If your business has been dealing arms and has worked with the United States government, then you will need to make sure that you are following the necessary guidelines that you need in order to be compliant. If there is a chance that you could find your information stolen by foreign nationals, then you need to look into how you can be ITAR compliant and avoid the severe repercussions that are associated with it.
Here are ways you can make sure that you are following the guidelines for ITAR compliance.
Consider how your files are stored
Where you keep your files and blueprints is probably going to be the most important thing to add to your ITAR compliance checklist. If you are only storing your sensitive documents on your hard drive or Google Drive, you can run into some major problems when it comes to hackers accessing your files. If this is found to be true, you can be stuck with large fines and even up to 10 years of jail time. Invest in a cloud that has encryption services and real-time monitoring.
Encrypt your files and messages
However, storing your documents in a secure location is not enough. You will also want to look into password-protecting your items so you have another layer of security. First and foremost, you’ll want to take a look at your emails and see if there have been any files you have sent over that need to be encrypted, and to make sure that all of your emails from here on out are secure. Make them password protected and make sure to change that password frequently to avoid accidentally sharing them with an outside source.
Know which items are included
It might seem pretty obvious that those who are selling arms to the U.S. government would need to be aware of ITAR compliance. However, the stipulations also include other items, like the blueprints you used to make new weapons or hazmat suits and missiles. Just in case, it’s a good idea to take a look at the list of items that you will need to have protected just in case they might fall under the ITAR compliance guidelines. In this case, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Hire a professional
While you might have a handle on your business, you might not necessarily know the best actions when it comes to security. This is why it is good to have a professional take a look at the way you are storing information and whether or not you are missing anything of importance. You might also want to consider investing in a service that monitors any activity that looks like hacking and could end up causing you to lose information. It can be an extra cost for your business, but it can help tremendously and save you from the severe fines and more that come with having your data compromised.
In summary
When you have a business that needs to be ITAR compliant, then you want to make the extra effort to be secure. By following these methods, you can ensure that you won’t have any problems and that your business will survive.
