In 2020, the CMMC reshaped cybersecurity standards for all Department of Defense suppliers when version 1.0 was released on January 30th. These new standards require all suppliers to be certified by an accredited assessor. Now that the DoD utilizes the CMMC standard, other federal organizations and private companies alike are sure to follow suit. So, what is the CMMC and how do you get certified?
CMMC is the acronym for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. Essentially, the CMMC measures the cybersecurity maturity of organizations with five levels. It also aligns expectations between suppliers and buyers through clear processes and practices based on both the sensitivity and type of information that is shared.
With input from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, DoD stakeholders, and other related entities, the CMMC combines maturity processes and cybersecurity best practices. To develop this encompassing certification, they relied on various cybersecurity standards, frameworks, and references.
The aim of utilizing this wide array of resources is to protect two distinct types of information the federal government struggled to protect. These two types of information include Federal Contract Information and Controlled Unclassified Information. Both of these types of information revolve around information that does not meet thresholds for classified information but information that cannot be released to or accessed by the general public.
If you want to work with the DoD or work on any other contracts with a CMMC requirement, you must become certified.
First, you must find an authorized and accredited assessor. Authorized and accredited assessors are the only ones who can grant companies the CMMC. They assess companies on a pass/fail basis, so after you find an assessor you can begin preparing your company for the assessment.
Preparing your company for CMMC entails:
Due to the strict requirements of the CMMC, companies tend to outsource compliance management to a CMMC consultant. This takes the workload of maintaining compliance and accreditation off your company so you can keep your focus on serving your contracts. You can expect a CMMC consultant to help you with both receiving your CMMC certificate and maintaining that certificate so you can continue fulfilling contracts with CMMC requirements.