The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is the Department of Defense framework for protecting sensitive information across the Defense Industrial Base. The required level depends on the information a contractor handles. Level 1 focuses on Federal Contract Information, while Level 2 protects Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and includes 110 practices largely aligned with NIST SP 800-171. Organizations handling CUI must complete a third-party assessment every three years. CMMC is becoming a contractual requirement for more Department of Defense work, making compliance an ongoing business issue rather than a one-time cybersecurity project. Contractors must maintain controls, evidence, and documentation over time as systems and requirements change.
A System Security Plan SSP documents how an organization protects the systems and environments that handle Controlled Unclassified Information. It should describe the compliance boundary, relevant assets, technical controls, system configurations, data flows, and how required security practices are implemented. The SSP also gives assessors a structured view of the organization’s cybersecurity environment and the evidence supporting each applicable requirement. Because systems, software, and configurations change, the SSP can become outdated quickly if it is maintained manually. Automation can help keep supporting evidence and control information aligned with the organization’s current environment and reduce preparation work before a formal assessment.
A Plan of Action and Milestones, or POA&M, documents cybersecurity gaps and the actions and milestones needed to address them. Under CMMC, limited eligible POA&M items may allow an organization to receive a Conditional CMMC Status rather than a Final Status. The organization must close the POA&M through the applicable closeout assessment within 180 days of the Conditional CMMC Status Date, or the Conditional Status expires. A POA&M is a corrective compliance plan, not a Statute of Limitations. Automation can help track open items, connect supporting evidence and monitor remediation progress.
Continuous monitoring means checking whether required security controls remain effective after assessment or certification. Configurations change, software is updated, administrators make adjustments, and those changes can create new compliance gaps. Automation can continuously evaluate technical settings, identify configuration drift, and alert teams when changes may affect compliance. It can also collect and map evidence to relevant controls so teams do not need to rebuild an assessment file from screenshots and spreadsheets each time. For organizations managing multiple environments or Business Carve-Outs, consistent monitoring can make it easier to understand which systems remain in scope and where remediation may be required.
A CMMC automation platform should reduce manual work without creating new security or data-governance problems. Look for continuous control validation, automated evidence collection, mapping of evidence to CMMC requirements, SSP and POA&M support, asset inventory and CUI data-flow documentation, and reporting that can support formal assessments. The platform should provide visibility into configuration drift and help teams identify gaps early. Deployment matters as well. Tools that operate inside the organization’s own environment can reduce the need to export sensitive evidence elsewhere. Finally, automation should support human review rather than replace the judgment needed for scoping, remediation, documentation, and assessment preparation.
Which CMMC level applies to most defense contractors?
Level 2 is expected to apply to most defense contractors that process, store or transmit Controlled Unclassified Information. It requires implementation of all 110 security requirements from NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2, as assessed under the CMMC Level 2 framework.
What happens when a contractor fails a CMMC assessment?
A contractor that does not meet all required CMMC practices may receive a Conditional Level 2 Certificate if remaining deficiencies are POA&M-eligible. Those items generally must be remediated within 180 days. Failure to achieve certification can affect eligibility for applicable Department of Defense contracts.
Can contractors self-attest for CMMC Level 2 compliance?
Most contractors seeking CMMC Level 2 certification require an assessment by a Certified Third-Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO) every three years. However, certain Level 2 programs may permit annual self-assessments and affirmations instead of third-party certification.
How does automation reduce the cost of CMMC compliance?
Automation reduces repetitive work by continuously validating technical controls, collecting evidence, mapping artifacts to requirements, and identifying configuration drift. That can reduce time spent maintaining spreadsheets, taking screenshots, rebuilding documentation, and preparing evidence packages for readiness reviews and formal assessments.
For more than four decades, Bennett Thrasher has provided businesses and individuals with strategic business guidance and solutions through professional tax, audit, advisory, and business process outsourcing services. Contact Jim Dougherty partner in Bennett Thrasher’s Technology Services, or call us at 770.396.2200.
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