Achieving compliance with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program can feel daunting, especially if you are a small business without the budget of a huge corporation. That’s why we’ve put together this quick CMMC guide designed with the needs of SMBs in mind.
Here you’ll find everything you need to know explained in simple terms, from basic definitions to a blueprint for achieving CMMC level 2 compliance in 90 days.
What Is CMMC?
If you’re here, chances are good that you already know what the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification is.
However, for the sake of completeness, let’s go through a quick overview of CMMC.
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification is a three-level model implemented by the Department of Defense to ensure that contractors in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) take the right provisions to safeguard Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
Check out this blog to learn more about CMMC Level 2 compliance. To take a deep dive into CUI, read “What Is Controlled Unclassified Information, exactly?“
Do I Need To Comply With CMMC?
Are you part of the Department of Defense supply chain? Do you want to maintain and keep winning DoD contracts?
If the answer to both questions is “Yes,” then you need to achieve CMMC compliance.
How To Achieve CMMC Compliance?
The process of achieving CMMC compliance varies depending on the CMMC level an organization aims to attain.
- CMMC Level 1. Annual self-assessment and annual affirmation
- CMMC Level 2. Triennial third-party assessments for critical national security information and triennial self-assessments for select programs
- CMMC Level 3. Triennial government-led assessments
The third-party entities that evaluate the CMMC level of contractors are known as Third-Party Assessor Organizations or C3PAOs.
A C3PAO is an entity certified by the Cyber AB, the CMMC accreditation body, to be contracted to an Organization Seeking Certification (OSC) to provide consultative advice or certified assessments.
Registered Provider Organizations (RPOs), on the other hand, are organizations authorized to provide services within the defense supply chain as advisory firms or as MSPs (Managed Service Providers).
How To Achieve CMMC Level 2 Compliance in 90 Days?
Here’s a roadmap to achieving CMMC compliance Level 2 in 90 days. As you go through it, remember: this is just for informational purposes and assumes that all conditions are ideal.
Below is a summary of the process. To read the expanded version, check out our previous blog, “How To Achieve CMMC Level 2 Compliance in 90 Days.”
- Understand the basics of CMMC Level 2 compliance
- Conduct a gap analysis
- Develop a plan of action
- Implement security controls
- Prepare for assessment
- Conduct a self-assessment
- Schedule the assessment
Why Is Brea Networks/CMMCCompliance.Us Such a Good Option for Small Businesses?
Throughout the sections above, we’ve tried to steer clear of technical terms. And while all this information is designed to be as user-friendly as possible, it’s still all theory.
But when it comes to the practice, what is it that makes Brea Networks/CMMCCompliance.us such a good option for Small and Midsize Businesses (SMBs) just like yours? There are a few reasons:
- We are a fully Registered Provider Organization (RPO) that excels at serving small business contractors with 10 to 50 seats. We understand your needs, goals, and mindset like no one else.
- We are 100% customer-centric with a responsive team whose core goal is to serve you and your organization. Regardless of the size or scope of your project, you can rest assured that your compliance needs are always our priority.
- We’re not afraid to roll up our sleeves, get under the hood of your systems, and do everything it takes to help you get CMMC Compliance right.
- We offer 0% (yes, zero percent) interest plans.
- Other companies offer guidance only during the certification process; then you have to pay for subsequent consulting. That’s not how we do things: we offer Unlimited Compliance Support.
- We know that no two companies are the same, so you won’t get cookie-cutter solutions from us. Everything will be customized to your specific compliance needs.
- Thanks to our USA-based software development team, we can create custom-built solutions, including APIs and integrations.
Contact our CMMC Registered Practitioners Today
CMMC & CUI Resources
Here are some official resources to get you started on your CMMC journey.
We provide not only a description of each resource but also an explanation of why you need it and indications on how to use it.
- National CUI Registry. This is the Government-wide repository for Federal-level guidance regarding CUI.
- DoD CUI Registry. Contains additional information unique to DoD.
- Official CMMC Spreadsheet and mapping. All CMMC levels, practices, and domains in a handy Excel document.
- CMMC Glossary. Although we like to keep things clear, CMMC compliance can be complex. This document will provide you with all the definitions you need.
- CMMC Level 1: Scoping guidance | Self-assessment guide
- CMMC Level 2: Scoping guidance | Assessment guide
- (Note that official documents for CMMC Level 3 are still under development by the DoD)
For more useful documents, head over to the CMMC Documentation section on our website.
Need To Achieve CMMC Compliance? We Are Here To Help
Whether it’s CMMC, NIST 800-171, DFARS, or ITAR, we help organizations achieve compliance with all applicable cybersecurity regulations at any level so that they can win and maintain Department of Defense (DoD) contracts.
Brea Neworks, LLC is a fully Registered Provider Organization (RPO) and is a Microsoft partner with full Microsoft GCC High licensing and migration solutions.
Contact our CMMC Registered Practitioners today by clicking here.
Brea Networks, LLC / CMMCCompliance.us
451 W. Lambert Rd Suite 214
Brea, CA 92821
Tel: (714) 592-0063
Photo source: @USArmy , link to license
Disclaimer: “The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.”
