Built by Practitioners,For Practitioners
Next Step Innovation is a cybersecurity and compliance firm built on a decade of hands-on experience supporting the Department of Defense and complex enterprise environments.
Why We Built Asset Guard
Our team has performed hundreds of RMF assessments, STIG validations, vulnerability reviews, and security control evaluations across some of the most demanding Army and DoD networks.
This real-world background directly shaped the development of Asset Guard, our on-premise, air-gapped compliance platform. Asset Guard was engineered by the same people who have lived the RMF process end-to-end — Security Control Assessors, penetration testers, auditors, and engineers who understand why traditional workflows slow teams down and where automation can safely accelerate them.
We've seen firsthand the friction organizations face managing assets, STIGs, POA&Ms, and continuous compliance. Asset Guard exists because our engineers knew there was a better, faster, more accurate way — and we built it.
Asset Guard is developed by Next Step Innovation and provides an on-premises unified compliance operations platform for government and defense cybersecurity teams. The platform centralizes DISA STIGs, findings, remediation, POA&Ms, evidence, vulnerability scan information, assignments, and eMASS preparation, including support for disconnected and air-gapped environments.
What Sets Us Apart
We're not just software developers — we're cybersecurity professionals who understand the mission.
Battle-Tested Experience
Our team has spent years in the trenches supporting Department of Defense and complex enterprise environments, conducting RMF assessments, STIG validations, and security control evaluations across the most demanding Army and DoD networks.
Purpose-Built Solutions
Asset Guard wasn't built by software developers in a vacuum. It was engineered by Security Control Assessors, penetration testers, auditors, and engineers who live and breathe the RMF process every day — people who understand exactly where traditional workflows break down.
Industry-Leading Credentials
Our staff holds certifications that matter: CISSP, OSCP, CompTIA Security+, GPEN, GICSP, and GSNA. Every feature we build and every service we provide aligns with modern cybersecurity expectations and DoD-grade security standards.
Problem-Solvers at Heart
We've experienced firsthand the friction organizations face managing assets, STIGs, POA&Ms, and continuous compliance. Asset Guard exists because we knew there was a better, faster, more accurate way — so we built it.
Industry-Leading Certifications
Ready to Transform Your Compliance Workflow?
See how Asset Guard can streamline your STIG management, reduce manual workload, and maintain continuous compliance.
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