{"691849":{"#nid":"691849","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech\u0027s Shield Research Environment Earns Top Rating in Federal Cybersecurity Assessment","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s secure research enclave, Shield, has achieved Level 2 Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) following a Certified Third-Party Assessor Organization (C3PAO) assessment. This positions the Institute among a select group of organizations with independently validated cybersecurity controls designed to safeguard Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and support defense-related research. Shield received the Supplier Performance Risk System\u2019s highest rating of 110, meeting all 110 CMMC-required security practices. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe assessment evaluated Shield against CMMC Level 2 requirements, a framework established by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to protect sensitive information. The review examined cybersecurity processes and controls across multiple domains, including access control, incident response, configuration management, system security, and risk management.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Strong research depends on strong operational foundations,\u201d said Bill Dracos, Georgia Tech\u2019s chief Research operations officer. \u201cThis certification validates the systems, processes, and partnerships we\u0027ve built across Georgia Tech to safeguard sensitive information, support our researchers, and ensure we remain a trusted partner for government-sponsored research.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs federal sponsors continue to place greater emphasis on cybersecurity, institutions conducting DoD-related research must demonstrate their ability to protect sensitive information. The successful assessment provides additional assurance to sponsors, partners, and researchers that Georgia Tech has implemented the security controls necessary to support this work.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Completing the CMMC assessment is a significant milestone for Georgia Tech,\u0022 said Joe Lewis, associate vice president for Information Technology and chief information security officer. \u0022Earning a perfect score reflects months of planning, collaboration, and dedication from teams across the Institute that worked together to build and maintain a secure research environment that meets rigorous federal requirements.\u0022 \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2025, the Office of the Executive Vice President for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EResearch\u003C\/a\u003E, in partnership with the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.oit.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EOffice of Information Technology\u003C\/a\u003E\u0027s Cybersecurity department, launched the Shield initiative to support research projects involving CMMC and requiring enhanced cybersecurity measures. Shield provides researchers and principal investigators with a secure, functional platform for conducting sponsored research involving CUI, while meeting DoD security requirements.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe C3PAO assessment outcome strengthens Georgia Tech\u0027s ability to support existing DoD-sponsored research and compete for future opportunities that require compliance with federal cybersecurity standards.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This achievement demonstrates Georgia Tech\u0027s dedication to research excellence, cybersecurity, and compliance,\u0022 Lewis added. \u0022It reflects the commitment of teams across the Institute to building secure research capabilities that support both our researchers and our sponsors.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"The Institute earned top marks for cybersecurity controls designed to protect sensitive research information."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Institute\u0027s research environment supporting federally sponsored projects met rigorous federal cybersecurity requirements.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A third-party assessment validated the Institute\u0027s ability to support Department of Defense-related projects and protect sensitive information.\u00a0 \u00a0"}],"uid":"34932","created_gmt":"2026-08-21 02:05:38","changed_gmt":"2026-08-21 02:27:09","author":"Courtney Hill","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680950":{"id":"680950","type":"image","title":"Research Cybersecurity","body":null,"created":"1787278891","gmt_created":"2026-08-21 02:21:31","changed":"1787278943","gmt_changed":"2026-08-21 02:22:23","alt":"Research cybersecurity","file":{"fid":"265286","name":"25-R10410-P31-018-Web-Banner---2-560px-Wide.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/20\/25-R10410-P31-018-Web-Banner---2-560px-Wide.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/20\/25-R10410-P31-018-Web-Banner---2-560px-Wide.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1192143,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/08\/20\/25-R10410-P31-018-Web-Banner---2-560px-Wide.jpeg?itok=u2SpGaIC"}}},"media_ids":["680950"],"groups":[{"id":"174291","name":"OIT"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"189415","name":"Georgia Tech Research"},{"id":"9299","name":"Office of Information Technology"},{"id":"1404","name":"Cybersecurity"},{"id":"8246","name":"Department of Defense"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"},{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["courtney.hill@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}