You might have heard the term “DFARS” come up a lot recently, especially with the federal government's initiatives to heighten cybersecurity and defense measures. But what is DFARS and how does it relate to GSA contractors? You’ll find it’s a very important set of regulations for you to follow and understand. DFARS stands for Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement. It’s managed by the Department of Defense (DoD) to supplement the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). The defense supplement was launched to as a government effort to guard national security concerns from cybersecurity attacks.

The U.S. federal government has become increasingly connected in the digital age. This affords great opportunities but also requires a significant investment in cybersecurity. Every organization has information that it needs to keep private, but the federal government has especially sensitive data that needs to be heavily guarded. A single leak could cause rampant issues from identity theft to leakage of confidential information. To keep information secure in our constantly changing digital world, the Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services (HACS) Special Item Number (SIN) was created under the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program.

Within the government’s cybersecurity workforce, you’ll find dedicated professionals who serve as contractors, civilians, or in the military. These professionals protect our national security, making them the target of malicious cyber actors who are trying to gain unauthorized access to information that is often restricted and housed in private military networks. With no other way to break into these networks, cyber actors use the government cybersecurity workforce as an avenue of approach, putting them at risk for unintentionally exposing classified government data.

When 5G is eventually implemented worldwide, it’s going to revolutionize the way we communicate with each other. However, it’s more than just faster data and downloading speeds on our smartphones. 5G technology has the potential to connect electronic devices and machines so they are all in sync with each other. This opens up a whole new world of potential for industries like the U.S. federal government.

What could the future with 5G look like? Imagine you’re getting ready for work. You start your day with a workout with your virtual reality goggles. With each calorie you burn and every slight escalation of your heart rate, the data is collected and sent to an app on your phone so you can track your performance. You leave your house and get into the backseat of a driverless taxicab. The car in front of you brakes quickly to avoid a pedestrian. The cars communicate to each other signaling danger up ahead, so your cab automatically slows down, avoiding a crash.

Cybersecurity concerns can reach high levels of national security especially if they pertain to the federal government. Past data breaches like the recent SolarWinds hack have proven it’s important for the federal government to set cybersecurity standards for government contractors. One critical aspect of government networks is cloud services. In Fiscal Year 2020, federal agencies spent over $6 billion on cloud computing, making it an important part of federal procurement. All Cloud Service Providers selling to the federal government must meet proven security standards established through FedRAMP.