• Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • (978)-688-1739
  • Contact
  • Free Risk Assessment
BL King Consulting
  • Home
  • IT Solutions
    • Cybersecurity
      • Cybersecurity Risk Assessment
      • Intrusion Prevention
      • Network Management and Monitoring
      • Desktop Support
      • Disaster Recovery
      • Security Training
    • Compliance
      • CMMC
      • DFARS
      • NIST
      • ISO 27 001
    • Projects
      • Cloud Migration
      • Custom Application Development
      • Website and CMS Design
    • Products
      • Google Workspace
      • Amazon Machine Images
        • Minimal Centos Image
        • End User License Agreement
      • Multi Factor Authentication
    • Managed Services
      • Help Desk
      • Co-Managed IT
      • IT Consulting
      • Cloud Services
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Capabilities Statement
  • Testimonials
  • About
    • Areas We Serve
    • Careers
  • Menu Menu

Everything You Need to Know About CMMC 2.0: Requirements, Launch Date, and Assessment Guide

As the Department of Defense’s (DoD) CMMC 2.0 rollout date approaches, executives are increasingly wondering when they need to be CMMC 2.0 certified. There is no one answer to this question, however, since requirements and timelines vary depending on contracts and suppliers. To help you understand what is required for CMMC 2.0 certification, we’ll review the basics including the launch date, assessment guide and levels of certification.

What Is CMMC 2.0 and Why Is It Important?

CMMC 2.0 is the new version of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program, developed by the U.S. Department of Defense to improve cybersecurity within the defense industrial base (DIB) sector. The primary goal of CMMC 2.0 is to provide improved protection for Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) through mandatory certification standards that all suppliers must adhere to in order to win defense contracts. The certification requires organizations to have appropriate security measures in place, including higher levels of access control and continuous monitoring, as well as more comprehensive processes for securely handling CUI-related data and documents.

An Overview of CMMC 2.0 Standards

CMMC 2.0 implements tiered assessment requirements tied to levels of maturity, each with increasingly stringent requirements for implementing security measures and practices. Level 1 focuses on basic cyber hygiene such as awareness training, while Level 5—the highest level—requires advanced capabilities such as risk management and incident response planning.Organizations must demonstrate their compliance with each level’s requirements in order to be certified at that level. In addition, third-party auditors will assess a company’s compliance with the standard’s requirements during a CMMC audit.

CMMC 2.0 Requirements and Launch Date

When Do Organizations Need To Be Compliant With CMMC 2.0?

Once CMMC 2.0 is implemented in March 2023, contractors will be required to obtain a third-party CMMC Level 2 assessment for a subset of acquisitions that involve information critical to national security.

Additionally, some government contractors may be required sooner depending upon the nature of their work and specific contractual agreements they may have with the DoD. Regardless of when exactly your organization may need to certify under CMMC 2.0, it’s important to start preparing now so you can ensure your compliance when it does come into effect across all DIB contracts.

Cybersecurity must be robust for contractors who work with the government to provide products or services. CMMC 2.0 regulations outline a strict framework for safeguarding controlled unclassified information, and if you’re not compliant, you risk losing future contracts. BL King has the expertise to help you prepare for the upcoming changes.

Learn More

CMMC 2.0 Assessments and Audits

How Will Assessments and Audits Work Under the New Certification Program?

Under CMMC 2.0 certification program, third-party accredited assessors will evaluate a company’s ability to comply with its cybersecurity requirements based on an assessment guide provided by DoD prior to an audit being conducted onsite at the organization’s facilities (if necessary).

This CMMC 2.0 assessment guide details what auditors will look for during an assessment or audit including:

  • Policies and procedures related to cybersecurity operations
  • Which tools are used in cyber operations
  • How IT assets are inventoried
  • Whether measures are in place prevent unauthorized access
  • How vulnerabilities are handled
  • If an incident response plan exists
  • If personnel have been trained on proper cybersecurity protocols
  • Other criteria related to complying with various parts of the standard at each level of maturity

This comprehensive assessment process helps ensure that organizations are adhering strictly to all aspects of their cybersecurity policy before being certified at any particular level by DoD assessors/auditors.

