The People Behind C3 | Episode 4, Part 1: Ben West
Ben West, C3’s Information Technology Team Lead shares insights on supporting internal tech needs, the journey to CMMC compliance, and his fascination with the future of AI technologies.
About this Episode
In this episode of The People Behind C3, Ben West, Information Technology Team Lead at C3 Integrated Solutions, discusses his role in supporting internal technology needs and shares insights on the importance of CMMC compliance. Ben also reveals his passion for emerging technologies, especially advancements in artificial intelligence and large language models, and reflects on how these innovations might shape the future.
About the Series
The People Behind C3 is an episodic series that offers a glimpse into the diverse and talented individuals at the heart of C3 Integrated Solutions, the Defense Industry’s leading managed services provider. Through insightful interviews, this series humanizes the complex world of cybersecurity and CMMC compliance, revealing the human stories that drive our mission forward. Join us as we showcase the expertise and passion that make C3 a trusted partner in securing the nation’s most critical information.
Transcript:
My name is Ben West, and this is The People Behind C3.
Personally, in my current role, it’s helping all of the internal staff at C3, making sure they have the technology available to do their jobs so they can be the systems administrators for all of our customers.
If you’ve come to the understanding that, as a customer organization, you need to become CMMC compliant—perhaps because you’re a subcontractor and your prime contractor now requires a specific level of CMMC compliance—the first thing you probably want to do is seek help from a third-party organization with a focus on CMMC compliance. They already have the knowledge on how to approach and start your organization’s journey to compliance, because it’s not a short one. There is a very long list of controls that you have to satisfy, and then you have to sit through an audit to make sure you’re able to pass. It’s a detailed process to ensure all those controls are met.
I suppose most folks in the technology realm could be considered futurists. We’re always looking at future technologies and are interested in what’s to come. Right now, the buzzword is probably artificial intelligence. I’ve had a specific interest in this topic for years, reading about it in futurism magazines, articles, and blogs about what’s to come in that realm. It’s fascinating to see what’s recently happened with large language models, OpenAI, and its partnership with Microsoft, specifically the development of Copilot. Now, we have this new large language model component that you can attach to 365, called Copilot. The things Microsoft and OpenAI are doing—just scratching the surface of the capabilities—are already amazing.
I’m interested to see what’s to come from all of this. What will be the result a few years down the line? What technological capabilities will we end up having with these tools? I’m very intrigued to see what comes of it.
Meet the Author
