The CMMC will take the role of the present DFARS 252.204-7012 provision that military companies must comply with when enrolling into an agreement with the Pentagon. CMMC adherence covers five tiers, with the third constituting the minimal required for working with controlled unclassified information, modeled on the NIST SP 800-171 structure but incorporating numerous other procedures and practices.
When making preparations for your CMMC assessment, you should avoid some typical blunders. Besides this, you can hire CMMC consulting VA Beach for professional assistance.
#1. Uncertainty about the level to aim towards
The first step in your CMMC certification process is determining suitable project scope. This necessitates determining the appropriate level. If you set your sights too low, you can miss out on necessary DoD contracts. On the other hand, reaching too high may prove unnecessarily time-consuming and costly, particularly for small enterprises. The obvious first step is to decide which level to aim for.
Most companies would wish to strive for CMMC level 3, the bare minimum for CUI protection. On the other hand, the prior two tiers are essential and should be regarded as initial steps. Accordingly, levels 4 and 5 of the CMMC are significantly more complex since they deal with proactive and advanced cybersecurity. The best place to begin is to examine your present situation by adequately reviewing your current security weaknesses.
#2. Possessing an asset inventory that isn’t complete
You can’t expect to safeguard assets you don’t even know about. Lack of insight into data-bearing resources is a challenge that many corporate executives are unaware of. With the growing prevalence of employee-owned devices, portable devices, internet services, and web-integrated smart gadgets, the number of terminals continues to climb. Keeping records of all of these devices is far more complex than it appears.
When evaluating where your possible vulnerabilities reside, keeping an up-to-date catalog of every connected equipment, application, and login detail is critical. CUI must also be confined and segregated so that it can be adequately safeguarded and monitored, according to CMMC cybersecurity protocols. To put it another way, it shouldn’t be kept or communicated outside of your protected site or systems.
#3. Putting off preparing for compliance
CMMC will not be fully operational until October 2025. Although it may appear to be a long time away, audits will begin much sooner. As a result, companies who gain their CMMC certifications far before the project’s commencement will have a significant edge when bidding on DoD RFPs. As a result, it’s critical to get started on your compliance planning as soon as possible.
Collaborating with a recognized provider organization can significantly speed up the process of acquiring CMMC compliance (RPO). The CMMC Accreditation Body has certified these companies to give professional help to individuals seeking compliance. If you’re already complying with the present DFARS 252.204-7012 clause, getting to CMMC level 3 shouldn’t be too difficult, mainly if you work with an RPO.
#4. Assuming NIST is responsible for everything
The CMMC is a single set of standards that will take the role of the DFARS provision. Companies must achieve complete accordance with the internationally renowned NIST SP 800-171 data security architecture, according to the DFARS clause. CMMC, on the other hand, includes a variety of practices and procedures that NIST does not address; therefore, they must not be regarded as equivalent.
ISO 27002, NIST 800-171B, NIST 800-53 rev4, and CERT RMM v.1.2 are just a few of the various frameworks that CMMC embraces. While this may appear to be a complicated procedure, CMMC is quite explicit about the structures and processes that must be in place to attain a certain degree of cybersecurity maturity. To put it another way, it’s a strategic platform in and of itself; thus, you may achieve strict cooperation just by implementing the CMMC standards rather than adding others.