FMS-readiness is quickly emerging as an important element to the U.S. National Defense Strategy. With roughly $41B[1] being spent on FMS cases each year, The U.S.’s efforts to prevent the rogue development and unintended transfer of critical military technologies continues with importance.  Still, FMS programs are expensive and fraught with risk. These programs have more stakeholders, expanding requirements, and demands to protect critical technology. Unfortunately, most baseline programs, if triggered to perform an FMS program for the first time, are surprised at the requirements and often take an adversarial posture to meeting them.  To counter this attitude and continue the important function of protecting our critical technology, programs should adopt an FMS-ready mindset during baseline development.

Have you seen Top Gun? Not the second one, the original.  It’s a great movie for sure.  The flying, the music, the iconic volleyball scene. However, there is a thread, a movement, through the movie where Maverick turns from his callsign. He transforms from a “Go it alone” pilot no one can trust to a teammate, beloved and celebrated.  Zero trust … Maverick’s Top Gun classmates had zero trust in the rash, undisciplined, unproven pilot. This same skepticism is at the core of today’s promotion of a new security paradigm called Zero Trust.  For decades, static, network-based defenses have been employed, and even worse, they have been assumed to be effective.  Nothing is further from the truth.   

My last blog described what Star Lab’s believes is a sound, modern approach to achieving effective protection for software IP. Globalization, as well as the rapid adoption of digital technologies into all aspects of business operations, have companies thinking more and more about how they protect their software IP once it leaves their control, i.e., once it is sold to a consumer.

Why is security important?  What purpose does it ultimately serve?  For some its purpose is to ensure uninterrupted operations.  For others, it is important to protect sensitive customer data, avoid reputational damage, or address liability risk.  The cost of compromise takes many forms.