What cybersecurity consulting does DESSS provide in Fort Worth?
DESSS offers cybersecurity consulting and implementation to Fort Worth organizations in defense manufacturing, aerospace, logistics, healthcare and energy. Core services include CMMC and NIST SP 800-171 readiness, OT and ICS security, identity and privileged access, Microsoft security, cloud security for Azure and AWS, penetration testing, SOC and MDR, endpoint and data protection, GRC and application security.
DESSS is a Texas firm headquartered in Houston, with an office in Austin, and works with Fort Worth clients through scoped assessments, implementation projects and ongoing managed support.
FORT WORTH
Protecting Controlled Data, Production Lines and Freight Schedules
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A large share of the city's economy sits inside someone else's supply chain. A machine shop that makes brackets for a military aircraft program handles Controlled Unclassified Information and export-controlled drawings. A distribution center near AllianceTexas trades shipment data with carriers, rail operators and retailers around the clock. A hospital system shares records with clinics across Tarrant County. Our cybersecurity consulting in Fort Worth is built around those obligations: what your customers, primes and regulators require you to protect, and what has to keep running while you protect it.
DESSS is a Texas technology consulting firm headquartered in Houston, with a dedicated security practice alongside its cloud, Microsoft and infrastructure teams. That combination is useful for manufacturers, because the hard problems usually cross boundaries. An engineering file share that holds CUI, a CNC network reachable from the office LAN, and a vendor remote-access tool that bypasses MFA are separate tickets in most organizations, yet one assessment can trace them to the same root cause and one team can fix them.
Engagements usually open with a gap assessment against the framework your contracts name, rather than with a tool. We define where regulated data lives, examine how plant and office networks connect, and rank fixes by contract and operational risk. For a broader view of advisory and vCISO options, see the DESSS cybersecurity consulting company overview, or compare our cybersecurity services across Texas.
Frequent starting points
CMMC gap assessments, system security plan writing, CUI enclave design, OT network reviews, and ransomware readiness for plants.
Environments covered
Microsoft 365 commercial and government tenants, hybrid Active Directory, Azure and AWS, CNC and PLC networks, warehouse and yard systems.
Frameworks we map to
CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, DFARS safeguarding clauses, ITAR handling, ISA/IEC 62443, HIPAA and NIST CSF.
How DESSS works with you
A Texas firm headquartered at 2825 Wilcrest Dr in Houston, delivering assessment, implementation and managed support for North Texas organizations.
LOCAL RISK PICTURE
Why Fort Worth Businesses Need Cybersecurity Consulting
Fort Worth threats look familiar — phishing, ransomware, stolen credentials — but contract terms, industrial equipment and freight timing raise the cost of each incident well beyond the IT department.
Defense contracts carry security clauses
Suppliers to aerospace and defense primes must safeguard CUI and show it through CMMC. Weak evidence can cost a bid or a place on an approved supplier list, even when the parts themselves meet spec.
Plant networks were never designed for the internet
CNC machines, PLCs and test stands often run legacy operating systems that cannot be patched. Once those networks connect to ERP and MES platforms, ransomware can halt production.
Freight runs on real-time integrations
Warehouses, intermodal yards and air cargo operators depend on EDI feeds, carrier portals and yard management systems. A compromised integration can misroute loads or freeze a dock.
Export-controlled technical data
ITAR-governed drawings and specifications must stay away from unauthorized foreign persons, which affects where files are stored, who administers systems and which cloud services are used.
Energy assets are widely distributed
Barnett Shale producers and gathering operators manage remote wellsites and compressor stations through cellular links and SCADA, where field access is hard to monitor.
Supplier tiers multiply exposure
Small subcontractors with limited IT staff connect to larger primes, shippers and hospitals. Attackers deliberately target the weakest tier to reach the larger organization behind it.
PLATFORMS AND SERVICES
Cybersecurity Platforms & Services for Fort Worth Organizations
Each Fort Worth engagement draws on the complete DESSS catalog of five Microsoft security platforms and ten security domains. Every card below opens a service page with scope, deliverables and engagement models.
Microsoft Active Directory
AD DS design, hardening, migration, and forest recovery for the on-premises identity core.
Microsoft Entra
Entra ID, Conditional Access, PIM, and identity governance for cloud identity and Zero Trust.
Microsoft Defender
Defender XDR and Microsoft Sentinel SIEM deployed, tuned, and run as a working detection capability.
Microsoft Intune
Intune security baselines, Autopilot provisioning, and co-management for compliant devices.
Microsoft Purview
Information protection, DLP, records management, and eDiscovery across Microsoft 365.
Cloud Security
Posture management, cloud entitlements, workload and container security, IaC guardrails.
