PilieroMazza is pleased to announce that Jon Williams, a Partner on the Firm’s Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Team and Chair of the Government Contracts Group, will testify at a hearing on June 24, 2021, at 10:00 AM ET before the Congressional Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations. The hearing—which focuses on matters concerning Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)—is entitled “CMMC Implementation: What It Means for Small Businesses.” A recording of the hearing is available here, .

CMMC is the Department of Defense’s (DOD) latest initiative to increase cybersecurity preparedness across the defense industrial base. The hearing will provide members of the Subcommittee the opportunity to learn more about the DOD initiative, its implementation, and the compliance challenges it poses for small businesses. In an excerpt from his written testimony, Jon states:

“[…] the CMMC initiative appropriately aims to improve our Nation’s cybersecurity posture and better protect our sensitive information. I do not think small businesses would debate the importance of cybersecurity, or that doing business with the federal government is a privilege, not a right, which requires investments in compliance and infrastructure. At the same time, the worthy goals of the CMMC initiative must be calibrated to avoid creating an unnecessarily high barrier to entry for small businesses, which are the engine of our economy and critical partners with the federal government for innovation and provision of many necessary services and supplies.”

Jon advises contractors on a wide range of government contracting matters, with an emphasis on protests and appeals, the federal small businesses procurement programs, and government audits and investigations. He also provides guidance on the evolving landscape of federal cybersecurity requirements. Jon authors and lectures extensively on CMMC and is helping government contractors prepare for this new certification.

If you have questions about implementing CMMC at your business or upcoming cybersecurity regulations that may impact your company, please contact Jon Williams or a member of PilieroMazza’s Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Team.