CMMC Compliance
CMMC is a certification program created by the Department of Defense (DoD) to ensure that businesses that want to work with them adhere to proper cybersecurity practices. The certification protects Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) handled by these businesses.
CMMC compliance ensures that your business meets all the requirements of the CMMC compliance certification level you aim for. For CMMC Level 2, this includes implementing the relevant security controls and practices and passing an independent audit from a certified CMMC Third Party Assessor Organization (C3PAO).
Level 3 includes requirements that align not only with NIST 800-171 but 800-172 as well. Furthermore, certification assessments are government led (not by a C3PAO
CMMC Compliance Levels
There are three levels of CMMC compliance, The level at which your business needs to be certified depends on the type of work you want to do with the DoD.
- Level 1: Basic cyber hygiene; self-assessment.
- Level 2: Intermediate cyber hygiene; requirements aligned with NIST 800-171; assessment by 3CPAO, valid for 3 years.
- Level 3: Advanced cyber hygiene; requirements aligned with NIST 800-171 & 800-172; government-led assessment, valid for 3 years.
NIST 800 Standards?
NIST 800 standards are a set of guidelines developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help businesses protect their systems and data. The 800 series is divided into 17 different domains, each covering a different aspect of cybersecurity.
With NIST 800 compliance, businesses can demonstrate to their customers that they are taking the necessary steps to keep their data safe. NIST 800 compliance is also a requirement for many government contracts.
With these standards, you can develop a NIST 800-171 checklist that will aid your organization in complying with the guidelines.