MICROSOFT SECURITY
Microsoft Security Solutions for Fort Worth Manufacturers and Contractors
What is the Microsoft security stack? It is the integrated family of Microsoft products — Active Directory, Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Purview — that handles directory services, cloud identity, threat detection, device management and information protection across Microsoft 365 and Azure.
Defense suppliers frequently run Microsoft 365 and choose between commercial and government cloud offerings based on how they handle CUI and export-controlled data. We help leadership understand that decision, then configure identity, device and data controls so they satisfy NIST SP 800-171 practices and produce the evidence a CMMC assessor will ask for.
In plants, we decide which Windows machines can safely run Defender and Intune and which engineering or HMI stations need a different approach, so corporate tooling never interrupts a production line.
Microsoft Active Directory
An AD security assessment that removes legacy trusts, shared shop-floor accounts and excessive domain admin rights common in older manufacturing domains.
AD DS design, hardening, migration, and forest recovery for the on-premises identity core.
Microsoft Entra
Conditional Access, phishing-resistant MFA and location rules that limit CUI access to managed devices and approved users.
Entra ID, Conditional Access, PIM, and identity governance for cloud identity and Zero Trust.
Microsoft Defender
Defender XDR and Sentinel tuned for engineering workstations, with audit logging retained to support incident reporting obligations in defense contracts.
Defender XDR and Microsoft Sentinel SIEM deployed, tuned, and run as a working detection capability.
Microsoft Intune
Intune security baselines for office laptops and shared shop-floor tablets, with compliance reports that double as assessment evidence.
Intune security baselines, Autopilot provisioning, and co-management for compliant devices.
Microsoft Purview
Information protection and sensitivity labels that mark CUI and ITAR technical data and restrict where it can be shared.
Information protection, DLP, records management, and eDiscovery across Microsoft 365.
IDENTITY, DETECTION AND TESTING
Identity, Detection and Testing Consulting in Fort Worth
These five domains control who reaches controlled data and production systems, and how fast suspicious activity is caught and contained.
IAM & PAM
What are IAM and PAM? Identity and access management (IAM) governs how people and systems prove who they are and which resources they may use, through directories, MFA, single sign-on and roles. Privileged access management (PAM) places tighter controls, approvals and recording on administrator and service accounts.
Manufacturers and defense suppliers in the area often have shared machine logins, long-lived service accounts in ERP, and integrators with standing admin rights. We restrict CUI access to vetted users, separate privileged accounts from daily accounts, vault shop-floor and OT admin credentials, and build quarterly access recertification that produces the records CMMC assessors review.
–Role design separating CUI and non-CUI users
–Vaulted credentials for plant and server admins
–Recurring access recertification with evidence
SOC & MDR
What are SOC and MDR? A security operations center (SOC) is the team, playbooks and SIEM platform that continuously watch for attacks and coordinate the response. Managed detection and response (MDR) provides those capabilities as a service, with alert investigation, threat hunting and containment support.
For a defense supplier, monitoring has to cover the CUI enclave, engineering workstations and remote access, and logs must be kept long enough to support incident reporting obligations. DESSS assesses SOC readiness, configures Microsoft Sentinel or your current SIEM, adds threat hunting focused on credential theft and lateral movement, and can run or co-manage monitoring with your IT staff.
–Log retention planned for contract obligations
–Detections for credential theft and lateral movement
–Run or co-managed alert triage
VAPT, penetration testing & red team
What is VAPT? VAPT, or vulnerability assessment and penetration testing, uses scanners to find known weaknesses and then manual techniques to prove which can actually be exploited. Red and purple team exercises simulate a determined adversary to test detection and response.
Testing for Fort Worth manufacturers and shippers commonly covers the external perimeter, the boundary between office and production networks, and supplier portals. We also run phishing and social engineering simulation, because shop-floor and dispatch staff receive the same lures as office workers. Production systems are touched only with written approval and agreed windows.
–Internet perimeter and supplier portal testing
–Office-to-plant boundary testing
–Phishing and pretext phone exercises
Cloud security consulting
What is cloud security? Cloud security protects data, applications and identities hosted in Microsoft Azure, AWS and their government regions. It includes tenant and account design, identity permissions, encryption, network controls, logging and continuous posture monitoring.
Defense suppliers weighing a CUI enclave in Azure Government or AWS GovCloud need a design that meets NIST SP 800-171 and ITAR handling rules without moving the whole company. Logistics firms need resilient cloud integrations with carriers. We design and review those environments, tighten identities and network exposure, and add posture monitoring so configuration drift is caught.
–CUI enclave design in government cloud regions
–Azure and AWS configuration hardening
–Ongoing posture and drift monitoring
Zero Trust and network security
What is Zero Trust security? Zero Trust is a model that grants no implicit trust based on network location. Every connection is authenticated and authorized using identity, device condition and context, and each user or system receives only the minimum access needed.
