CMMC Auditor Washington DC

Since NIST has begun rolling out the new DoD-designed CMMC for current and prospective DoD contractors, the expectations for how secure your cybersecurity measures must be have skyrocketed. CMMC auditors are in charge of assessing your Washington DC organization, ensuring it’s compliant with stricter, more comprehensive standards than the NIST 800-171, CMMC’s predecessor. Removing the contractor’s obligation for performing their own self-assessment for the DoD has put sudden urgency on the need to update, improve, and optimize cybersecurity policies, practices, technologies, and protective measures for handling CUI.

Not every contractor needs CMMC right now, but as it continues to roll out over the course of the next year, every company looking to bid on government contracts will need this certification. Ensuring you get your CMMC early is imperative for securing favorable positions with the DoD. Domain Technology Group puts an emphasis on building comprehensive cybersecurity infrastructure, and our extensive history with NIST frameworks provides us with valuable insights into how your company can prepare for its audit.

CMMC Auditor Washington DC

What to Expect from Your CMMC Auditor

Considering the massive amount of companies vying for defense contracts, the number of CMMC auditors required to assess them all is fairly sizable. CMMC rollout is gradual for the moment, but as more auditors are hired, the speed at which CMMCs will be issued or denied will increase. The pool of assessors may be small now, but it won’t be that way for long.

While auditors will measure, examine, and categorize your cybersecurity measures through the most comprehensive, strictest standards yet required for DoD contracts, the final verdict comes down to their perception of your company’s security maturity. Depending on the CMMC level you’re applying for, you must be able to prove that your company is capable of handling DIB system information and effectively rendering organizational security, management, and protections for sensitive data.

CMMC auditors are third-party individuals tasked with providing a holistic, objective perspective on the state of your cybersecurity maturity. It’s essential that they’re provided a transparent image of what your company is doing to maintain continual improvement to your security and protective measures, as well as your capability to uphold a high level of standard for functional processes within your organization.

The 17 capability domains that your auditor will use to determine whether you receive your CMMC include:

  • Asset Control (AC)
  • Asset Management (AM)
  • Audit and Accountability (AU)
  • Awareness and Training (AT)
  • Configuration Management (CM)
  • Identification and Authentication (IA)
  • Incident Response (IR)
  • Maintenance (MA)
  • Media Protection (MP)
  • Personal Security (PS)
  • Physical Protection (PE)
  • Recovery (RE)
  • Risk Management (RM)
  • Security Assessment (CA)
  • Situational Awareness (SA)
  • Systems and Communications Protection (SC)
  • System and Information Integrity (SI)

The previous framework, NIST 800-171, only had 14 domains to comply with. With the addition of three new categories, as well as an increased level of standard required to fulfill the DoD’s expectations of a recognized contractor, effectively preparing for your audit takes time, hard work, and a thorough understanding of what’s expected of your organization done well in advance of the assessment.

Domain Technology Group can provide the expertise and professional guidance needed to ensure your company impresses your CMMC auditor in Washington DC. Living up to the sudden increase is cybersecurity measures will be challenging, but the end result will be a stronger, safer, and more responsible company. If you’re interested in a partnership, visit our contact page so we can get started.