The Risks of Not Using a CMMC RPO for Compliance and Certification Readiness

The Risks of Not Using a CMMC RPO for Compliance

Now that the DoD has released the CMMC Final Rule and the deadline for organizations within the defense industrial base (DIB) to comply is fast approaching, these organizations find themselves faced with the overwhelming task of achieving compliance, or risk losing lucrative defense contracts. The good news is that you do not have to go through this process alone, as you can partner with third-party companies such as Registered Provider Organizations (RPOs) to assist you in achieving and maintaining compliance. Yet, you may find yourself wondering if this is really necessary, or if you can go through the compliance process alone.

While there is no requirement to work with an RPO when achieving CMMC compliance, it is highly recommended, as a CMMC RPO can be instrumental in helping organizations prepare for certification and avoiding compliance failures. The fact is that trying to navigate CMMC compliance alone is risky, as it can lead to delays, costly mistakes, and even lost contracts. If you handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) for the DoD and are in the CMMC certification process, keep reading to learn why working with an RPO is essential for achieving CMMC compliance.

What is an RPO?

Of course, if you’ve not previously worked with one, the first question you may find yourself asking is what a Registered Provider Organization does. An RPO is a company that is authorized by the CMMC Accreditation Body (The Cyber-AB) to provide pre-assessment consulting services to organizations within the DIB seeking CMMC certification. RPOs then play a valuable role by helping organizations achieve CMMC compliance, and by ensuring that they are prepared for assessment by a C3PAO. To do this, an RPO will provide an Organization Seeking Certification (OSC) with a range of services to help improve their compliance posture such as performing gap analyses, identifying cybersecurity practices that need changing/implementing, and developing policies, procedures, and technical controls to help them achieve CMMC compliance. RPOs then provide the vital support OSCs need to prepare their networks and employees to meet CMMC guidelines.

What Services Does a CMMC RPO Provide?

Registered Provider Organizations have a deep understanding of the CMMC framework and what organizations need to do to achieve compliance. RPOs then use this knowledge to provide a wide range of consulting services to help their clients navigate the complex CMMC certification process including:

• Advisory Services: The CMMC framework can be confusing for many organizations, making advisory services one of the most valuable services an RPO provides. Having expert knowledge of CMMC, an RPO can help explain what the CMMC certification process involves, how the security controls work, and what needs to be done to achieve compliance.

• Pre-Assessment Services: To prepare an OSC for CMMC certification, an RPO will first provide a wide range of pre-assessment services meant to evaluate their current cybersecurity practices and their use of CUI. This will include performing a risk assessment and a gap analysis to identify current vulnerabilities in the OSC’s cybersecurity posture and the steps that they need to take to achieve compliance.

• CMMC Planning: Once the RPO has a better understanding of the OSC’s security weaknesses and compliance gaps, their next step will be to craft a plan to cure these vulnerabilities and bring their systems in compliance with CMMC and NIST 800-171 controls.

• CMMC Implementation: Next, the RPO will start the process of implementing new security practices, policies, and software to ensure alignment with CMMC security controls. This includes implementing various tools and configurations to ensure the organization meets CMMC standards and is ready for assessment by a C3PAO.

• Continuous Monitoring and Improvement: Even after CMMC compliance is achieved and a C3PAO performs a formal CMMC assessment, the RPO’s job isn’t done. Many RPOs will continue to provide monitoring and improvement services meant to test the OSC’s cybersecurity practices for weaknesses and ensure that security controls are up-to-date, and their systems are still CMMC compliant.

