You work with the Department of Defense (DoD) and need to be audit ready and CMMC certified to keep your contracts and win new ones. With CMMC Compliance Forward services you get expert guidance, risk assessment, comprehensive documentation, and ongoing support to achieve certification.
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 is a framework that the federal government developed, building on existing cybersecurity standards like NIST and DFARS. It was created to ensure the safety of federal contract information (FCI) and controlled unclassified information (CUI) by requiring defense suppliers and government contractors to prove compliance through a three-tiered assessment system.
With the new CMMC 2.0 Final Rule in effect, all DIB primes and subcontractors must now prove that they’re doing everything they can to protect FCI and CUI. Failing to get certified could jeopardize your existing contracts or keep you from winning contracts in the future.
It’s important to understand exactly what it takes to become compliant.
This step-by-step guide gives you a clear roadmap and helps you move confidently toward certification.
At CMMC level 1, basic cybersecurity requirements are in place for organizations that handle federal contract information (FCI), but not controlled unclassified information (CUI). Organizations that require certification need to be compliant with 17 CMMC practices that align with 15 specific security controls outlined in FAR 52.204-21.
At CMMC Level 2, organizations will need to implement enhanced safeguards that meet the 110 security practices outlined in National Institute of Standards and Technology Publication 800-171 (NIST SP 800-171) for protecting CUI—government information that is sensitive but not classified.
CMMC Level 3 requires the most rigorous protections targeting Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). This level builds on the security standards of Level 2 with additional security guardrails from NIST SP 800-172 to protect highly sensitive federal information.
It can take months to become fully compliant. Measure your progress with this readiness tracker.
Identify the type of CUI you have and where it is within your environment to determine your CMMC level and establish a CUI boundary (scope) within your environment where CUI is stored, processed, or shared.
This allows you to:
You will get a comprehensive gap analysis to find any hidden security gaps within your environment as measured against the required CMMC controls for your level.
This allows you to:
We’ll then work with your team to help implement the corrective actions and security measures to ensure your identified vulnerabilites are addressed to keep the federal data you handle safe.
This allows you to:
Once the security gaps are identified, we’ll create a comprehensive document that spells out your security framework, policies, procedures, authorized personnel, systems, physical security controls, and other resources.
This allows you to:
We’ll run through a CMMC mock audit with you to simulate your actual C3PAO Level 2 assessment.
This allows you to:
Language for the new rule has already started appearing in DoD contracts. Level 2 self-assessments became operational in SPRS as of February 28, 2025. Contractors and subcontractors within the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) must undergo a CMMC assessment for their level in order to achieve CMMC certification to keep their existing contracts or win new ones.
While a gap analysis is essential to your CMMC readiness, it is not an efficient starting point since it measures your current security posture against the required CMMC security controls for your level. A more targeted approach is to identify and evaluate your assets to determine your CMMC level and establish a CUI scope within your environment.
The process to become fully CMMC compliant varies depending on a number of factors like your current security posture, the complexity of your environment, and the level of documentation you already have. It can take up to a year or more, and the assessment process can take an additional two-six months (and sometimes longer). So, the time to act is now.
Kelser will perform a comprehensive gap analysis of the security controls within your identified CUI scope to ensure that your current security measures meet the CMMC standards. We’ll then offer detailed remediation plan to allow you to correct any cybersecurity deficiencies found.
Failure to become CMMC compliant and achieve final certification could jeopardize your existing DoD contracts and disqualify you from obtaining new contract awards. What’s more, non-compliance could lead to substantial fines that could reach $250,000 per violation for misrepresenting CMMC compliance under the False Claims Act.
The cost of CMMC certification depends on several factors like your current cybersecurity posture, the size and complexity of your IT environment, the CMMC level you need to meet, and how much outside support you require. Expenses may include gap analysis, remediation efforts, documentation and the formal assessment itself. For many businesses, it’s a significant investment, but it’s also essential for maintaining and winning DoD contracts. Starting early gives you more time to budget and plan.
During this free readiness consult, a licensed CMMC expert will take an in-depth look at where you are in your compliance journey and what it will take to get you across the finish line.
We value your privacy and your trust is paramount to us. Your information is kept confidential, and we promise a respectful communication approach – no intrusive calls or emails, just the information you need.