In local plants and distribution centers, that usually starts with network segmentation and microsegmentation between office, production, warehouse and guest zones, followed by replacing flat site-to-site VPNs and broad integrator access. We phase firewall and switching changes around shifts and maintenance windows so production and shipping are not interrupted.
–Zoned networks for office, plant and warehouse
–Replacement of broad site-to-site trust
–Firewall policy cleanup and documentation
PROTECTION, GOVERNANCE AND OPERATIONS
Endpoint, Data, Governance and OT Security in Fort Worth
These domains secure workstations and regulated data, produce compliance evidence for primes and auditors, and extend protection to plants, yards and wellsites.
Endpoint and email security
What is endpoint security? Endpoint security defends workstations, servers and mobile devices with EDR or XDR tools, secure configuration baselines, encryption and disciplined patching. Email security stops phishing, malware and business email compromise at the mail gateway and in the inbox.
Fleets here mix CAD workstations, office laptops, kiosk PCs on the floor and rugged scanners in warehouses. We deploy EDR where it is safe, harden configurations to CIS benchmarks, set patch cadences that respect validated machine software, and lock down email to stop fake supplier invoices and freight payment redirection scams.
–EDR rollout matched to device type
–CIS hardening for CAD and office machines
–Controls against invoice and payment redirection
Data protection and cyber resilience
What is data protection? Data protection ensures sensitive information stays confidential, intact and recoverable. It combines classification, encryption, key management, loss prevention controls and backups that are isolated from the systems an attacker could compromise.
For manufacturers the critical assets are CUI drawings, CNC programs, quality records and ERP data; for hospitals, patient records. We run a ransomware readiness assessment, build immutable backup copies kept apart from production credentials, encrypt CUI with properly managed keys, and rehearse recovery of the systems that ship product or treat patients.
–Protection for CUI and engineering files
–Isolated, immutable backup copies
–Recovery drills for production systems
GRC and compliance
What is GRC in cybersecurity? Governance, risk and compliance (GRC) is the program that sets security policy, assesses and tracks risk, and demonstrates to customers, auditors and regulators that controls are in place. It covers risk assessments, policy writing, evidence management and vCISO guidance.
CMMC drives most GRC work in Fort Worth. We perform a cybersecurity risk assessment against NIST SP 800-171, support security policy and framework development including the system security plan and plan of action, and prepare evidence for the third-party assessment organization that conducts the formal review. Healthcare clients get the same discipline mapped to HIPAA.
–CMMC and NIST SP 800-171 gap analysis
–System security plan and POA and M writing
–Assessment preparation and vCISO support
Application security and DevSecOps
What is application security? Application security reduces the risk in the software an organization builds or customizes, through secure design, code review, automated testing and protected deployment pipelines. DevSecOps integrates those practices into everyday development.
In this market the software is often internal: supplier portals, MES customizations, freight tracking apps and integrations between ERP and carrier systems. We review that code for injection and authorization flaws, secure the interfaces exposed to partners, and introduce scanning into the build process even for small internal development teams.
–Security review of portals and integrations
–Partner-facing API protection
–Automated scanning for internal dev teams
OT, ICS and IoT security
What is OT security? OT security protects the operational technology that controls physical processes: industrial control systems, SCADA, PLCs, robotics and connected sensors. Its first priorities are safety and uptime, then integrity and confidentiality.
This domain matters across Fort Worth plants, warehouses and gas fields. We conduct an OT security assessment with passive asset discovery, design segmentation aligned to ISA/IEC 62443, deploy ICS and SCADA monitoring for compressor stations and production lines, and replace unmanaged vendor remote access to robots, conveyors and test equipment with controlled, logged sessions.
–Passive OT asset discovery
–Segmentation aligned to ISA/IEC 62443
–Controlled vendor access to machinery
INDUSTRIES
Industries We Support in Fort Worth
Each sector in the city brings its own security priorities. These are where DESSS work most often begins.
Aerospace and defense
Primes, subcontractors and machine shops: CMMC readiness, CUI enclaves, ITAR data handling and incident reporting preparation.
Manufacturing
Fabrication, assembly and precision machining: OT segmentation, engineering workstation hardening and recovery plans for production lines.
Logistics, rail and air freight
Distribution centers, intermodal yards and air cargo operators: EDI and partner integration security, payment fraud defenses and dock system resilience.
Healthcare
Hospitals, specialty practices and clinics: HIPAA risk analysis, medical device segmentation and ransomware recovery planning.
Energy and natural gas
Barnett Shale producers, midstream gatherers and oilfield service firms: SCADA monitoring, remote site access control and field device security.
Professional services and government contractors
Engineering, legal and accounting firms supporting defense and public clients: CUI handling, Microsoft 365 hardening and flow-down compliance.
ASSESSMENT PROCESS
How a Cybersecurity Assessment Works with DESSS
A cybersecurity assessment examines your systems, controls and contractual obligations, then delivers a ranked set of risks and a plan to close them. Fort Worth engagements generally follow six steps.
