WEBVTT
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Welcome to DOD Secure, and I'm your host, Jeff.
00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:15.599
Thanks so much for joining us.
00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:22.640
Very important discussion that we're going to have in this podcast.
00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:29.519
I'm Jeff Bennett and I am the FSO expert and I work with NISPOM Central.
00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:34.479
And welcome to our latest podcast and YouTube video.
00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:39.439
So I want to talk to you today about how you handle your FSO tasks.
00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:47.840
Now many of you, as I've gotten to know you, have managed your FSO tasks via an email, just like everybody else, right?
00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:51.359
We're all waiting for our next email to be able to execute our work.
00:00:51.520 --> 00:01:00.399
Or maybe we already have systems in place that help us to maintain our focus and we just use email for communication.
00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:06.799
But many of us are still using email for executing responsibilities or tasks.
00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:10.319
This is no different than FSOs, but here's where it gets tricky.
00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:19.439
If FSOs continue to use email to do their tasks, they're going to soon be burdened by cumbersome administrative requirements.
00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:21.599
And I'll explain this to you real quick.
00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:23.599
So here's a quick question for you.
00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:30.400
How many emails does it take for you as an FSO to get a visit authorization request approved?
00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:34.719
Or maybe you're not an FSO and maybe you're a cleared employee who just wants to go on a visit.
00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:41.519
How many emails are you sending to your FSO before they have enough information to get that request to you?
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Is answer A4, B 10, or C one?
00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:49.840
Hopefully that answer is zero.
00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:58.640
It's likely that many of you take more than 10 emails to get visit authorization requests complete.
00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:11.439
For those of you not in the know, a visit authorization request is how a cleared employee gets access to another classified facility so they can perform work there.
00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:17.360
Many times for non-possessing facilities, their employees might work at an alternate location.
00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:26.800
So the VAR is used as instances where these employees might work at alternate locations or maybe just to simply attend a classified meeting somewhere.
00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:34.159
So if these take up to 10 emails to get that VAR approved, that's a lot.
00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:40.479
Especially if you multiply it by the number of employees who need a VAR approved so they can go on their visit.
00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:42.080
That can be daunting.
00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:56.960
The reason why it takes so many emails is because the FSO requires a specific amount of information so he can enter the VAR data onto the defense information system for security.
00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:01.520
There are fields that are required for these VAR requests.
00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:10.240
And if the cleared employee is not providing enough information to the FSO, they're not going to be able to do that in a quick fashion.
00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:17.599
Some of you who work in cleared facilities with large budgets, you might be asking, why use email at all for FSO tasks?
00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:32.319
You're asking that question because you probably have a third party or a proprietary dashboard that you have for the FSO or the cleared employees where they can go through and put in that information that they need to get that VAR accomplished.
00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:41.840
And using that dashboard, you know that those required fields that DIS has can be answered quickly by the employee filling out that information.
00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:49.360
However, there are a large number of cleared facilities who have FSOs that are appointed to the position as an additional duty.
00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:58.560
They are not security professionals and they may not have insight into how to manage administrative FSO tasks.
00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:09.840
Having that lack of insight might require the FSO to practice what they need to do before they're clear about what the requirements are for a VAR.
00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:16.720
So imagine learning this for the first time and your employees need to go to a meeting and you don't know how to execute it.
00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:21.680
So they're naturally going to be inclined to have requests made through the email.
00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:31.680
These emails soon become tedious and burdensome, and it takes a lot of their time that they're trying to devote to performing their full-time job, be it on contract or overhead.
00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:33.600
Some of you know what I mean.
00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:44.959
You might be the CEO slash FSO or the contracts administrator or the HR director or IT director, and you're also serving as an FSO.
00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:46.160
You've got enough to do.
00:04:46.399 --> 00:04:49.680
So let me tell you about a better way to do things.
00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:53.120
Here are some clues into how other FSOs are handling it.
00:04:53.279 --> 00:04:58.720
And again, you don't need to buy an expensive third-party dashboard or develop one yourself.
00:04:58.959 --> 00:05:03.680
This is by using a product I call the FSO workbook.
00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:14.480
Part of that FSO workbook has filtable forms that your employees can complete and submit to you, and you don't have to have all these email exchanges.
00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:36.560
So while FSOs in the situation that I'm describing may not have resources and funding to provide those security dashboards, the danger with email, if it's not encrypted, you might be sending sensitive information that gets provided to this through an unsecured mean if you don't do not encrypt those emails.
00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:40.240
So there is one danger to that, and it could create a vulnerability.
00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:45.600
So there is a better way, and as I mentioned, you could create a fillable form.
00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:52.079
This filtable form, you can go to disk and find out what the required fields are and create your own fillable form.
00:05:52.319 --> 00:06:06.800
Now you can take that form and upload it onto a shared drive where your employees can access it and fill it out on the shared drive, or you can create a fillable PDF that they can download, fill it out, and provide to you.
00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:18.079
And then you create that FSO workbook where you store these forms, you archive these documents that you need, and then you can also use this FSO workbook to demonstrate POM compliance.
