CUI Marking & Labeling Consulting

Department of Defense contractors are required to mark Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). The information security protocols required of DoD contractors require each company to identify CUI information and apply the proper markings to electronic and physical media. CUI is any unclassified material that requires dissemination controls or safeguarding.

CUI marking and labeling consulting helps DoD contractors remain compliant with the information registry requirements. The originator (aka, the contractor) of the media that falls into the CUI classification is responsible for determining whether the information qualifies for CUI status and applying the correct security markings. Determining whether physical or electronic media is considered CUI depends on how the material is produced or used. There's a specific series of laws that determines the classification of each piece of media.

It can be time-consuming to understand what classification a piece of media falls into and mark it appropriately. For businesses that provide goods or technology for the DoD, determining the correct label is essential for compliance.

The categories of CUI and the materials that are considered controlled unclassified can change. Staying compliant with labeling regulations ensures staying in good standing as a DoD supplier. Some categories may have more than a dozen authorities, so suppliers may need to dig deeper to know if they're working with CUI and what types of protection are required for labeling. After research, many DoD contractors may be familiar with which CUI categories they handle on a regular basis.

When you need solutions to ensure that your CUI markings meet CMMC 2.0 and ITAR requirements, though, having the best manual and automated techniques helps.

Training Your Staff

Using technology for CUI marking starts with training your staff to identify which pieces of media need marking and which don't. CMMC and DFARS compliance require marking certain documents with the proper labels. Many companies find that staff training as to how to properly label everything is the biggest challenge. Training them on how to mark certain items, why these markings are important, and how it impacts the company is vital.

Do You Need To Inventory Your CUI?

You may have accumulated thousands of documents over the last 10-15 years in your company's role as a DoD contractor. Understanding how far back you need to label materials is also important. Do you know how far back you need to go to label documents? doing so is a significant financial investment, plus it is very time-consuming to go back and mark all the documents that need it. Understanding when the cut-off point is can help save your business time and money.

If you don't have the wherewithal to complete this yourself, you may choose to have a professional consulting service, like Cleared Systems, complete it for you.

Automating CUI Marking and Labeling

Many DoD contractors would like to automate the labeling and marking of CUI as much as possible. When users manually input information, the likelihood of errors goes up. Manual information inputting, labeling, and marking can lead to errors in classification. However, when you opt for the automated labeling services from Cleared Systems, you'll benefit from our technology which cans your documents, looks for identifiable information and then determines what should be marked. Finally, the system marks it appropriately.

We can also structure templates for your organization, pre-labeling them by CUI type (confidential, financial, and unclassified). Then, you can simply create your documents within these templates and be confident that they're accurate. Your company's users will create documents with the correct markings, selecting from one of a few predefined templates and placing each document at the very lowest level of categorization.

Automating and proper staff training makes it easy to produce your documents in accordance with the DoD requirements for contractors. Training and automation allow you to concentrate on what your business does best while still being compliant.

Do You Need CUI Marking and Labeling Consulting?

Do you need a specialist to ensure that your documents meet the CUI requirements as per DoD requirements? If you need staff training, automated template creation, or even research back into your archived documents to determine if any need CUI labeling, choose Cleared Systems. We're a professional service for DoD contractors, offering CMMC assessments and solutions. Contact us today for a consultation and professional risk assessments.