A Beginner’s Guide to CMMC

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a new framework that will be required for all Department of Defense (DoD) contractors. The CMMC combines many existing cybersecurity standards, including the NIST 800-171, into one comprehensive framework. It originally included five maturity levels, ranging from “basic cyber hygiene” to “advanced/progressive,” that contractors have to meet in order to do business with the DoD. Even just in the last few months, the CMMC has changed. CMMC 2.0 requires three levels, down from the original five, which are greatly simplified.

The CMMC framework is designed to be flexible, with the understanding that it will need to be applied to companies of all sizes and types. It is not necessarily the case that a company will always need the top level of compliance. In fact, many companies will only need a base level of compliance so that they can manage non-privileged government data.

The CMMC is not just a new compliance framework; it’s also a major culture shift for the DoD. Take a look at our CMMC assessment guide to find out more about what CMMC compliance will take for you.

How to Achieve CMMC Compliance

The first step is to assess which CMMC level is appropriate for your company. The Department of Defense has created an online tool, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Level Selection Guide, to help with this process. Apart from this CMMC guide, an MSP can help your organization determine which CMMC level is really necessary for you, both now and into the future.

Once you have determined the appropriate CMMC level for your company, you will need to develop and implement the required processes and controls. The CMMC has released a publication, the CMMC Model v1.0, which provides detailed guidance on how to do this — but this CMMC guide is now somewhat outdated. Because the compliance model is shifting, professional help may be needed to assess your actual requirements. They can help you build your CMMC checklist.

Once you feel ready for assessment, you will need to get certified by an authorized third-party assessment organization. It is very likely that your company will not be certified at once. Instead, your company will be given a list of faults that need to be changed; this is normal. You will then work internally or with your securities company to make these changes without disruption to your organization.

The CMMC is still very much a work in progress, and it is important to stay up to date on the latest changes. MSPs that specialize in government compliance can help you navigate the CMMC requirements and ensure that your company is prepared for whatever comes next.

The Benefits of CMMC Compliance

There are many benefits to becoming CMMC compliant, even beyond the fact that it will soon be required for doing business with the Department of Defense.

It will help your company become more cyber-secure and more cyber-aware.

The CMMC framework covers a wide range of cybersecurity practices, from basic hygiene to advanced/progressive controls. By implementing these controls, your company will be better protected from cyber threats.

It will improve your company’s reputation.

In today’s business world, cybersecurity is a major concern for many companies. If your company can show that it is CMMC compliant, it will demonstrate that you take cybersecurity seriously and are committed to protecting your data.

It will give you a competitive advantage.

As the Department of Defense begins to require CMMC compliance, those who are already compliant will have a major advantage over those who are not.

But, of course, there are always challenges to a widescale infrastructure change. Depending on where you’re starting out, it could be very hard to achieve CMMC compliance—certainly not an overnight task.

The Major Control Points of CMMC Compliance

The CMMC model is divided into multiple capability domains, which are further broken down into specific practices. The specific practices are too numerous to list here, but some of the major capability domains include:

Access Control. This domain covers how systems are protected from unauthorized access. A zero-trust system is one of the strongest strategies, but it can require an upgrade in technology and processes to achieve.
Awareness and Training. This domain covers the practices that are used to ensure that all employees are aware of cybersecurity threats and know how to respond to them.
Asset Management. This domain covers the practices that are used to identify, track and protect organizational assets. A Level 1 contractor will not work with sensitive data but may still work with personally identifiable information.
Audit and Accountability. This domain covers the practices that are used to track and monitor user activity in order to detect and investigate suspicious activity.
Configuration Management. This domain covers the practices that are used to manage, control, and protect organizational resources. Even the best systems can be defeated by poor configuration.
Identification and Authentication. This domain covers the practices that are used to verify the identity of users and devices. Today, passwordless authentication has become very popular.
Incident Response. This domain covers the practices that are used to respond to, contain and mitigate cybersecurity incidents. The faster threats are mitigated, the less damage will be done.
Media Protection. This domain covers the practices that are used to protect removable media from unauthorized access and malicious software.
Physical and Environmental Protection. This domain covers the practices that are used to protect organizational resources from physical and environmental threats. Many organizations forget that someone can walk into their building to steal their data; some organizations on the cloud don’t even know where their data is.
Recovery. Practices that are used to restore organizational resources after a cybersecurity incident. Faster recovery means that you’re back in business faster, which is particularly important for systems that could leave users vulnerable if they go down.
Risk Management. Practices that are used to identify, assess and manage cybersecurity risks. Organizations must be in a constant state of risk management.

All these elements must be within your organization’s control and must meet certain standards, depending on the level of compliance you’re pursuing.

The Challenges of CMMC Compliance

The CMMC is a major new initiative for the Department of Defense, and it will undoubtedly be a challenge for many companies to achieve compliance.

The biggest challenge will be the implementation of the necessary processes and controls. Since the CMMC model has been changing and is brand new, companies don’t have experience in achieving CMMC compliance yet. Instead, they will need to do their best and hope that the changes that they need to make are reasonable and non-disruptive.

An MSP can help.

Engaging with a knowledgeable managed services provider will help your organization develop its CMMC compliance without internal disruption. An MSP will create a full game plan and journey for your organization to follow—without having to disrupt your everyday operations.

IT management for an organization is already difficult enough without introducing large issues of security and compliance. But with the right strategy, CMMC compliance can be used to an organization’s benefit—improving security, increasing competitiveness, and enabling an organization to bid on government contracts.

What Type of CMMC Compliance Do You Need?

A CMMC guide isn’t enough. Whether your organization needs Level 1 or Level 3 compliance, the time to start is now. Companies will soon be required to have CMMC compliance to perform DoD jobs.

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