Checklist: How to Prepare for a CMMC 2.0 Assessment

Do you know how to prepare for a CMMC 2.0 assessment?

CMMC stands for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. This is a certification that contractors and subcontractors of the DoD (Department of Defense) are required to obtain before they can accept a contract.

In general, the CMMC is designed to improve the DoD’s cybersecurity posture and to provide better protection for controlled unclassified information (CUI) and federal contract information (FCI) within the defense industrial base (DIB).

There are three levels to the CMMC 2.0 which each have a different set of requirements. Level 1 is foundational and the most basic, level 2 is advanced, and level 3 is considered expert.

Fill out the form above to help your organization prepare for a CMMC 2.0 assessment so you’re ready to take on any additional adjustments or implementations necessary.

What is a CMMC Assessment?

A CMMC assessment is a comprehensive exam of an organization’s cybersecurity maturity and is a critical step in becoming CMMC-certified. An assessment helps businesses learn more about their current cybersecurity system and what requirements they need to get the appropriate level of certification.

The assessment itself digs deep into business systems to determine the strength of your current cybersecurity infrastructure and what you’ll need to add, improve, and implement before contacting a CMMC-certified assessor for official certification.

Why Do Businesses Need to Prepare for a CMMC Assessment?

As stated above, the assessment is a critical step in the CMMC certification process. The assessment is important because it helps organizations dive deeper into their current cybersecurity posture and reveal gaps. The findings from the assessment will guide decision makers on cybersecurity improvements required for CMMC certification.

The assessment needs to be conducted by a current cybersecurity professional, and best practices dictate that this is an unaffiliated third party, which helps to avoid bias.

By preparing for the assessment well in advance, you can avoid unnecessary expenses that come with scheduling multiple assessments.

Preparing for a CMMC 2.0 Assessment

CMMC 2.0 requirements will begin to appear in DoD contracts and could be fully implemented in every contract by October 2025. This means businesses, even if compliant by the 1.0 CMMC requirements, need to reassess their practices to ensure that they are still up to date with the CMMC 2.0 requirements.

For many businesses, the differences between CMMC 1.0 and 2.0 will be subtle making it that much more important to familiarize yourself with the updates. The primary changes are reflected in the requirements for the different levels of CMMC, but the controls within each tier have been adjusted and streamlined.

Additionally, the way assessments work has changed. For example, level 1 used to require a third-party assessment, but now it can be an annual self-assessment. So, in that instance, it’s easier for businesses to prove compliance. But, for level 2, what used to be no required assessment is now a triennial third-party assessment, and for level 3, a government-led triennial assessment is now required.

Though most of the actual controls have remained the same, the DoD has simplified the CMMC levels to help businesses more easily understand the regulations and to help them become more secure. To help you prepare for your assessment, fill out the form above to download our checklist and see exactly how to prepare for your CMMC 2.0 assessment.

This checklist is the perfect tool to help make sure you don’t skip any steps in the process and get a full look at your current cybersecurity maturity and what you need to implement in the future to become compliant with the necessary level of CMMC your organization requires.