FIPS 140-2 was established by NIST to benchmark and standardize cryptographic operations. As a result, FIPS is a hot buzzword in the public sector, but there is a great deal of ambiguity and misunderstanding around it. Ray Potter, CEO of SafeLogic and an expert on FIPS 140-2, will explain what the standard covers, how it is tested by independent labs and validated by NIST's CMVP (Cryptographic Module Validation Program) team, why it matters for vendors in the federal and DoD community, and what procurement officers, buyers, and the average user need to know.