“I spent the last six years building and pouring everything into this business. Securing a DoD [Department of Defense] contract is crucial and urgent to keep my business going.” anxiously said by Reynaldo Zapata, Founder and CEO of Qualitech-Aerospace Corp. in Long Island, NY. Qualitech is a 5-person business dedicated to advanced parts manufacturing and engineering throughout the US.
Qualitech needed to be cyber secure for the DoD and Northrop Grumman, quickly. The Cybersecurity team at the Manufacturing and Technology Enterprise Center (MTEC) made sure Rey got there. MTEC, part of the national Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), helps small manufacturers with many tailor-made services that manufacturers need but do not have the wherewithal or resources to secure. Qualitech’s engagement with MTEC instantly paid off with their first $77,000 Northrop contract within 2 months of meeting with the team. Qualitech outcompeted some of Rey’s former employers and other business associates while recouping their investment several times over.
After a period of slow adoption, companies will need certification within the next five years. Compliance and eventual certification have real implications – only these companies will be able to secure direct or indirect DoD contracts. The government wants to secure its information as deliberate cyberattacks are a national security risk if government data are exposed.
Beyond the DoD, companies should be cyber secure to protect their own clients, staff, and trade secrets; exploitation of which are all sources of litigation and company ruin.
Fortunately for Qualitech, they were able to win a NYS Cybersecurity Assistance Grant in September 2020 through the Advanced Institute for Manufacturing, part of the NY MEP System. This grant is targeted to help small manufacturers with limited resources to secure DoD contracts. It was also the first time the team, consisting of Ian Wustrau (Cybersecurity Specialist), Erin Fanning (Cybersecurity Analyst), and myself, met an anxious Rey who was confused about what his client was requiring. The first recommendation was to ask his prime client to delay compliance, which they did by giving Qualitech a three-week extension. Therefore, MTEC had three weeks to assess all Qualitech’s cyber risks following the DoD’s most stringent cybersecurity guidelines, fix a subset of failed cybersecurity controls specified by their client, and provide dates when Qualitech will be in full compliance. Sensing Rey’s urgency, the cybersecurity team developed a plan to turn a typical two-month process into a three-week delivery. As important, Rey had to get up to speed and fully understand the requirements and deficiencies as he only had a part time IT person. There are no short-cuts to being compliant.
Three weeks later, after many calls, questions, and training, Rey submitted the required cybersecurity documentation and proof to his prime client. Shortly thereafter, Qualitech’s client approved them to submit bids for DoD contracts. Then, by the end of November an excited Rey called and said,
“Hey, I wanted to let you know that I just won my first Northrop contract. I’m so happy and wanted to thank you and to let the rest of the staff know how much I appreciate your help.”
The team at MTEC were all excited as well to help Rey achieve his goal. Rey shared his plans to: hire 2-4 staff; run two machines that were idle in 2020; invest in $500k+ machines to differentiate himself from other shops; and, while he secured a small and significant contract, build up to 6 to 7 figure contracts. Rey said he will soon engage MTEC once again to continue helping him with the rest of the cybersecurity remediations.
Qualitech may need assistance with other projects such as scaling, continuous improvement, layout, planning, training, culture, etc. While MTEC provides all these services throughout the Hudson Valley, the Manufacturing & Technology Resource Consortium (MTRC), the MEP center for Long Island, will continue to work with Qualitech as their regional MEP center. MTEC and MTRC, while covering distinct NY regions, enjoy a close working relationship and share our expertise which enable our mutual clients to enjoy an even greater depth and quality of services.
The Cybersecurity Team enjoyed working with Rey and his dedicated team at Qualitech because they are committed to delivering the highest quality services to their clients and their solid work ethic is at the forefront in our teams’ relationship with them.