00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:22.800
So we can see that email is definitely a great communication tool.
00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:34.480
As a matter of fact, when you put those filtable forms on a shared drive or somewhere where the employee can pull it down, then you can get an email notification that you have a task to complete.
00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:47.279
You're not completing your task by email, you're just getting notified that it's there, and you can go at your own time or as the priority dictates to take that form and create that var end.
00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:54.319
So, for example, email can be used to notify you that a form has been filled out and you can process it.
00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:58.639
It's a great way also to remind employees to take their training.
00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:17.519
However, it's not a good way to execute training or to have people fill out these emails and multiple email attempts to get that VAR approved or multiple email attempts to get training done, or email attempts to get any other types of reporting that you need your employees to provide.
00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:25.120
For example, foreign travel or any kind of update to their information that you might need to report in this.
00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:27.439
So email is not the way.
00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:29.759
Forums are the way to do this.
00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:34.560
Um, if you'd like a sample form that I've created, I'll be happy to send you one.
00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:55.199
If you're looking for a consultation or somebody to guide you through this process of building your FSO workbook or establishing a way for you to be able to execute your FSO tasks other than via email, you want to remain NISPPOM compliant and be able to incorporate this into some type of self-inspection, I can help you out with there.
00:07:55.360 --> 00:08:00.240
Alternatively, you can go to NISPOMcentral.com or now I own NISPOM.com.
00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:10.160
You can go to any one of those websites and access our FSO workbook or access our files that you can download and execute at your convenience.
00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:19.600
So to sum up, if you're conducting your FSO tasks via email, stop doing that and use emails as a way to communicate.
00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:34.080
Develop a system in place where your employees can fill out a form or provide information to you once, and then you'll have all that information you need to execute any report or requirement that your clear employees might have.
00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:40.480
Once again, I thank you for joining DOD Secure.
00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:51.120
This is your place to go for all things NISPOM, all things contract requirement, and all things security clearances.
00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:53.279
We hope you come back for another episode.
00:08:53.360 --> 00:09:04.879
And please look at our show notes and you can find more resources that might answer your questions on how do I perform once I win a classified contract, and what do I do once I get a security clearance?
00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:07.600
And the other question is how do I get a security clearance?
00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:09.440
We are here to help you out.
00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:28.639
And I hope you remember that when you visit our show notes, that you will find those resources, as well as access to my other company, Thrive Analysis Group, where we actually perform NISPOM tests and as well as FSO or NISPOM consulting in case you have that need.
00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:31.840
Wish you all the best and we'll see you next time.
00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:08.720
Welcome to DOD Secure, and I'm your host, Jeff.
00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:15.599
Thanks so much for joining us.
00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:22.640
Very important discussion that we're going to have in this podcast.
00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:29.519
I'm Jeff Bennett and I am the FSO expert and I work with NISPOM Central.
00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:34.479
And welcome to our latest podcast and YouTube video.
00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:39.439
So I want to talk to you today about how you handle your FSO tasks.
00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:47.840
Now many of you, as I've gotten to know you, have managed your FSO tasks via an email, just like everybody else, right?
00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:51.359
We're all waiting for our next email to be able to execute our work.
00:00:51.520 --> 00:01:00.399
Or maybe we already have systems in place that help us to maintain our focus and we just use email for communication.
00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:06.799
But many of us are still using email for executing responsibilities or tasks.
00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:10.319
This is no different than FSOs, but here's where it gets tricky.
00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:19.439
If FSOs continue to use email to do their tasks, they're going to soon be burdened by cumbersome administrative requirements.
00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:21.599
And I'll explain this to you real quick.
00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:23.599
So here's a quick question for you.
00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:30.400
How many emails does it take for you as an FSO to get a visit authorization request approved?
00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:34.719
Or maybe you're not an FSO and maybe you're a cleared employee who just wants to go on a visit.
00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:41.519
How many emails are you sending to your FSO before they have enough information to get that request to you?
00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:46.799
Is answer A4, B 10, or C one?
00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:49.840
Hopefully that answer is zero.
00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:58.640
It's likely that many of you take more than 10 emails to get visit authorization requests complete.
00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:11.439
For those of you not in the know, a visit authorization request is how a cleared employee gets access to another classified facility so they can perform work there.
00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:17.360
Many times for non-possessing facilities, their employees might work at an alternate location.
00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:26.800
So the VAR is used as instances where these employees might work at alternate locations or maybe just to simply attend a classified meeting somewhere.
00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:34.159
So if these take up to 10 emails to get that VAR approved, that's a lot.
00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:40.479
Especially if you multiply it by the number of employees who need a VAR approved so they can go on their visit.
00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:42.080
That can be daunting.
00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:56.960
The reason why it takes so many emails is because the FSO requires a specific amount of information so he can enter the VAR data onto the defense information system for security.
00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:01.520
There are fields that are required for these VAR requests.
00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:10.240
And if the cleared employee is not providing enough information to the FSO, they're not going to be able to do that in a quick fashion.
00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:17.599
Some of you who work in cleared facilities with large budgets, you might be asking, why use email at all for FSO tasks?