STEP 01
Confirm obligations and scope
We list the contract clauses, regulations and customer requirements that apply, such as CMMC level, ITAR or HIPAA, and agree on sites and systems in scope.
STEP 02
Locate regulated data
We trace where CUI, export-controlled files, patient records and production data are created, stored, shared and backed up.
STEP 03
Inventory IT and OT assets
Identities, servers, endpoints, cloud services and, through passive discovery, plant and field devices are cataloged.
STEP 04
Evaluate controls
Practices are checked against NIST SP 800-171, CIS benchmarks and ISA/IEC 62443, supported by scans and, if approved, penetration tests.
STEP 05
Score and prioritize
Gaps are weighted by contract exposure, safety and production impact so leadership can see what threatens revenue first.
STEP 06
Build the plan of action
We turn the gap list into a phased remediation plan with owners and milestones, ready to support a POA&M and to deliver alongside your team.
WHY DESSS
Why Fort Worth Organizations Work with DESSS
DESSS is a Texas consulting firm headquartered in Houston with a dedicated cybersecurity practice. Organizations in the city cite these reasons for bringing us in.
Compliance work that reaches the systems
We write the system security plan and also configure the controls it describes, so documentation and reality match when the assessor arrives.
Respect for production
OT changes are planned with plant and safety staff, use passive methods first, and avoid placing IT agents on equipment that cannot support them.
Microsoft and cloud depth
Entra, Defender, Intune, Purview, Sentinel, Azure and AWS are core practice areas, which suits contractors standardizing on Microsoft 365.
Deliverables you keep
Risk registers, data flow diagrams, policies, runbooks and test evidence stay with your team for the next audit or prime review.
Engagements sized to the supplier
Assessment, implementation, integration, managed support, and training and change management, scaled for a small machine shop or a multi-site manufacturer.
DESSS provides cybersecurity assessment, implementation and managed support for Fort Worth organizations. Services cover CMMC and NIST SP 800-171 readiness, OT and ICS security, IAM and PAM, Microsoft security, cloud security, penetration testing, SOC and MDR, Zero Trust networking, endpoint and data protection, GRC and application security.
A cybersecurity consultant identifies which gaps put contracts, production or patient care at risk and helps close them in a sensible order. Locally that frequently means preparing for CMMC, separating plant and office networks, protecting freight payments from fraud and documenting controls for primes and insurers.
Yes. DESSS designs and reviews Azure and AWS environments, including government cloud regions used for CUI enclaves. Work covers tenant and account structure, identity and permissions, network exposure, encryption, logging and continuous posture monitoring.
Yes. DESSS performs external and internal network tests, web application and API testing, office-to-plant boundary testing, phishing simulations and red and purple team exercises. Production and control systems are included only with written approval and within agreed maintenance windows.
Zero Trust is a security approach that never grants access based on network location alone. Each request is verified using identity, device health and context, users receive only the access they need, and networks are divided so one compromised device cannot reach everything.
DESSS supports Microsoft Active Directory, Entra ID, Defender XDR, Sentinel, Intune and Purview, Azure and AWS including their government regions, and identity tools such as CyberArk, SailPoint and Okta. OT work uses passive monitoring approaches suited to industrial networks.
A cybersecurity assessment confirms your obligations and scope, locates regulated data, inventories IT and OT assets, evaluates controls against frameworks such as NIST SP 800-171, prioritizes gaps by contract and operational impact, and ends with a phased remediation plan.
Aerospace and defense, manufacturing, logistics and freight, healthcare, energy and natural gas, and professional services firms supporting government contracts are the Fort Worth sectors where DESSS most often works. Each faces different pressures, from CMMC evidence to plant uptime and patient privacy.
DESSS is a Texas firm headquartered in Houston that combines compliance documentation with hands-on configuration across Microsoft, cloud, network and OT environments. Clients get one accountable team, deliverables they keep, and engagement options from a single gap assessment to ongoing managed support.
Yes. DESSS runs gap assessments against NIST SP 800-171, helps define the CUI boundary, writes the system security plan and plan of action, implements missing controls, and organizes evidence. The formal certification assessment is performed by an independent third-party assessment organization, not by DESSS.
DESSS starts with passive discovery and monitoring, which observe network traffic without sending commands to controllers. Segmentation and access changes are planned with operations and safety staff and scheduled into maintenance windows, and nothing is installed on PLCs or HMIs without explicit approval.
TALK TO US
Book a Fort Worth CMMC or OT Security Review
Share the contract requirement, plant or system that worries you most, and DESSS will propose an assessment that addresses it first and gives your team a clear, written plan for what comes next.
RELATED
Related Cybersecurity Pages
The main DESSS cybersecurity page, cybersecurity consulting in other locations, and related reading.
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