CMMC ENCLAVE
A CMMC enclave is a dedicated, segmented environment for storing, processing, and protecting Controlled Unclassified Information. By isolating CUI from your broader infrastructure, your organization reduces its compliance scope, simplifies audits, and improves security without applying CMMC requirements where they don’t need to be.
The strategy session is where that gets sorted out.
110
NIST 800-11 controls across 14 control families
CCA-led
Implementation by credentialed assessors
Nov 2026
C3PAO certification required for applicable contracts
RPO
Cerification Cycle- with annual affirmation required
Reduce Compliance Scope
Minimize the number of systems under assessment by isolating CUI.
Strengthen Data Protection
Enforce access control, encryption, and monitoring within a secure zone.
Save on Compliance Costs
Benefit from custom solutions that drive efficiency and eliminate potential roadblocks.
Enclaves can be virtual, physical, or hybrid depending on your business needs and IT maturity. The right structure depends on how CUI moves through your organization and where it lives. Segmenting those systems streamlines readiness for audits by creating a clearly defined, defensible compliance boundary.
Organizations typically handle enclave users one of two ways. Some maintain two accounts per user — a standard account for general work and a separate enclave account for CUI handling. Others migrate those users fully into the enclave, making it their only account. The right approach depends on how CUI flows through the organization and how many users are involved.
Because licensing requirements and platform configurations change regularly, the AOS-G partner you work with needs to stay current on what works and have the tenured experience to configure it correctly.
Few partners have that depth. Fewer still have built the volume of GCC High environments we have.
STEP 1 0F 5
Discovery and Planning
Identify where CUI lives, how it moves, and who touches it. Define the enclave boundary before any build work begins.
STEP 2 0F 5
Design
Segment the network and select the right technology for your environment. Virtual, physical, or hybrid — the architecture gets decided here.
STEP 3 0F 5
Deployment
Build systems and apply the controls required for your compliance scope. Every configuration decision is made against CMMC requirements.
STEP 4 0F 5
Validation
Test the configuration against the defined boundary. Identify and resolve gaps before assessment.
STEP 0F 5
Operations
Monitor the environment, train users, and maintain controls over time. The enclave has to hold up after it’s built, not just at go-live. Ongoing evidence of compliance has to be collected continuously, and organizations are required to re-assess annually. Certification is the first step, not the finish line.
Good Fit If:
Not Ideal If:
Improved Security Posture and Risk Management
Isolating CUI within a defined boundary reduces your organization’s attack surface and limits exposure in the event of a breach.
Increased Trust and Reputation With DoD Partners
DoD requires CMMC Level 2 certification before awarding applicable contracts. An enclave reduces the scope of what needs to be certified, making the path to that certification more manageable.
Competitive Advantage for Defense Contracts
The competitive advantage comes from holding CMMC Level 2 certification, not the enclave itself. An enclave using GCC High covers a significant portion of the technical controls and reduces what assessors need to review, making certification more achievable and less costly to pursue.
AgileThrive is Agile IT’s CMMC compliance management offering — designed to help defense contractors keep their contracts, secure new bids, and stay focused on their core business while maintaining a compliant environment.
Before the build begins, the boundary has to be defined. The strategy session is a working conversation about your environment, where CUI lives, and what the right enclave structure looks like for your specific situation.
Tell us where you are and what you’re working toward.
A CMMC enclave is a segmented IT environment used specifically for handling Controlled Unclassified Information. Instead of applying CMMC requirements to your entire infrastructure, an enclave limits the compliance boundary, making it faster, cheaper, and easier to meet CMMC 2.0 standards.
No, an enclave isn’t required, but it’s often the most efficient and cost-effective approach for organizations that only handle CUI in specific roles or departments. By using an enclave, you reduce the number of systems and users in scope for your audit.
Yes. CMMC enclaves can be deployed on-premises, in a virtualized private cloud, or in a compliant public cloud environment such as Microsoft GCC High or Azure Government. The choice depends on your business needs and IT strategy.
The timeline depends on your current infrastructure, the complexity of your environment, and how much preparation has already been done. For many defense contractors, Agile IT can help plan, implement, and validate a CMMC enclave in a matter of weeks.
Our CMMC Enclave service includes:
Agile IT is a four-time Microsoft Partner of the Year, one of the original six authorized AOS-G partners, and a CMMC Registered Provider Organization (RPO). We’ve helped hundreds of organizations meet federal cybersecurity requirements by combining Microsoft cloud expertise with practical compliance strategies.
Costs vary depending on infrastructure size, licensing, and scope. Implementing a focused enclave is usually appreciably more affordable than applying CMMC controls across your entire network.
You come in with what you know about your environment. Agile IT brings the expertise to make sense of it.
