Defense / CMMC
CMMC Compliance for Defense Contractors. Built by a Team That Has Done This Before.
If your organization handles controlled unclassified information under a DoD contract, CMMC certification is not a future consideration. It is a present requirement with real contract consequences for every defense contractor in the supply chain. Inovo InfoSec specializes in defense contractor cybersecurity and CMMC program development as a Registered Practitioner Organization. We build the program, lead the process, and stand with you through your C3PAO assessment.
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At a Glance
Who This Page Is For
Inovo InfoSec RPO Status
Registered Practitioner Organization, authorized by the Cyber AB to deliver CMMC advisory and preparation services.
Every Industry Has a Target On Its Back.
A rule in the Code of Federal Regulations requires defense contractors and subcontractors that interact with controlled unclassified information to achieve CMMC certification. Organizations that do not reach the required certification level will be ineligible to bid on or renew DoD contracts. There are no waivers for being unprepared. There is no grace period once the requirement is triggered.
The time to build your program is now, not when the assessment is scheduled.
The Requirement
What Is CMMC and Why It Applies to Your Organization
CMMC stands for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. It is the Department of Defense's framework for ensuring that defense contractors and supply chain partners are protecting controlled unclassified information at a level that matches its sensitivity and the threat environment it faces.
Every organization in the Defense Industrial Base that handles CUI is in scope. That includes prime contractors, subcontractors, and the managed service providers who support their IT environments. There are no exemptions based on company size or contract value threshold alone.
CMMC Level 2 is built on NIST SP 800-171, a published federal security framework that defines 110 security practices across 17 domains. Achieving Level 2 certification requires demonstrating that all 110 practices are implemented, documented, and operating as intended, as validated by an independent C3PAO assessment.
DoD cybersecurity requirements have evolved significantly since the defense industrial base first adopted DFARS. DFARS 252.204-7012 has required CUI protection since 2017. CMMC adds the formal certification requirement on top of DFARS, turning a self-attestation obligation into a verified, third-party-assessed certification.
CMMC Fast Facts
CMMC Level 2
110 NIST SP 800-171 practices. Validated by an independent C3PAO assessment. Required for the majority of contracts involving CUI.
CMMC Level 3
Adds NIST SP 800-172 practices. Applies to programs involving more sensitive CUI. Oversight by DCSA.
Who Is In Scope
Any DIB organization handling CUI, including MSPs with access to CUI environments.
Key Regulations
DFARS 252.204-7012 (CUI protection). CMMC adds third-party certification on top.
Inovo InfoSec Status
Registered Practitioner Organization (RPO) authorized by the Cyber AB for CMMC advisory and preparation services.
How We Work
We Do Not Just Advise on CMMC.
We Lead Your Defense Program.
Most security consultants will deliver a gap analysis report and a list of recommendations. Then they leave. Inovo InfoSec operates differently. We come in as the strategic architect of your information security program. We build the roadmap to CMMC certification and remain fully engaged through every stage, from initial assessment through remediation, documentation, and assessment preparation. We are at the table, not just in the report.
Our 12-Step Approach to CMMC Level 2.
The full journey, from the first gap assessment to the day the C3PAO assessor walks in. We own every step. Your team focuses on the business. We focus on the defense.
01
SMLA Gap Assessment.
We conduct a comprehensive Security Maturity Level Assessment that maps your current posture against all 110 NIST SP 800-171 practices and surfaces every gap between where you are and where CMMC certification requires you to be.
02
Information Security Committee and SSP.
We form your Information Security Committee, then write and approve your System Security Plan (SSP) and Plan of Action and Milestones (PoAM), the foundational documents your C3PAO assessor will examine first.
03
Policies and Procedures.
We write and approve the full set of information security policies and procedures your CMMC program requires, scoped to your environment and your operations, not pulled from a template.
04
CUI Handling and Awareness Training.
CUI handling, security policy, and cybersecurity awareness training delivered across your workforce. The controls and behaviors that turn written policy into daily practice.
05
NIST 800-171 Implementation.
We implement, automate, and report on the NIST 800-171 control objectives directly from your approved policies and SSP. Defensible evidence is built into the program from day one.
06
Compliance Portal Goes Live.
Your compliance portal goes live as the single source of truth for CMMC audit evidence, SSP, and approved policies. Always assessor-ready, always current.
07
24/7/365 SOC Monitoring.
A 24/7/365 Security Operations Center watches your environment with ongoing alert monitoring, investigation, and escalation. CMMC controls assume detection actually works. We make sure it does.
08
Vulnerability Management.
Ongoing vulnerability scanning, prioritization, and remediation built into the program. Not a once-a-year scramble before assessment.
09
Intrusion Detection and DLP.
Intrusion detection and data loss prevention software implemented across your environment, monitored, and tuned to the CUI you actually handle.
10
Incident Response Plan.
We create and test your incident response plan through tabletop exercises. A plan you have not tested is a plan that breaks the first time it is needed.
11
Cyber Liability Insurance.
We help you secure a cyber liability insurance policy aligned to your CMMC posture, often at significantly better terms because of the documented program now in place.
12
CMMC Assessment with C3PAO.
The C3PAO assessment arrives. You are not standing there alone trying to explain a program someone else built. We prepared it. We know it end to end. We are at the table with you.
Strategic architect. Program leader.
The teammate still standing there when the assessor walks in.
What We Bring
Defense Cybersecurity Services Delivered Under One Program.
Every service Inovo InfoSec delivers for defense contractors operates within a single, cohesive security program built to your specific environment, your contract obligations, and your CMMC certification target. CMMC certification for defense organizations is not a one-time project. It is an ongoing program that requires sustained leadership, and that is exactly what we provide. Nothing is siloed. Nothing is handed off and forgotten.
