As any business owners or operators in Australia would know, ensuring your networks, systems and infrastructure are protected and secure is crucial in achieving success. This rings true across a bunch of different sectors, including healthcare as an example.
You’d be handling extremely sensitive information and assets (most likely at all times) as a business, so we’re sure you can understand the importance of national security and having measures in place to protect this information.
What Are DISP Requirements?
Those measures we just mentioned? In a nutshell, that’s essentially what the Defence Industry Security Program (or DISP) requirements were created to be. The program itself was devised by the Australian Department of Defence to protect this information across its entire supply chain. That means it’s relevant to contractors, suppliers, partners, the whole lot.
DISP requirements are detailed through four key areas of security, referred to as domains; setting clear guidelines for what’s expected to help reduce the risk of an attack and keep Australians safe.
#1 Security Governance
This initial domain is all about being accountable through ensuring adherence to security policies and procedures. At the end of the day, that’s what can help a business safely handle and protect critical or sensitive information. Security governance can be assessed through things like the roles and responsibilities of people throughout a business, as well as documentation, training and more.
#2 Personnel Security
Personnel security, in the context of DISP requirements, is in place to ensure only qualified, educated, vetted and suitable individuals are able to access any sensitive information in the world of Defence. This might be monitored or assessed through measures like suitability assessments, security clearances and, you guessed it, more training.
#3 Physical Security
This one might seem pretty self-explanatory, but we’ll still touch on it. Physical security encompasses any efforts that protect personnel and information through physical means. This keeps businesses accountable for handling, storing or even destroying sensitive information and materials in Defence. This can be assessed through things like level of surveillance, fences and protective barriers used, security doors and other infrastructure, among other things.
#4 ICT and Cyber Security
Finally, we have the ICT and cyber security domain of the DISP. Whether it’s information, systems or networks, ICT and cyber security requirements involve program members meeting specific strategies that relate to data management, access control and response to incidences when handling sensitive information. This is where the Essential Eight may be considered, alongside overall security posture, cyber security capability and more.
How to Know if You Need DISP Membership
If you’re a business in Australia that works with or handles sensitive and classified information, or provides services to the Australian Department of Defence more generally, you can expect to need DISP membership to carry out your work. In some cases, it can even be as simple as being contractually required to obtain membership as part of a tender or job. Of course, this is very simply put to help give you an understanding of the types of scenarios that may require a DISP membership. No matter what, there probably won’t be any guesswork in this. It’ll typically be pretty clear when DISP membership is required.
If you do require DISP membership, there are some basic eligibility requirements your organisation will need to meet to be eligible, including:
- Being a registered Australian business and providing an ABN
- Being financially solvent and stable
- Showing that you can maintain the security standards required for the level you’re seeking
- Passing a Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence (or FOCI) assessment.
Can Managed IT Help You Meet Any DISP Requirements?
Managed IT services can absolutely help you meet some DISP requirements. While engaging a managed IT partner like Xenex Systems doesn’t automatically guarantee that you meet every one of these requirements, you’ll receive guidance, support and advice (where possible) along the way.
Whether it’s auditing, implementing or maintaining necessary IT controls (like mitigation strategies in line with Essential Eight compliance), preparing documentation and reporting, providing assistance building and aligning with policies, ongoing monitoring, or creating tailored security solutions (just to name a few), we’re here to make sure you’re not alone.
Leveraging qualified experts in the field can help ensure continued compliance with DISP requirements, but also ensure you’re being proactive about your commitment to the program moving forward.
If you’re looking into DISP requirements and aren’t sure about your next steps, or you have any questions that you’d like to chat through with experienced professionals, reach out to our team today.