Strategies to Prepare for CMMC 2.0 Certification

What steps can organizations take to ensure they are ready for certification when it launches?
Organizations should begin preparing now so they can achieve successful certification when mandated by DoD contracts arrives in 2023—or sooner due contractual agreements already established, since those contracts may require earlier certifications—by following these steps below:

Continue Your Research

Develop a solid understanding of the new version of the standard—familiarize yourself with all five levels including what capabilities must be implemented and demonstrated within each one before achieving successful certification at that level(s).

Conduct an Assessment

Evaluate current processes against the updated standards. Compare any differences between what you’re currently doing and what’s required so you know what to improve prior to successfully completing your final audit from a qualified third-party agency approved by the DoD.

Update Policies and Processes

Update existing IT policies and procedures accordingly. Make sure you’re continuously aligning updated policies and procedures towards meeting all aspects outlined within both versions simultaneously so nothing gets overlooked prior to getting checked off during your audit process.

Establish Ongoing Training

Continuous education and awareness initiatives help keep personnel up-to-date on newest threats plus potential risks associated w/them while also keeping everyone informed about the latest industry best practices related to protecting confidential and classified information.

Do You Need Help Preparing for CMMC 2.0?

As we approach closer towards the CMMC 2.0 launch date early next year—or sooner depending upon existing contractual agreements already in place—you don’t want to risk losing a contract because you weren’t prepared. BL King can help you understand what your business needs to do to get up to speed with the latest requirements. We identify steps you can take today to prepare ahead time, thereby mitigating any unnecessary delays that occur from a lack of guidance during the planning stages. Contact our team today to schedule your CMMC 2.0 assessment, and we’ll make sure you don’t miss out on future opportunities due to compliance issues.

Share This Post

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail

Related Postings

Image of two people reviewing code on a computer.

How Often Should I Get a Penetration Test?

March 28, 2023
Read more
https://www.blking.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Image-of-two-people-reviewing-code-on-a-computer..jpg 1250 2000 AbstraktMarketing /wp-content/uploads/2021/10/BL-King-Dark-Logo-1.png AbstraktMarketing2023-03-28 09:00:002023-03-21 13:18:20How Often Should I Get a Penetration Test?
Image of a hacked computer

What Bad Things Can Happen if you get Hacked?

March 23, 2023
Read more
https://www.blking.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Image-of-a-hacked-computer.jpg 1250 2000 AbstraktMarketing /wp-content/uploads/2021/10/BL-King-Dark-Logo-1.png AbstraktMarketing2023-03-23 09:00:002023-03-21 11:35:16What Bad Things Can Happen if you get Hacked?
Image of a digital cloud network.

Preparing for a Cloud Migration

February 16, 2023
Read more
https://www.blking.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Image-of-a-digital-cloud-network..jpg 1250 2000 AbstraktMarketing /wp-content/uploads/2021/10/BL-King-Dark-Logo-1.png AbstraktMarketing2023-02-16 09:00:002023-02-15 21:42:24Preparing for a Cloud Migration
bl king logo

About Us

BL King Consulting has been bringing veteran energy to the managed security industry since 2014. As your New England managed security service provider, we solve complex technology problems help you achieve compliance with the strictest data security standards.

Solutions

Cybersecurity

Compliance

Projects 

Products

 

Contact

Phone:
978-688-1739

Email:
info@blking.net

Website by Abstrakt Marketing Group © 2021
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
How To Avoid Data Breaches: A Guide for ExecutivesImage of a virtual hacker stealing data.Image of a CEO using a laptop.Cybersecurity Questions All CEOs Must Know
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Accept settingsHide notification only