How Much Does It Cost to Achieve CMMC Compliance and Prepare for Certification?
CMMC compliance costs vary by level and organization size. Get a breakdown of certification expenses, hidden costs, and funding options for meeting CMMC requirements.
The world is a dangerous place, and that is particularly true when talking about the world of cybersecurity. No matter the size of the organization that you run, it is imperative that you take certain steps to ensure the security of every system that you operate. Among the things that you must do right away is take all necessary measures to reach CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) compliance. Doing so will put you in a better place with your security and allow you to rest a little easier knowing that you have done all that you can to keep your systems protected.
Knowing that this is the goal, the next big question that many security leaders have is how much CMMC compliance will ultimately cost. Budgeting sufficient resources for this is essential. Below, you will see a breakdown of potential costs for different levels of CMMC compliance that can be a useful guide as you get started.
Breakdown of Costs for CMMC Compliance
Much of the total cost of compliance depends on the level of security you wish to achieve. For example, here is what your costs might look like at different levels of CMMC compliance:
| CMMC Level and Assessment Type | Cost Category | Small Entities | Other Than Small Entities |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMMC Level 1: Self-Assessment | Assessment & Affirmation Cost (Annual) | $5,977 | $4,042 |
| CMMC Level 2: Self-Assessment | Assessment & Affirmation Cost (Total over 3 years) | $37,196 | $48,827 |
| CMMC Level 2: Certification Assessment (by C3PAO) | Assessment & Affirmation Cost (Total over 3 years) | $104,670 | $117,768 |
| Nonrecurring Engineering (NRE) Costs (One-time) | $2,700,000 | $21,100,000 | |
| Recurring Engineering (RE) Costs (Annual) | $490,000 | $4,120,000 | |
| CMMC Level 3: Certification Assessment (by DCMA DIBCAC) | Assessment & Affirmation Cost (Total over 3 years) | $10,933 | $41,050 |
| Potential Additional Cost (if applicable): Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) Closeout Cost | $1,869 | $3,394 |
The big differences in expected costs have to do with the fact that each level of CMMC compliance that you go up is a significant jump in the level of security that you can expect. That said, regardless of which level of security makes sense for your needs, there is no doubt that it is going to be an expense that you need to budget and prepare for.
Budgeting for a CMMC Compliance Audit
Creating a budget for your CMMC compliance audit isn’t just about setting aside a little money to address the potential for an audit to come your way. Rather, you must be very intentional with how you create your budget and what kind of things you are preparing for.
Budgeting for a CMMC compliance audit can be broken down into two major phases:
- Preparation
- Audit and Certification
This is to say that you should have money set aside to prepare for the audit and money for the audit itself. The costs to prepare for the audit will depend on how far along you are in your compliance journey. For more, read our blog on the Real Cost of CMMC.
Some of the expenses connected to the preparation stage of this process include the following:
- Hiring Cybersecurity Consultants – There are professionals who work in the field who will gladly provide you with an assessment of your current state of affairs for a fee. It is their job to review your security situation as it stands right now and offer important insights about where you can improve. They can also point out any flaws that might be noticed by compliance auditors so that you can patch those before the audit occurs.
- Implementation of Security Tools – The other area where you are likely to spend money from your budget before the compliance audit takes place is on the security tools that you require. These are the tools needed to strengthen your cyber defenses and keep sensitive information safe and protected.
The other costs that you will incur revolve around the audit itself. It is necessary to pay the auditors for the work that they do. It is also necessary to spend money to fix any vulnerabilities that the auditors discover in the course of their work.
AgileThrive Jumpstart
Are you feeling a little nervous and overwhelmed about the prospect of a CMMC compliance audit? Perhaps you didn’t realize how much preparation was necessary, and now you are a little panicked that you have not placed yourself in a position to handle it all. Don’t worry, it is natural to feel like this as the process is a lot to handle. That is why we created AgileThrive Jumpstart to help people just like yourself out.
This program is meant to be used as an aid when preparing for CMMC compliance audits. We have specifically designed it to help you address areas that you might have otherwise struggled with.
A few things that you get with AgileThrive Jumpstart include:
- Personalized Compliance Documentation – Take a look at the compliance statistics and standards that are relevant to your specific enterprise. Review that information to see where you need to put some work in and where things are working just fine.
- Workshops – This program offers four workshops that are meant to be educational and assist you in your quest to handle compliance questions and concerns as they arise.
- Administrative Walkthrough – Use the administrative walkthrough session to best understand how to get the most value out of AgileThrive Jumpstart in the first place. Learn how to use all the various tools and features so that you can get the most out of it.
Hidden Costs to Watch Out for During CMMC Implementation
You can have the perfect budget laid out for your CMMC implementation plan and still forget about some of the hidden costs that might come along with it. Don’t put yourself in a position where you miss your budgetary targets simply because you had not thought about some of the under-the-radar costs associated with this.
Some of the costs you might not have considered include:
- Employee Training – Everyone needs to be on the same page for any cybersecurity project to work as designed. This means training employees about the various changes that you have made to ensure a safer and more secure system. That training comes with a cost, and you should include that in your budget when adding up the total cost of CMMC implementation.
- Compliance Maintenance Costs – Unfortunately, CMMC compliance is not a one-and-done project. You must continue to maintain your systems over time to maintain the level of security that you have built for yourself.
- Infrastructure Upgrades – As you prepare for your CMMC audit, you might discover that you need to upgrade some of the infrastructure that you have been using to keep your systems secure. If that is the case, then you need to toss those costs into the budget as well.
Don’t forget to give your budget some wiggle room to account for these costs and any other hidden costs that might not be at the top of your mind.
Grants and Funding Options for CMMC Compliance
Money is available for those who apply to help them reach CMMC compliance. It is in everyone’s best interest that as many organizations as possible have elite cybersecurity. As such, you might consider funding sources such as:
- Department of Defense (DoD) and Federal Grants – There is money available from the federal government for organizations to bolster their cybersecurity. After all, a cyberattack against a large organization could become a national security threat.
- State and Local Government Assistance – Small business owners may consider turning to their state and/or local governments for funding assistance for this project. Some localities offer that kind of funding.
- Cybersecurity Insurance – It can be helpful to hold cybersecurity insurance to defray some of the cost of your compliance upgrades.
Start Planning Your Budget Today
No matter how you slice it, achieving CMMC compliance can be costly and overwhelming—especially without the right plan. But it doesn’t have to be. AgileThrive Jumpstart simplifies the journey, turning compliance into a clear, manageable process.
Start today by understanding your budget and mapping your path to success. Reach out now, and let us provide the guidance, resources, and expertise you need to navigate CMMC confidently.
Contact us today and make compliance simpler.
