GSN March 2016 Digital Edition

Intelleges’ innovative approach helps government
contractors assess their cybersecurity strengths
By Steve Bittenbender
As the federal government now requires
defense contractors to assess
the security of their information
technology systems, a New York
company has come up with an innovative
way to help those companies
evaluate their systems and identify
opportunities for improvements
and enhancements.
Intelleges is a New York-based
company that provides proprietary
software to corporate leaders and
government agencies that need to
collect data and documentation for
a variety of reasons. through a proprietary
solution that allows its clients
to develop customizable questionnaires
and store the results and
certified cloud-based system.
Last fall, the Department of Defense’s
Federal Acquisition Regula-
guidelines requiring contractors
and their subcontractors to safeguard
sensitive defense data that it
stores or handles. As defense contractors
began to evaluate how they
were protecting that critical information,
some began reaching out
to Intelleges to help them. That led
to the development of the compa-
24
John Betancourt
Founder, Intelleges
ny’s Stacked Information
Technology Cybersecurity
Assessment Maturity
company’s founder, said
the company has been doing
this work for its existing
clients for more than
15 years, but now with the
government’s new regulation
regarding cybersecurity,
it’s essential that all government
contractors – as well as other
organizations that handle sensitive
personal data such as an individual’s
credit cards or personal health records
– get an assessment as quickly
as possible.
As part of the Intelleges’ assessment
system, the company created
a matrix to determine a company’s
strengths when it comes to IT security.
The system, which is based
on the Capability Maturity Model
Integration scale, evaluates companies
across 15 areas related to information
technology. SIT-CAMM
uses NIST and ISO 2700 standards
in developing the questions for the
assessment. Those questions are tailored
specifically for each company.
Among the items SIT-CAMM assesses
includes: a company’s IT usage,
its business process
management, its regulatory
compliance and its
training program.
software, we can create
and distribute a series of
electronic questionnaires
designed to determine
software, hardware and
network usage, compliance,
mission alignment,
satisfaction levels, usability, and
court
said. “These questionnaires
will provide insight into possible
strengths, weaknesses, opportuni-
department will need to address.”
Companies then receive a rating
based on where their assessed areas
stand. Companies that are just beginning
to identify their needs may
be assessed at a Level 1, while those
who have fully optimized their departments
may receive a Level 5 rating.
As part of its assessment, Intelleges
will work with companies and identify
ways to improve their scores in
certain areas. That includes developing
recommendations based on
industry best practices. Those recommendations
will help companies