Carl B. Johnson is the founder and CISO of Cleared Systems, a compliance-focused advisory firm supporting federal contractors, healthcare organizations, defense manufacturers, and regulated businesses with cybersecurity, privacy, and regulatory compliance requirements. With more than two decades of experience in information technology, cybersecurity, risk management, and compliance, Carl has built his professional work around helping organizations protect sensitive data, meet government requirements, and prepare for audits, assessments, and contractual obligations.
Carl’s work focuses heavily on the intersection of national security, regulated data, and operational compliance. Through Cleared Systems, he advises organizations on requirements involving ITAR, Export Controls, Controlled Unclassified Information, NIST SP 800-171, DFARS, CMMC, HIPAA, and federal contractor cybersecurity obligations. His approach is practical and business-oriented: helping organizations understand what the regulations require, what documentation they need, how to reduce compliance risk, and how to implement defensible programs that can withstand customer, auditor, and government scrutiny.
A major part of Carl’s professional focus is supporting companies that handle export-controlled data and defense-related information. His work in ITAR compliance includes helping organizations understand how defense articles, technical data, foreign person access, visitor control, employee training, secure systems, documentation, and internal compliance programs fit together. He has developed ITAR training content, employee awareness programs, visitor control materials, and compliance documentation designed to help companies move from informal practices to structured, auditable compliance programs.
Carl is also deeply involved in CUI and NIST 800-171 compliance, especially for companies in the Defense Industrial Base. He helps contractors understand how Controlled Unclassified Information should be identified, protected, stored, transmitted, and managed across business systems. His work includes guidance on policies, procedures, risk assessments, system security plans, plans of action and milestones, secure enclaves, employee training, and readiness for customer or government review. He emphasizes that compliance cannot be handled by software alone; organizations need knowledgeable professionals who understand the regulation, the business process, and the evidence required to prove compliance.
In the healthcare space, Carl has also created and supported major HIPAA-focused training and compliance initiatives. His work includes HIPAA privacy and security training, healthcare workforce education, breach prevention awareness, Business Associate Agreement guidance, privacy officer support, and audit-ready training documentation. Through related platforms and training programs, Carl has worked to make HIPAA education more accessible, practical, and easier for healthcare organizations to document.
Carl is also an author and content creator. His published and planned works include books and educational materials focused on ITAR, cybersecurity, compliance, HIPAA, and protecting regulated organizations. His writing style is designed to translate complex regulatory requirements into clear, practical guidance for business owners, executives, compliance officers, IT teams, and employees who need to understand what the rules mean in real-world operations.
In addition to books and training materials, Carl contributes to industry education through articles, papers, compliance guides, course materials, video training, and podcast-style commentary. His educational work frequently addresses topics such as export-controlled data handling, ITAR visitor requirements, HIPAA privacy expectations, CUI protection, NIST 800-171 controls, cybersecurity governance, vendor risk, audit preparation, and compliance program development. He uses these materials to help regulated organizations move beyond checkbox compliance and build programs that are understandable, repeatable, and defensible.
Carl’s podcast and media work further support his mission of making cybersecurity and compliance understandable for business leaders. His commentary often focuses on privacy, healthcare data protection, federal contractor risk, national security compliance, and the growing pressure on organizations to prove that they are protecting sensitive information. His communication style is direct, practical, and grounded in real compliance challenges faced by small and mid-sized organizations.
At Cleared Systems, Carl’s executive role combines strategic advisory, compliance program development, training, and risk management. He works with clients that need more than generic cybersecurity support — they need guidance tied to specific regulatory obligations. His leadership reflects Cleared Systems’ core positioning: compliance services for organizations that handle regulated, sensitive, export-controlled, healthcare, federal, or national security-related data.
Carl B. Johnson’s work stands at the center of modern compliance challenges: helping organizations understand their obligations, prepare for audits, train their workforce, protect sensitive data, and reduce the risk of regulatory failure. Through Cleared Systems, his books, training programs, papers, podcast content, and advisory work, he continues to build practical resources for companies operating in high-risk, highly regulated environments.
