If your business handles contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), understanding and complying with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) will no longer be optional but essential. As of August 25, 2025, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) cleared the Defense Department rule in Title 48 of the CFR, and being unprepared could mean losing out on valuable defense contracts and revenue.
What is CMMC?
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a program developed by the DoD to certify an organization’s adherence to required cybersecurity practices across the defense industrial base (DIB). Its goal is to ensure that all contractors properly safeguard Federal Contract Information (FCI) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
CMMC simplifies this safeguarding into three tiers:
- Level 1: Foundational – Basic safeguarding of FCI (self-assessed annually)
- Level 2: Advanced – Protection of CUI (requires self- or third-party assessments every three years)
- Level 3: Expert – For critical programs (government-led assessments)
Source: https://dodcio.defense.gov/cmmc/About
Why CMMC matters in 2025?
The DoD is moving to fully integrate CMMC requirements into new contracts. On August 25, 2025, the OIRA cleared the last major regulatory hurdle for CMMC by passing the final 48 CFR rule.
Next, the rule will be published in the Federal Register. This will take between 1 to 3 weeks.
Once published in the Federal Register, it will take between 1 and 60 days for the rule to be effective.
If you haven’t already begun considering the implications of compliance for your business, now is the time.
Ultimately, failing to meet the required level of certification will disqualify contractors from being awarded or renewing contracts that involve FCI or CUI. Small to midsize businesses are especially at risk if they underestimate the time, cost, or complexity of achieving compliance.
What this means for your business
The inherent complexities, nuances and lack of clear communication from the DoD and related government regulatory bodies can make the reality of CMMC a daunting task. Many businesses begin their CMMC journey by addressing basic questions such as:
- What FCI/CUI do I currently have / will I potentially be working with?
- What gaps exist in our current cybersecurity posture?
- How long it will take us, and how much will it cost to achieve compliance?
While these are important questions to address, they should be part of an overarching strategy that positions CMMC compliance as a complementary piece of your information security puzzle. After all, there is nothing more valuable to your business than the information that enables you to profitably operate. Aligning your CMMC journey to your business goals allows your organization to address gaps systematically and avoid a last-minute scramble as CMMC enforcement ramps up.
This overarching strategy is the essence of how Isidore operates – helping your business achieve cost-effective, value-added compliance. Don’t wait – start preparing now!
The clock is ticking. Many organizations are asking these very questions – questions that our low-cost Discovery & Investigation (D&I) model is designed to address by collaborating with you to rapidly gauge your compliance maturity and recommend a customized remediation plan. Starting now gives you the answers and strategic advantage you need to improve your information security as a critical enabler of CMMC compliance.
Have questions? Want to speak to someone? Reach out to us now!