The Risks of Not Using a CMMC RPO for CMMC Compliance

As you can see, RPOs provide a wide range of valuable services that can help organizations achieve CMMC compliance with minimal hassle. While OSCs are not required by the DoD to partner with an RPO, and CMMC compliance can be achieved independently, doing so is extremely risky. Unless you have an in-depth knowledge of the CMMC certification process and what it takes to achieve and maintain compliance, attempting to navigate the compliance process alone can prove challenging, and you may even make costly mistakes along the way. Just a few of the risks of not using a CMMC RPO for CMMC compliance include:

Higher Risk of Failing a CMMC Assessment

Achieving CMMC compliance requires an in-depth knowledge of federal cybersecurity regulations and NIST 800-171 controls. If you attempt to go through the CMMC certification process without the expert guidance of an RPO, you may overlook critical security gaps. Not only could this cause you to fail your CMMC assessment, but failure to meet NIST 800-171 requirements could also cause you to lose contract eligibility. Working with an RPO is then essential if you want to maintain your government contracts, as they have ample experience helping organizations like yours achieve CMMC compliance. They’ll know exactly what it takes to prepare your organization for CMMC, and they’ll know where to look for network vulnerabilities and gaps in your cybersecurity posture.

Increased Compliance Costs Due to Remediation

While achieving CMMC compliance can be a long and potentially costly process, insufficient pre-assessment preparation can be even more costly in the long run. If you do not work with an RPO, and do not conduct proper preparation for your CMMC assessment, you may not meet the required assessment objectives. Failing to meet these objectives, can cause you to fail your C3PAO assessment, which is necessary for CMMC compliance. Unfortunately, a failed assessment can be expensive, as you’ll have to spend more money on fixes and reassessment, and you may lose out on business opportunities in the meantime. Working with an RPO from the onset can then save you time and money, as they will perform thorough evaluations to ensure you’re ready when your assessment day arrives.

Unclear Compliance Roadmap and Slow Preparation

Without an RPO, companies may be unsure where to start their CMMC journey, and they may struggle to prioritize security improvements. This can slow down their compliance journey as they try to navigate a complex maze of security requirements, taking away resources from their core business. Working with an RPO is then essential as they have the knowledge, experience, and resources to streamline the compliance process, reducing delays and inefficiencies. They can quickly create the most efficient roadmap to help you achieve CMMC compliance.

Lack of Proper Documentation for CMMC Certification

In addition to requiring the implementation of complex security controls, the CMMC certification process also requires OSCs to complete a variety of documents including System Security Plans (SSPs) and Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms). If you’re missing a document, or a document is incomplete, this could lead to audit failures. Partnering with an RPO can then provide peace of mind, as they will handle all the complex paperwork, ensuring you’re ready for certification.

Increased Security Vulnerabilities

Organizations without an experienced RPO by their side may lack robust security policies and training, which could put their Controlled Unclassified Information at risk. Without the proper security protocols in place, your company remains vulnerable to a cyber attack. Unfortunately, a data breach can be devastating for a DoD contractor, resulting in financial losses from remediation efforts, legal fees, reputational damage, and lost contracts. Partnering with an RPO can then provide your organization with much-needed peace of mind, as you’ll have an experienced team by your side working to enhance your cybersecurity posture.

Why Using a CMMC RPO is a Best Practice for CMMC Readiness

For organizations within the Defense Industrial Base looking to achieve and maintain CMMC compliance, the importance of having a qualified RPO by your side cannot be understated. An RPO can play a critical role in your compliance journey by helping streamline the CMMC certification process, enhancing your digital security, and improving productivity. When you work with an RPO, you will be provided with a structured compliance roadmap you can trust to prepare you for CMMC certification. Your RPO will do much of the heavy lifting for you, ensuring that security controls are implemented correctly before an audit and reducing your risk of failing a C3PAO assessment. This can provide you with the confidence of knowing that you will be able to maintain your DoD contract eligibility.

Need Help with CMMC compliance? Work with Agile IT’s CMMC RPO Services Today

The CMMC compliance journey can be complicated and going it alone can leave you vulnerable to making costly mistakes. To ensure the compliance process goes as smoothly as possible, it is then critical that you partner with an experienced CMMC RPO who can guide you through this process.

If you’re interested in learning how an RPO can reduce your burden by helping you achieve and maintain CMMC compliance, consider contacting Agile IT today. We have ample experience guiding OSCs through the CMMC certification process, and we can take a significant load off your shoulders by helping you secure your CUI and bring your organization in alignment with the security controls outlined in CMMC 2.0.