The cybersecurity threat continues to evolve. And as you would expect, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) needs to maintain the most robust cybersecurity standards in the world to stay ahead of a wide range of malicious actors. As such, the DoD is looking to firm up cybersecurity standards—not only within its own organization but across all parties it interacts with.
This blog explores the DoD’s plans for its newly enhanced Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0, asking what it is; why it is being implemented; and how it will impact businesses. And most importantly, we give practical advice on what needs to be done to comply and how MessageOps is ready to help you get started on your CMMC compliance journey with the Microsoft Cloud.
What is CMMC?
The CMMC is a cybersecurity certification required for organizations to work with the U.S. DoD. It was created in 2019 to ensure robust standards across the DoD’s entire supply chain. It originally consisted of five maturity levels, with progressively more demanding requirements—from Basic to Advanced Cyber Hygiene.
The big news is there are new changes in how the framework is set up. In November of 2021, the DoD announced plans to update the CMMC to “enhanced CMMC 2.0”. Updates to the program requirements will be announced in due course, and so far, we know the new model will be streamlined down to three maturity levels.
What else you should know about the CMMC
Since we have already covered what the CMMC is, here are some quickfire questions that outline the basics.
Why the change?
The goal is to enhance intellectual property protection and sensitive information across the DoD’s supply chain. The CMMC also helps ensure accountability and foster a collaborative culture of cyber resilience.
Who does it impact?
It impacts any organization that provides goods or services to the DoD.
When does it come into play?
It will be implemented on October 1, 2025, when CMMC will become a contractual requirement and a condition for working with the DoD.
Why this Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification news matters?
For organizations that have existing partnerships with the DoD, or have plans to partner with the DoD in the future, it’s essential to upgrade cybersecurity defenses and practices to comply with the new requirements.
The threat posed by cybercrime is not going away anytime soon. And if you are not one of these businesses, it can still be helpful to compare your cybersecurity setup with the standards set by the CMMC. Additionally, similar certifications may be established in other industries in the future—including yours. So, it should go without saying that aspiring to meet the latest cybersecurity standards is a good idea for any business in any industry.
CMMC compliance with Microsoft security
Microsoft customers are well-positioned to meet the requirements set by the CMMC. Microsoft has a solid, long-standing reputation for world-class security. And in the era of the cloud, Microsoft has led the way in providing robust cybersecurity features built into its cloud products, including:
- Microsoft 365
- Azure
- Microsoft Dynamics 365
- Power Platform
As such, Microsoft has outlined its own CMMC product roadmap for the enhanced certification. And it’s definitely worth taking a look at, as it showcases how Microsoft cloud security can help organizations meet the requirements of the CMMC’s different maturity levels.
CMMC Services
As always, MessageOps is here to help. Our cybersecurity experts can help you understand how the changes to the CMMC relate to your business and find capabilities across Microsoft 365 and Azure that map to your target CMMC maturity level as well as your organizational requirements. We work closely with our clients to pinpoint how their unique business requirements fit productively with wider security standards—including the CMMC. We also know that every business is different. If you have questions about the new CMMC compliance standards, we can address them and work out the best plan for your organization.
CMMC MICROSOFT 365 SECURITY SOLUTION ALIGNMENT WORKSHOP (SAW) AND COMPLIANCE PLANNING
Our Solution Alignment Workshop will help ensure that your Microsoft 365 design and migration approach aligns with your organization’s business and compliance requirements. This includes planning for the CMMC five-level cybersecurity certification ranging from “Basic Cybersecurity Hygiene” to “Advanced/Progressive.”
- Identify project goals and objectives related to your business, security, legal, compliance and regulatory
- Conduct Microsoft 365 Security Solution Alignment Workshop
- Review Microsoft Compliance Manager and its ability to manage CMMC controls
- Review the estimated controls relating to CMMC Level 3 and Microsoft 365
- Review CIS Microsoft 365 benchmarks and how they can help secure a Microsoft 365 tenant
- Create Microsoft 365 CMMC recommendations for Microsoft 365 Compliance document including: – Findings and Recommendation Report – Microsoft 365 Implementation Plan – Microsoft 365 Technical Design – Microsoft 365 Security Hardening Framework
As a leading and experienced Microsoft partner, we’ve got the support and tools you need to boost your cybersecurity setup—whether that is because you need to achieve CMMC compliance or because you want to stay one step ahead of the cyber threat.
To learn more about how we can help you with CMMC or our other security services, get in touch with our team today.
Get our updates straight to your inbox!
Sign up for our email updates to make sure you don't miss any of our new content.
