Federal Compliance Frameworks
Compliance advisory and audit preparation for federal subcontractors. Our engagements focus on NIST 800-171 and CMMC readiness that withstands third-party assessment.
NIST 800-171 & CMMC
Federal subcontractors handling CUI must demonstrate compliance with all 110 security requirements. Contract eligibility depends on defensible implementation.
Defense Industrial Base Compliance
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) establishes mandatory compliance requirements for federal subcontractors. Organizations that cannot demonstrate NIST 800-171 compliance face contract disqualification and loss of federal revenue.
Our advisory engagements focus on gap remediation, control effectiveness, and audit preparation. We translate regulatory requirements into defensible technical controls and organize the evidence required for C3PAO assessment.
Advisory Services:
- Gap Analysis & Remediation Planning
- System Security Plan (SSP) Development
- Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M)
- Control Implementation Oversight
- Evidence Validation & Organization
- C3PAO Assessment Preparation
CMMC Certification Levels
Understanding which level applies to your contracts determines the scope and urgency of compliance requirements.
Level 1
FoundationalSelf-assessment for contracts involving Federal Contract Information (FCI). Requires implementation of 17 basic security practices from FAR 52.204-21.
Level 2
AdvancedThird-party assessment required for contracts involving Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Must demonstrate implementation of all 110 NIST 800-171 requirements.
Level 3
ExpertGovernment-led assessment for high-priority programs requiring advanced and progressive cybersecurity practices. Builds on Level 2 with additional requirements.
Zero Trust Architecture
Identity-centric security model that assumes breach and validates every access request regardless of location.
Identity-Centric Security
Zero Trust Architecture eliminates implicit trust and requires continuous validation of every user, device, and application attempting to access resources. This model aligns with federal security frameworks and supports NIST 800-171 compliance through defense-in-depth principles.
Core Principles:
- Verify Explicitly: Authenticate and authorize based on all available data points including identity, location, device health, and risk assessment.
- Least Privilege Access: Limit user access with just-in-time and just-enough-access (JIT/JEA) policies to minimize exposure.
- Assume Breach: Minimize blast radius and segment access. Verify end-to-end encryption and use analytics to detect threats.
Our Compliance Advisory Approach
Systematic methodology for achieving and maintaining defensible NIST 800-171 compliance.
Gap Analysis
Systematic evaluation of current security posture against all 110 NIST 800-171 requirements with prioritized remediation roadmap.
Control Implementation
Executive oversight of security control implementation with validation that technical controls satisfy regulatory intent.
Evidence Organization
Structured collection and validation of evidence demonstrating control effectiveness and supporting audit readiness.
Assessment Preparation
Comprehensive preparation for C3PAO assessment including practice assessments and validation under assessment conditions.