Brand Name Justification (signed).pdf

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Brand Name Justification

Titus Marking Tool

Executive Order 13556 establishes the Controlled Unclassified Program (CUI) and standardizes the way all government agencies handle unclassified information that requires safeguarding. It clarifies and limits what kinds of information to protect, defines what is meant by "safeguard," reinforces existing legislation and regulations, and promotes authorized information-sharing.

As an executive branch agency, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to implement a CUI program, therefore the Division of Administrative Services (DAS) has a requirement to procure a tool to automate the identification and marking of CUI materials. With support from the Division of Information Systems (DIS), the market research and product demonstrations were conducted to identify marking tools that will best meet the needs of the government.

Market research included the review of eight products. See the Analysis of Alternatives along with the Censoring Tool Scoring Matrix attached for details. Based on this information, DAS and

DIS attended three product demonstrations (Microsoft Azure, Boldon James, and Titus

Classification). The Microsoft Azure tool was developed for the classified community, it is in the infancy stages of transition to unclassified controls, and it does not meet CUI marking requirements. Boldon James and Titus tools both meet the CUI program's system and/or technical requirements. However, the Boldon James tool offers more functions and features than what is required to support the program, which makes its use more cumbersome and less user friendly. Because of these factors, the Boldon James tools does not meet the DAS performance requirements.

The Titus classification tool meets all CUI marking requirements; including, but not limited to, appropriate marking location, distinctions of the two types of CUI, identification of multiple categories and limited dissemination control markings. Reference the CUI Marking

Handbook for additional details. The tool also meets DAS performance requirements including, ease of use, compatibility with the Microsoft suite, and the ability to recognize CUI in documentation. The tool integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft suite of tools used at NSF and has been recommended by the DIS Engineering Review Board for use with NSF systems.

Titus is also compliant with recommended metadata tagging requirements identified by the CUI

Executive Agent. Titus' user-friendliness and ease of use will allow NSF staff to easily, accurately, and consistently mark all CUI categories identified in the National Archives and

Records Administration's CUI Registry. Acquisition and deployment of this tool will be an important component to the successful implementation and ongoing operation of the CUI program.

It is also noteworthy that in July 2020, both companies (Bolton James and Titus) were purchased by the same vendor, HelpServices. It is unclear how this acquisition will impact the companies over time; however, they currently continue to operate and function as they did pre-purchase with additional support at their disposal and no impact to their pricing.