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Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)

Compliance to the NIST 800-171 Cybersecurity Standard

With the help of: New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NY MEP)

About

GP:50 NY Ltd. (GP:50) is a manufacturer of pressure, temperature and level sensors. Founded in 1986, the company remains a privately-held, family-run business located in Grand Island, New York, with 55 employees. The company recently invested in a 11,000-square-foot facility expansion including new equipment and an enterprise management system to accommodate their growth in the defense and aerospace market.

The Challenge

GP:50 recognized the company had an opportunity to further expand their business within the defense and aerospace industries. One hurdle the company immediately recognized they had to overcome was a potential customer ’s contractual requirement that the prospective supplier must be working toward compliance to the NIST 800-171 Cybersecurity Standard. This standard was developed by the Federal Government to protect classified uncontrolled information which suppliers must have access to in order to make the products to specifications. Being DFARS compliant is not only a requirement to obtain government production orders, it is also the precise right thing to do to protect the business and its employees from loss or economic hardship due to unauthorized access and cybercriminal activities.
This project made it possible for us to protect our business, our customer’s critical information, and our employees’ livelihoods. As a result, we have new opportunities available to us that we could not previously have vied for. Completing this assessment was a significant milestone for our company. Insyte continues to be a valued partner; our expectations were surpassed.
— Robert Atwood, VP / COO

MEP's Role

GP:50 partnered with Insyte Consulting, part of the New York MEP and the MEP National Network™, to assess the strength of the company’s information technology environment, the readiness of the entity and it employees when operating in the digital workspace, and most significantly, identify the gaps and vulnerabilities, so they can be properly mitigated. Insyte was able to leverage a National Grid Manufacturing Productivity Program Grant to offset a sizeable portion of the project cost.

Insyte conducted a comprehensive assessment of the physical, technical, and administrative aspects of GP:50, ranked the findings based on severity, and provided a comprehensive plan of action for mitigating each of the findings in order of priority and severity. Improvements were implemented by the company project team and they are now prepared for growth.

Created October 27, 2020, Updated July 12, 2021