00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:32.319
You're asking that question because you probably have a third party or a proprietary dashboard that you have for the FSO or the cleared employees where they can go through and put in that information that they need to get that VAR accomplished.
00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:41.840
And using that dashboard, you know that those required fields that DIS has can be answered quickly by the employee filling out that information.
00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:49.360
However, there are a large number of cleared facilities who have FSOs that are appointed to the position as an additional duty.
00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:58.560
They are not security professionals and they may not have insight into how to manage administrative FSO tasks.
00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:09.840
Having that lack of insight might require the FSO to practice what they need to do before they're clear about what the requirements are for a VAR.
00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:16.720
So imagine learning this for the first time and your employees need to go to a meeting and you don't know how to execute it.
00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:21.680
So they're naturally going to be inclined to have requests made through the email.
00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:31.680
These emails soon become tedious and burdensome, and it takes a lot of their time that they're trying to devote to performing their full-time job, be it on contract or overhead.
00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:33.600
Some of you know what I mean.
00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:44.959
You might be the CEO slash FSO or the contracts administrator or the HR director or IT director, and you're also serving as an FSO.
00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:46.160
You've got enough to do.
00:04:46.399 --> 00:04:49.680
So let me tell you about a better way to do things.
00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:53.120
Here are some clues into how other FSOs are handling it.
00:04:53.279 --> 00:04:58.720
And again, you don't need to buy an expensive third-party dashboard or develop one yourself.
00:04:58.959 --> 00:05:03.680
This is by using a product I call the FSO workbook.
00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:14.480
Part of that FSO workbook has filtable forms that your employees can complete and submit to you, and you don't have to have all these email exchanges.
00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:36.560
So while FSOs in the situation that I'm describing may not have resources and funding to provide those security dashboards, the danger with email, if it's not encrypted, you might be sending sensitive information that gets provided to this through an unsecured mean if you don't do not encrypt those emails.
00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:40.240
So there is one danger to that, and it could create a vulnerability.
00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:45.600
So there is a better way, and as I mentioned, you could create a fillable form.
00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:52.079
This filtable form, you can go to disk and find out what the required fields are and create your own fillable form.
00:05:52.319 --> 00:06:06.800
Now you can take that form and upload it onto a shared drive where your employees can access it and fill it out on the shared drive, or you can create a fillable PDF that they can download, fill it out, and provide to you.
00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:18.079
And then you create that FSO workbook where you store these forms, you archive these documents that you need, and then you can also use this FSO workbook to demonstrate POM compliance.
00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:22.800
So we can see that email is definitely a great communication tool.
00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:34.480
As a matter of fact, when you put those filtable forms on a shared drive or somewhere where the employee can pull it down, then you can get an email notification that you have a task to complete.
00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:47.279
You're not completing your task by email, you're just getting notified that it's there, and you can go at your own time or as the priority dictates to take that form and create that var end.
00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:54.319
So, for example, email can be used to notify you that a form has been filled out and you can process it.
00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:58.639
It's a great way also to remind employees to take their training.
00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:17.519
However, it's not a good way to execute training or to have people fill out these emails and multiple email attempts to get that VAR approved or multiple email attempts to get training done, or email attempts to get any other types of reporting that you need your employees to provide.
00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:25.120
For example, foreign travel or any kind of update to their information that you might need to report in this.
00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:27.439
So email is not the way.
00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:29.759
Forums are the way to do this.
00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:34.560
Um, if you'd like a sample form that I've created, I'll be happy to send you one.
00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:55.199
If you're looking for a consultation or somebody to guide you through this process of building your FSO workbook or establishing a way for you to be able to execute your FSO tasks other than via email, you want to remain NISPPOM compliant and be able to incorporate this into some type of self-inspection, I can help you out with there.
00:07:55.360 --> 00:08:00.240
Alternatively, you can go to NISPOMcentral.com or now I own NISPOM.com.
00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:10.160
You can go to any one of those websites and access our FSO workbook or access our files that you can download and execute at your convenience.
00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:19.600
So to sum up, if you're conducting your FSO tasks via email, stop doing that and use emails as a way to communicate.
00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:34.080
Develop a system in place where your employees can fill out a form or provide information to you once, and then you'll have all that information you need to execute any report or requirement that your clear employees might have.
00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:40.480
Once again, I thank you for joining DOD Secure.
00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:51.120
This is your place to go for all things NISPOM, all things contract requirement, and all things security clearances.
00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:53.279
We hope you come back for another episode.
00:08:53.360 --> 00:09:04.879
And please look at our show notes and you can find more resources that might answer your questions on how do I perform once I win a classified contract, and what do I do once I get a security clearance?
00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:07.600
And the other question is how do I get a security clearance?
00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:09.440
We are here to help you out.
00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:28.639
And I hope you remember that when you visit our show notes, that you will find those resources, as well as access to my other company, Thrive Analysis Group, where we actually perform NISPOM tests and as well as FSO or NISPOM consulting in case you have that need.
00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:31.840
Wish you all the best and we'll see you next time.