ASSESSMENT
GAP ANALYSIS
DOCUMENTATION
CUI SCOPING
NIST / DFARS
vCISO LEADERSHIP
What We Bring
Two Audiences.
One Standard of Excellence.
DEFENSE CONTRACTORS AND SUBCONTRACTORS
If you handle CUI under a DoD contract, your program starts here.
Whether you are a prime contractor managing the full compliance scope or a subcontractor navigating CMMC requirements for the first time, Inovo InfoSec builds and manages the security program that keeps you in the defense supply chain. We assess where you are, build the program you need, and walk with you through your C3PAO assessment.
MSPs SUPPORTING DEFENSE CONTRACTORS
If your clients are in scope, you are in scope.
MSPs with any access to a defense contractor's environment or CUI are inside the compliance boundary. Most MSPs do not realize this until they are already in the assessment process. Inovo InfoSec partners with MSPs to get ahead of the requirement, enforce separation of duties between IT operations and security governance, and protect both the MSP's clients and the MSP's own contract relationships.
The DoD does not hand out second chances.
Neither does your adversary.
Inovo InfoSec sits at the table as your strategic architect and your first line of defense.
What Our Clients Say
Inovo Infosec has been a trusted partner to Endurance IT Services for over five years, playing a key role in delivering SOC services and CMMC consulting to our clients. Their team consistently brings deep expertise, responsiveness, and a commitment to quality that aligns with our own standards. With a leadership relationship spanning more than a decade, there is a strong foundation of trust that shows up in every engagement. Inovo is truly an extension of our team and a partner we rely on to help drive client success."
Blake White
President | Endurance IT Services
Your Next DoD Contract Has a Cybersecurity Requirement.
Does Your Program?
Your DoD contract eligibility depends on it. Inovo InfoSec delivers CMMC compliance for defense contractors and the MSPs that serve them, from initial assessment through certification readiness and beyond. Whether you are navigating DoD cybersecurity requirements for the first time or closing the final gaps before your C3PAO assessment, we build the program and stand behind it. Start with a Security Maturity Assessment and know exactly where you stand today.
COMMON QUESTIONS
CMMC Questions Defense Contractors Ask Us Every Week.
CMMC, or Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, is the DoD's framework for verifying that defense contractors adequately protect Controlled Unclassified Information. If your business holds a federal contract that includes a DFARS clause, or if you are bidding on DoD contracts, CMMC compliance is not optional. It is a condition of contract award. Inovo InfoSec helps defense contractors understand exactly which CMMC level applies to their work and build the program to get there.
CMMC Level 1 applies to contractors handling Federal Contract Information and requires 17 basic cybersecurity practices with an annual self-assessment. CMMC Level 2 applies to contractors handling Controlled Unclassified Information and requires all 110 NIST SP 800-171 practices, with a triennial third-party assessment conducted by a C3PAO. Most defense contractors in the supply chain who touch CUI will need Level 2, and the assessment is significantly more rigorous than anything required before.
For most organizations starting from a typical security posture, achieving CMMC Level 2 readiness takes between nine and eighteen months, depending on the gaps identified in the initial assessment. The formal C3PAO assessment typically takes several weeks once the program is ready. Starting early is critical because DoD contract solicitations are already including CMMC requirements, and the certification process cannot be compressed once an RFP deadline is in play.
A C3PAO, or Certified Third-Party Assessment Organization, is an organization authorized by the Cyber AB to conduct official CMMC Level 2 assessments. For CMMC Level 2, a self-assessment is no longer sufficient. You need an independent C3PAO to formally review and attest to your compliance. Inovo InfoSec holds C3PAO authorization, which means we can both prepare your organization for certification and conduct the official CMMC assessment itself.
Controlled Unclassified Information is government-created or government-owned information that requires protection under law, regulation, or policy, including technical specifications, engineering drawings, contract performance data, and export-controlled materials. If your work involves detailed technical data about a government system, program, or specification, you are almost certainly handling CUI. The first step is a scoping assessment to identify exactly what CUI flows through your environment and where it lives.
NIST SP 800-171 is the National Institute of Standards and Technology publication that defines 110 security requirements for protecting CUI in non-federal systems, and it is the technical foundation of CMMC Level 2. Every CMMC Level 2 requirement maps directly to a NIST 800-171 practice, which means achieving CMMC certification requires demonstrating that all 110 practices are implemented and operational in your environment. Inovo InfoSec's 12-step CMMC approach covers every control, with the documentation your C3PAO assessor will examine.
DFARS 252.204-7012 required contractors to self-attest to NIST 800-171 compliance, but self-attestation is not CMMC certification. CMMC Level 2 requires a third-party C3PAO assessment and formal certification through the Cyber AB, a significantly higher bar than what DFARS alone required. Many contractors who believed they were compliant under DFARS find significant gaps when assessed against the full CMMC Level 2 standard, which is exactly what an SMLA gap assessment is designed to reveal.
CMMC compliance costs vary based on the size of your organization, the complexity of your CUI environment, and how far your current security posture is from the required baseline. For most small and mid-size defense contractors, a full CMMC Level 2 program including the third-party assessment typically ranges from $50,000 to $250,000 or more over the full program lifecycle. The more useful comparison is the cost of CMMC compliance versus the cost of losing your DoD contract eligibility entirely.
Beginning with DoD solicitations that include CMMC requirements, contractors who cannot demonstrate the required certification level will be ineligible for award. For existing contracts, CMMC requirements are phased in at renewal, meaning an organization that delays its program risks losing the ability to compete for the contract it currently holds. Inovo InfoSec works with defense contractors to map their certification timeline against their contract lifecycle so that certification arrives before the deadline, not after it.