In the Face of DFARS Pressures - Microsoft Gold Partner Launching Managed IT Support Service Uniquely Suited for Federal Contractors

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., April 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In the face of recent regulatory compliance pressures - namely the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) – and a major industry shift in cloud technologies, Summit 7 Systems launched a new Managed Services Provider (MSP) offering on April 1, 2018. The service offering, entitled AnchorPoint, is a Cloud-First MSP focused on managing an organization's IT infrastructure while maintaining DFARS 252.204-7012 and NIST SP 800-171 compliance. In addition to the traditional IT support services provided by MSPs, AnchorPoint's services will address the increasing complexity of security and compliance requirements for government contractors. 

Compliance with DFARS and NIST 800-171 is now essential for winning and sustaining contracts, which means MSP providers must also be compliant. Former Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan spoke at the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association on February 6, 2018 and said, "The culture we need to get to is we're going to defend ourselves… and we want the bar to be so high that it becomes a condition of doing business." In addition to the compliance burden facing contractors – organizations are confronting an increased complexity of security risks, growing cost to continuously research and improve security posture, and higher staffing costs due to the new cloud management skills required and staff turnover.

Summit 7 is the first to offer a DFARS and NIST compliant MSP service, which provides assurance to clients that their data is secure and handled in an appropriate manner.  This service will enable businesses to outsource their IT support without risk of compromising their compliance or their contracts.  Scott Edwards, Owner and President of Summit 7, explains, "The AnchorPoint service is not as much of an addition as it is a continuation of our offerings, as many of our clients have needed consistent support after their initial Office 365 or Azure deployment projects." He adds, "Management of platforms and their configuration and security options can become unwieldly for many businesses that must remain cost competitive; thus, we are charged with helping organizations get compliant and stay compliant."

While supplying helpdesk support, desktop and mobile device monitoring, patching services, Office 365 tenant administration, and other services – the AnchorPoint practitioners will also insure sensitive data, including Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), is managed in a DFARS compliant environment.  

SOURCE Summit 7 Systems