The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a new framework that aims to better secure federal contract information (FCI) and controlled unclassified information (CUI) that is stored, processed, or transmitted by defense contractors and the entire defense industrial base (DIB).

Published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), NIST SP 800-171 is a standard created to help organizations protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) from unauthorized access or disclosure.

Did you know? The Council of Economic Advisors estimates that malicious cyber activity cost the U.S. economy between $57 billion and $109 billion in 2016. And unfortunately, in the years since, cybercrime has only become worse. (The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that the total global cost of cybercrime was as high as $600 billion in 2017.)

If you’ve never seen Man vs. Wild, it’s a television show featuring famed adventurer Bear Grylls who, in every episode, is stranded in mostly wild terrains with his film crew. His task is to get back to civilization successfully, and he showcases different survival skills during those journeys.

The Belgian writer and painter Erik Pevernagie once said that “without a clear-cut vision and a proper reading of the roadmap we may not reach the buoyant shores of the horizon.”

What It Means for the Present & the Future

Schellman becomes the first compliance services firm authorized by the CMMC AB and the 5th C3PAO Overall October 19, 2021 (Tampa, FL) – Schellman is pleased to announce that we are now an authorized Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Third Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO). Overseen by the Department of Defense (DoD) alongside the CMMC Accreditation Body (CMMC AB), the CMMC program is designed to enforce consistent cybersecurity practices across the hundreds of thousands of defense contractors that participate in and make up the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). A group that now includes Schellman, C3PAOs are the independent assessment organizations that work alongside advisory and training providers to improve cybersecurity practices and protect the sensitive information maintained by the DIB participants.