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In today’s hyper-connected ecosystem, your organization is only as secure as your weakest third-party vendor. As cyber threats and regulatory scrutiny intensify, third-party risk management (TPRM) and supply chain compliance are no longer check-the-box activities—they’re strategic imperatives.

If your organization works with the federal government—or even just partners with a federal contractor—chances are you’ve encountered the term NIST 800-171. But what is it exactly, why does it matter in 2025, and what should you be doing now to align with it?

In 2025, the landscape of cybersecurity compliance for government contractors is evolving rapidly, and the shift from the System for Award Management (SAM) Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 1 is one of the most notable changes. This transition marks a significant milestone in strengthening the security posture of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) supply chain, and it comes with new requirements that contractors must understand to stay compliant and continue doing business with the federal government. We’re going to dive into the key elements of this shift and what contractors need to know to successfully navigate the transition.

Now that we’ve entered 2025, the cybersecurity landscape is evolving at a rapid pace. With the expansion of digital technologies, the rise of new threats, and the increasing reliance on cloud infrastructure and remote work, companies must rethink how they approach cybersecurity. It’s become clear that one-size-fits-all security solutions are no longer sufficient, adaptability is key.

At the recent Cisco Partner Summit, Cisco unveiled its latest breakthrough in AI-powered data center solutions: Cisco AI Pods, combining compute, networking, storage, AI tools, and management to provide simple to deploy and highly scalable infrastructure designed specifically for artificial intelligence workloads. This announcement marks a pivotal step in transforming how businesses deploy and manage artificial intelligence (AI) workloads at scale. Cisco's AI Pods are designed to support pre-trained inference workloads and/or workloads supplemented by domain-specific knowledge derived through Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG). By scaling from small edge use cases to the largest enterprise workloads. Cisco AI Pods provide customers with easy-to-deploy AI infrastructure that scales out as requirements grow With AI playing an increasingly crucial role in modern business operations, Cisco’s AI Pods promise to be a game-changer in data center management, offering a highly automated, efficient, and future-proof platform.

In today’s rapidly changing digital landscape, companies are increasingly adopting remote work policies and expanding their use of cloud services. As the technology world expands its operations into the cloud, threat actors have adapted their tactics accordingly. With this shift comes the need for stronger, more efficient security solutions that can safeguard users, regardless of where they are located. Cisco, a leader in network and security solutions, has recognized this trend and evolved its offerings to provide enhanced security features for remote connectivity.