Expert CMMC Consulting For DoD Contractors in California
Key Points:
- The March 2023 deadline notifications went out advising mandatory compliance.
- What is the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, and who must comply?
- The creation of a Department of Defense accountability model set the stage.
- CMMC 2.0 practices are more defined, and the assessments are stricter.
- Start preparing with expert CMMC consulting and readiness assessments.
When the Department of Defense sends you a letter to be compliant by March 2023, your government contractor status is potentially hanging in the balance if you neglect the notice. That’s when the updated Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) takes full effect.
According to the Alvarez Technology Group, an approved Registered Provider Organization by the Cyber Accreditation Body, the military recently notified all of its government contractors of the upcoming deadline. Luis discloses more about complying in today’s video:
What Is The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification?
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a United States Department of Defense program. It is an updated certification model and unifying standard guaranteeing that all DoD contractors adequately protect sensitive documentation and information. It applies to contractors across the Defense Industrial Base (DIB).
DIB contractors use and hold onto sensitive government data. That information gets used to create and provide goods and services. CMMC helps ensure each contractor secures that information like the military and government does. That mandatory certification makes this an extremely and important regulated requirement.
Without meeting the March 2023 deadline, a government contractor gets denied bidding access on current and future government contracts. Should the military investigate and discover the contractor falsified their qualifications, they may face criminal charges knowing they lied to a federal agency. And will significantly enforce the gravity of compliance.
Why Was The CMMC Program Created?
For many years, contractors received well-defined cybersecurity guidance from the federal government. The only drawback was that contractors had no way to prove the strength of their cyber programs to the Department of Defense, and what they used and controlled was genuinely secure.
In 2019, a compliance change took place. Private defense contractors received notice from the DoD about launching the new CMMC framework. That information required that all DoD contractors adopt newer, stricter cybersecurity standards.
Those early standards were written and based on the framework located in NIST SP 800-171 documentation. And those DoD contractors were also advised that in January 2020, CMMC will go active.
CMMC 2.0 Is The Update With Mandatory Compliance
As with any government regulation, standards and requirements are reviewed and assessed to determine accountability. Since 2020, the data received by the federal government regarding cybersecurity standards and compliance, new and stricter guidelines, and enforcement needed changing and updating.
The five levels found in the original CMMC documentation were Basic, Intermediate, Good, Proactive, and Advanced. However, the updated mandate removes levels two and four. Now with only three, Foundational, Advanced, and Expert levels, that takes compliance to higher levels of accountability.
As for the older practices and assessments, those got updated too. The practices are more defined, the assessments are stricter, and should you want Level 3, you should expect triannual government-led assessments. And finally, DoD contractors must submit to a third-party assessor organization to verify their compliance.
Where To Turn For CMMC Consulting and Compliance
You are faced with a March 2023 deadline to comply with the Department of Defense’s updated CMMC program requirements. Not doing so could jeopardize your private defense contractor status preventing your company from bidding on current and future government contracts.
As a DoD contractor in California, you need expert CMMC consulting and readiness assessments to determine if you meet all the requirements. That’s where Alvarez Technology Group comes in to assist.
As an approved Registered Provider Organization by the Cyber Accreditation Body, ATG is fully vetted and authorized to provide CMMC consulting services to DIB companies needing the certification. To start your process, contact us today or call Tol Free 1-866-78-iTeam.
