Getting your product listed on the DoDIN APL can seem like a Herculean task. We’ve talked before about the ins and outs of the entire listing process, but anyone who has considered any type of IT security validation knows that making the process as efficient as possible is as key as paying attention to the details. Last week, Corsec Co-Founder and President John Morris addressed just that issue in our webinar “Planning for Efficient DoDIN APL Listing.”
As we heard from many of you during and after the webinar, efficiency during the DoDIN APL listing process is a common concern for those who want to have their products added to the DoDIN APL, a requirement for anyone wishing to sell to the Department of Defense (DoD). In today’s post, we’ll share some nuggets from our webinar about the best ways to build efficiencies into your own DoDIN APL process during the planning stages. For more information, watch the entire webinar on demand.
Why is efficient planning so important?
There’s so much planning and decision making involved both in performing the Self Assessment Reviews (SARs) and during the actual testing phase itself. Efficient planning is important because it helps you save time, costs and resources, and helps you reach your ultimate goal of getting your product listed.
1. Reducing Costs Through Similarity Arguments
2. Solid planning
3. Choose the most efficient product category
4. Obtain Testing Center Buy-in Early
5. Have Well-Prepared Documentation
6. Engage in Conversation
7. Find an alternate sponsor
Corsec often helps our clients identify a potential alternate sponsor, and we usually recommend that they look at someone in the DoD to be a technical sponsor. There are people in the DoD who have sponsored many DoDIN APL listings; they are effective because they know DoD personnel and can operate within the Department in a politically correct manner.
We’ve seen organizations that have been stuck for a year or more in the DoDIN APL testing process. Execution can be a big stumbling point because there tends to be an enormous inertia factor involved in testing due to red tape, lack of communication and poor planning. Knowing how to push the process forward and avoiding the retiring of your tracking number is so important.
Although there are many potential traps inherent in DoDIN APL testing, the process itself is predictable. The more you plan, the more efficient your testing experience will be, and the more successful your outcome.
Corsec has helped many organizations navigate DoDIN APL testing, improve efficiencies, and save time, resources, and money. For more detail, review our entire “Planning for Efficient DoDIN APL Listing” webinar. Then let us know how we can help you.