The Role of Compliance in Top-Tier Manufacturing Tech

In general, almost every sector has to adhere to some form of compliance, whether it’s healthcare, financial services, or, for the purposes of this blog, manufacturing. Typically, that compliance takes into account your security posture and the ways in which you’re protecting proprietary data or intellectual capital.

In financial services and healthcare, those regulatory and compliance standards tend to be fairly universal—tenets to which every firm adheres. In manufacturing, one key compliance guardrail is the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 program, developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) to safeguard the data and information that supports and enables our armed services.

Essentially, CMMC enforces the protection of sensitive unclassified information that is shared by the DoD with its contractors and subcontractors. The program provides the DoD with increased assurance that contractors and subcontractors are meeting the cybersecurity requirements that apply to acquisition programs and systems that process controlled, unclassified information.

As a manufacturer, if you’re not in the DoD supply chain, the CMMC doesn’t necessarily apply to you. But maybe it should.

CMMC’s Stringent Guidelines

“Think of it as the gold standard of compliance,” explains Steve Martocchio, partner and Chief Operations Officer at Cooperative Systems. “Based on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) framework, CMMC maps out the basis for a sound security posture and running a mature infrastructure.”

On the security side, CMMC ensures that any manufacturer in the DoD supply chain employs a cybersecurity platform that ensures the protection of intellectual property, which helps keep vulnerability and weakness out of the overall supply chain.

A mature infrastructure means that the manufacturer has a multilayered and thorough cybersecurity posture in place.

“That includes many different facets, but again ensures that the infrastructure—from the edge device and internet connectivity all the way through servers, infrastructure devices, and end points—falls within their parameters for a strong and robust security posture,” he notes. “You’re protecting access with multifactor authentication, endpoint detection and response, and other security tools, like email encryption, data protection, data loss prevention, and administrative controls.”

“Think of CMMC as an enforced set of best practices,” adds Roy vanNorstrand, Sales Manager at Coopsys. “In that respect, it covers more than just technology. CMMC also considers policies, processes, and procedures. The human element, for example, is always the weakest link in your security chain, so ensuring that training processes, policies, and processes are adhered to and monitored is key to your cybersecurity posture. You can put all the tools in place, but if you’re not following mature, repeatable best practices and your people aren’t trained, your exposure is significant. CMMC addresses that.”

CMMC Benefits

Adhering to CMMC guidelines means your company is automatically in compliance with highly structured, best-practice guidelines. As such, there are a range of benefits to adopting them.

“For one thing, it tells potential employees—like top-tier engineers and others—that your manufacturing firm offers an environment in which best practices and security matter,” relates Martocchio. “Operationally, it also makes it easier to get cybersecurity insurance, which has become much more challenging.”

It’s also a benefit in terms of the way you’re positioned in the market.

“Let’s say I’m designing a new air conditioning unit and I’m looking for a manufacturer to produce a unique compressor pump,” posits vanNorstrand. “I want a supplier that can protect my intellectual property; someone I can engage with that offers the highest level of implicit trust and credibility. Knowing that the manufacturer I choose adheres to CMMC compliance makes that a much easier decision.”

In fact, Martocchio says, CMMC guidelines are the basis for the engagement models Cooperative Systems uses with all our manufacturing partners.

“We work closely with our clients and their internal or external auditors to ensure that the tools and infrastructure are in place to meet or exceed that regulatory compliance, helping us build robust, comprehensive technology stacks,” he says. “And that’s not a set-it-and-forget-it proposition. We develop and maintain our clients’ environments in the context of knowing what the continuously evolving regulatory and compliance environments are and keeping them constantly up to date.”

Connect with us today to learn more about how Cooperative Systems can optimize your manufacturing firm’s technology and cybersecurity posture.