CMMC 2.0
Third-party-verified certification for contractors handling Federal Contract Information or Controlled Unclassified Information, with Level 2 requiring a C3PAO assessment against NIST 800-171.
CMMC and NIST 800-171
Compliance for DoD Contractors
Doing business with the Department of Defense (DoD) means proving your security program to a standard most industries never have to meet, and the Defense Industrial Base has become one of the most consistently targeted sectors by nation-state actors. SideChannel combines vCISO leadership with Enclave, our zero-trust platform, giving DoD contractors the strategy and the infrastructure to protect Controlled Unclassified Information, meet CMMC and NIST 800-171 requirements, and win contracts that require them.
Nation-State Actors Are Actively Targeting the Defense Industrial Base
Nation-state actors target the Defense Industrial Base because contractors hold the same Controlled Unclassified Information the Department of Defense is protecting, often with fewer resources to defend it than the primes and agencies they support.
Espionage-motivated breaches almost tripled industry-wide, a 163% increase driven largely by geopolitical tensions and state-sponsored campaigns (Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report), and the DIB sits squarely inside that trend.
In practical terms, a contractor has to meet a fixed set of federal security controls and report a score that proves it, and contracting officers can see that score when they decide who wins the work. SideChannel raises and defends that score for you, pairing a vCISO who owns the 800-171 and CMMC program with Enclave to enforce the controls behind it.
Enclave and Fractional Security Services
for the Defense Industrial Base
SideChannel is a CMMC Registered Provider Organization (RPO) with trained CMMC Registered Practitioners, paired with Enclave's platform a CMMC program depends on.
Building a CMMC-Scoped Enclave for CUI
CMMC and NIST 800-171 call this kind of segmented boundary, one that isolates the systems handling CUI, an ‘enclave.’ It’s also where our platform gets its name. Enclave’s network segmentation builds that boundary for you: isolating CUI-handling systems from the rest of the network, reducing what falls inside assessment scope, and cutting cost, complexity, and audit surface along with it.
CUI Boundary
Asset Visibility and Certificate Management for SPRS and POA&M Evidence
An SPRS score and a Plan of Action and Milestones are only as credible as the asset inventory behind them, and a spreadsheet nobody trusts by audit time is one of the most common gaps a C3PAO assessor finds. Enclave’s asset intelligence keeps a live, accurate inventory of every system in scope, and automated certificate lifecycle management keeps CUI encrypted in transit without a manual renewal process to fall behind on. When the assessor asks for your inventory, the evidence behind your score is already there.
38Systems in scope
110Controls mapped
0Stale entries
| Asset | Last seen | TLS |
|---|---|---|
| cad-01.cui.local | just now | Valid |
| fs-cui.cui.local | 1 min ago | Valid |
| ws-eng-114 | 3 min ago | Valid |
Assets in Scope
Building and Running a CMMC / NIST 800-171 Compliance Program
A vCISO drives the compliance program end to end: gap analysis against NIST 800-171, System Security Plan development, POA&M management, SPRS scoring, and coordination with your C3PAO through certification. That program runs on SideChannel’s own CMMC RPO status and includes a CUI-specific incident response plan, tested in an executive tabletop.
System Security Plan
v3 drafted · review with primesOn track
v3 drafted · review with primesOn track
SPRS score: 88 → 104
POA&M: 6 items openImproving
POA&M: 6 items openImproving
C3PAO assessment
scheduled Q3 · tabletop completeQ3
scheduled Q3 · tabletop completeQ3
CMMC Program
Aligned to the Standards DoD Contracts Require
NIST 800-171 / DFARS 252.204-7012
The 110-control baseline for protecting CUI on contractor systems, required by DFARS clause on nearly every current DoD contract, and the basis for your SPRS score.
NIST 800-53
The broader federal control catalog used for higher-scope contractors, cloud service providers pursuing FedRAMP, and organizations operating under federal information system requirements.
When a vCISO identifies a scoping or control gap during a NIST 800-171 assessment, Enclave closes it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CMMC and who needs to comply?
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a Department of Defense program requiring contractors and subcontractors that handle Federal Contract Information (FCI) or Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) to certify their security controls at the level appropriate to the information they handle. It applies across the Defense Industrial Base, from small subcontractors to large primes.
What's the difference between CMMC Level 1 and Level 2?
CMMC Level 1 applies to contractors handling only FCI and requires a self-assessment against 17 basic safeguarding practices. CMMC Level 2 applies to contractors handling CUI and requires a third-party assessment by a C3PAO against the 110 controls in NIST 800-171, a significantly higher bar.
How does network segmentation reduce CMMC assessment scope?
CMMC and NIST 800-171 both allow contractors to limit assessment scope to the systems that actually handle CUI, provided those systems are properly isolated in a segmented enclave. Enclave's network segmentation builds that boundary, which means fewer systems fall under assessment, lowering both cost and audit complexity without expanding the systems that need to be secured.
What is an SPRS score and how is it calculated?
The Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) score is a self-reported score, from 110 down to negative values, reflecting how many of the 110 NIST 800-171 controls a contractor has implemented. DFARS 252.204-7019 and 7020 requires an SPRS score on file for DoD contracts, and a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) documents the path to closing whatever isn't yet implemented.
Why is the Defense Industrial Base a high-value target for nation-state actors?
DIB contractors hold the same Controlled Unclassified Information the Department of Defense is protecting, often with smaller security budgets than the primes and agencies they support, making them an efficient path for espionage-motivated actors. Espionage-motivated breaches increased 163% industry-wide in the most recent reporting period (Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report), driven substantially by state-sponsored activity targeting exactly this kind of supply-chain access.
Protect CUI with Security Leadership and our Enclave Platform Built for the Defense Industrial Base
The Strategy and the Infrastructure, From the Same Team. Find out how a vCISO and Enclave can help your organization meet CMMC and NIST 800-171 requirements and build the enclave a C3PAO assessment expects to find. No matter where your program is today, SideChannel meets you there.