If your business serves the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is unlike any other framework for your organization. Certification—or lack of it—has a near-100% probability of affecting your bottom line. Your organization will not be awarded any Department of Defense (DoD) third-party bids without certification.
What is the CMMC?
The CMMC creates a uniform way to assess cybersecurity practices in DIB organizations. Using NIST 800-171 as the baseline, the primary objective of CMMC is to secure the DoD’s supply chain using an enforceable, measurable framework.
Organizations that create Government Off-The-Shelf (GOTS) products, handle Federal Contract Information (FCI), or Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) will need to show compliance at one of the five levels of the CMMC framework by October 2025.
This certification currently applies only to the DoD, but in the future it’s likely to expand to all areas of the federal government and possibly state governments as well.
What are the 5 levels of the CMMC framework?
- Level 1: Performed
- Level 2: Documented
- Level 3: Managed
- Level 4: Reviewed
- Level 5: Optimized
How do you get certified for CMMC compliance?
Passing certification under CMMC early represents a competitive advantage in the DIB and can help ensure that your organization is ready for the October 2025 deadline. These assessments can only be done by an authorized CMMC Third-Party Assessor Organization (C3PAO). While the C3PAO assessment process does allow a window for remediation if deficiencies are identified, it won’t necessarily be enough time for your business to close the gap for that assessment engagement.
Preparation is the best defense
An extended certification process could impact your ability to conduct business as usual as a DIB supplier. Preparing for your assessment can help you close your security gaps and avoid affecting your certification.
This process can seem like an enormous undertaking with so much at stake for your organization. And in many ways, it is. Sirius can help you breakdown the five certification tiers, understand which are relevant to your organization, and offer guidance on achieving certification. The easiest way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time, and that’s the same approach we will use to help you succeed with the CMMC certification process.
The Sirius CMMC Pre-Assessment is designed to help you evaluate your current environment against the framework, identify weaknesses, and develop a plan to mitigate and harden your security posture before the assessment to shorten your time to certification. We work with your organization’s security stakeholders to understand your current system, applications and business environments. This is a collaborative process with open dialogue to help your team develop a strategic roadmap for better security and CMMC compliance.
The benefits of a Sirius CMMC Pre-Assessment
When you engage with Sirius for a CMMC pre-assessment, you will work directly with an expert in the field who can help you eliminate much of the guesswork around correctly understanding and implementing the necessary controls.
Our team has field experience working with assessors. We know how they think and act, and what they will look for during your assessment. Your Sirius security expert will get to know your organization—what you do, how you think and overall acumen—and conduct your pre-assessment in the context of your organization. We will identify your security gaps and then recommend solutions to close them, focusing on the most efficient solutions that address multiple deficiencies wherever possible.
At the conclusion of your pre-assessment, you will receive a clear roadmap developed in the context of your specific organization.
Get ready with Sirius
Your CMMC assessment is not the time to identify security gaps, so don’t risk delaying or failing a CMMC assessment. Reach out to your Sirius representative or contact us today. We will work with you to prepare your security environment and team for a smoother assessment.
