POA&M Process Automation: Breaking the Manual Grind

In this on-demand webinar, cybersecurity leaders from Nucleus Security, ReversingLabs, SCOOP Cyber, and Carahsoft explore one of the most persistent challenges in vulnerability management: the inefficiency and complexity of managing Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms).

Moderated by Steven Cooperman, President of Scoop Cyber, the panel dives into the time-consuming, manual burden that POA&M processes place on federal contractors and cybersecurity teams. From siloed tooling and inconsistent audit workflows to challenges with compliance frameworks like FedRAMP and NIST 800-53, the conversation highlights how outdated processes slow down remediation and strain limited resources.

Panelists Scott Kuffer (COO, Nucleus Security), Joshua Knox (Senior Cybersecurity Technologist, ReversingLabs), and Matt Pickett (CTO, SCOOP Cyber) discuss real-world barriers—like SLA tracking, paper trails, team turnover, and lack of process trust—that undermine remediation efforts and compliance posture. They argue that automation and centralization aren’t just optional—they’re essential.

Key Takeaways

The discussion introduces the newly launched POA&M module within Nucleus, designed to integrate directly into vulnerability workflows and map remediation actions to compliance milestones. By capturing activity data in real time, organizations can reduce manual spreadsheet work and generate audit-ready reports automatically. The panel also explores how risk-based prioritization, centralized visibility across tools, and API integrations with systems like EMASS and Exacta can streamline remediation operations.

Looking ahead, the panel highlights the growing importance of SBOMs, AI-driven pattern recognition, and remediation benchmarking in the evolving vulnerability landscape. Their advice for federal contractors? Start by mapping out your POA&M process, identify repeatable workflows, and adopt automation that reflects the realities of your environment—not just compliance checklists.

Whether you’re building a more scalable POA&M program or looking to reduce audit prep time, this webinar offers practical insights and actionable strategies to help your team shift from manual grind to continuous remediation.