Digital Twinning and Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information

In the increasingly connected and digital world, businesses are sprinting to integrate technological advancements into their corporate fabric. This is evident with the emerging concept of “digital twinning.” Digital twins are virtual representations of real-world objects or systems used to digitally model performance, identify inefficiencies, and design solutions. This helps improve the “real world” product, reduces costs, and increases efficiency. However, this replication of a physical entity in the digital space is not without its challenges. One of the challenges that will become increasingly prevalent is the processing, storing, and transmitting of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). If CUI is not protected properly, an idea to save time, money, and effort could result in the loss of critical data.

The Department of Defense's (DoD) CUI Program website defines CUI as “government-created or owned unclassified information that allows for, or requires, safeguarding and dissemination controls in accordance with laws, regulations, or government-wide policies. It is sensitive information that does not meet the criteria for classification but must still be protected.” In March 2020, DoD published Instruction 5200.48, establishing the official DoD CUI Registry.