Compliance/November 12, 2025
FCI vs CUI: Which Type of Data Are You Handling?
FCI or CUI decides your CMMC level. The difference in plain English, how to read your contract clauses, and what each one still requires in 2026.
Category
Compliance
CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, DFARS and the obligations that come with them.
Compliance/September 2, 2025
When You Can Stop at CMMC Level 1
Handling FCI without touching CUI keeps you at Level 1. How to know that is genuinely true, and how to keep it true as contracts change.
Compliance/August 14, 2025
Your SSP and POA&M: What Assessors Want
The SSP is the document everything else hangs off, and most are a template with a company name in it. What assessors actually read, and what fails.
Compliance/August 5, 2025
How CMMC Level 1 Self-Attestation Works
Self attestation means a senior company official signs that 15 requirements are met. What that signature carries, what to keep, and the False Claims Act risk.
Compliance/July 22, 2025
The 15 CMMC Level 1 Requirements in Plain English
Level 1 covers 15 basic safeguarding requirements from FAR 52.204-21. What each one actually asks for, and the ones companies get wrong.
Compliance/July 15, 2025
Level 1 or Level 2? How to Tell Which You Need
Your CMMC level is set by the data you handle and the clauses in your contract. How to read them, plus what changed for Level 2 after the 2026 suspension.
Compliance/July 8, 2025
Do I Need CMMC? A Checklist for Subcontractors
Five questions that tell you whether CMMC applies to your company, which level, and what to do if your prime has not told you what data you handle.
Compliance/June 24, 2025
NIST 800-171 and CMMC Level 2: How Controls Map
CMMC Level 2 is NIST SP 800-171 with an assessment process attached. How the 110 practices map, how SPRS scoring works, and where the two differ.
Compliance/June 10, 2025
What Is CMMC? A Plain English Guide
CMMC in plain language, updated for the July 2026 Phase 2 suspension. What the levels mean, what is paused, and what defense contractors still owe today.
Compliance/May 27, 2025
RP, RPO and C3PAO: The CMMC Ecosystem
Who does what in the CMMC ecosystem, why the roles are separated, and what the July 2026 suspension did to the assessment side of it.
Compliance/May 13, 2025
What to Expect From a CMMC Gap Assessment
What actually happens during a gap assessment, how long it takes, what you need to have ready, and what you should receive at the end of it.
Compliance/April 29, 2025
What Happens After Your CMMC Gap Assessment
A gap assessment tells you where you stand. Turning that into compliance is the harder part. A realistic roadmap for the twelve months that follow.
Compliance/April 15, 2025
How Long Does CMMC Prep Take?
A realistic timeline for Level 1 and Level 2 preparation, what drives the variance, and how the July 2026 suspension changes the planning picture.
Compliance/April 1, 2025
Choosing a CMMC Advisory Partner
Questions worth asking before you hire CMMC help, including the ones that separate a real advisor from a template vendor, and what the suspension revealed.
Working on this yourself?
Bring what you have. It is a faster start than beginning from nothing.