DoD Wants Prime Contractors to Be “Help Desk” for New Cybersecurity Model

The Defense Department is pushing forward with its unified cybersecurity standard for contractors and wants large companies and industry associations to show startups and smaller firms the way. Ellen Lord, DoD’s acquisition chief, said the department was attuned to the cost-related concerns of small businesses regarding its new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. While there’s no mandate for it, Lord said larger organizations should pitch in with help as the standard is implemented in 2020. “I am envisioning the primes and the industry associations and the government with industrial policy really working as kind of the help desk, the help agent, enabling these companies to be compliant with a lot of support,” Lord remarked.