality Support is the first wood crate and packaging organization in the U.S. to be NIST SP 800-171 compliant. Our products, capabilities, and processes effectively protect CUI from cybersecurity threats. We design and build custom packaging and crates to meet your internal quality standards as well as our own. In addition to NIST SP 800-171, we also meet various Mil-Spec, ASTM, and nuclear NQA-1 standards for specialized applications.

Contact us today to learn more about NIST compliance and how our crating and packaging services can support your government operations.

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