Artel wins NRC information security renewal

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has awarded a follow-on contract to Artel Inc. to provide personnel to work in NRC's Office of Information Services. The employees are Certified Information Systems Security Professionals.

Artel, based in Reston, Va., will also create security policies and verify that the commission's networks all comply with the Federal Information System Management Act. In addition, the contract requires the company to conduct vulnerability assessments and penetration testing.

The $2.3 million contract extends a deal that the company first won in 2003. Competition for the new contract was open to all bidders.

"External threats to our nation's most critical assets are always growing and increasing in complexity," said Dennis Hotetz, Artel's deputy director for information assurance services. "This follow-on contract acknowledges the outstanding protection that Artel has provided the NRC during the past four years and increases the scope of our support in the future."