Automating Security for the Small Defense Contractor

Presented by ClearanceJobs & Carahsoft

Small and mid-sized defense contractors face daunting compliance burdens, and Peter Romness, Vice President of Partnerships at ISI, has built his company around helping them navigate those challenges.

“We started ISI sixteen years ago because our founder saw an opportunity to make the security-clearance process easier and faster,” Romness said. “We act as an outsourced assistant FSO—a facility security officer—for companies that don’t have the bandwidth.”

In most small businesses, the FSO role falls to an executive wearing multiple hats. “They’re the CTO, the CFO, the program manager—and the job they dislike most is managing clearances,” he said. “It’s paperwork, tracking, and coordination.”

ISI takes that load off their shoulders by combining automation, expertise, and quality control. “We handle the grunt work and present findings clearly,” Romness said. “It’s more efficient and less expensive because we scale through automation.”

The results speak for themselves. “A typical facility clearance takes 120 days,” he said. “We regularly complete them in about 40.”

ISI also manages IT security and DOD compliance for clients, ensuring systems meet new cybersecurity maturity standards before contracts are awarded. “Security requirements have become a barrier to entry for small businesses,” Romness explained. “We remove that barrier.”

For clients, the benefits go beyond compliance. “It lets them focus on what they do best,” he said. “They can sleep at night knowing the work is done right and on time.”

Romness said the key is trust and repeatable process. “When agencies see our documentation, they know it’s correct,” he said. “That relationship of confidence saves everyone time.”

The mission, he added, is as much about people as technology. “When you relieve small businesses of that administrative burden, you empower innovation,” Romness said. “You keep great companies in the federal marketplace.”