Everything You Need to Know About Getting a CMM Certification
What is Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification & how do you get certified?
This article tells you everything you need to know!
For almost every business in the world today, cybersecurity has become the number one priority.
Contractors that deal with cybersecurity are in high demand and need to follow strict sets of certifications and guidelines.
The recent release of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification by the Department of Defense has added an interesting dynamic to the cybersecurity race.
These guidelines and certification will reshape the way that many do cybersecurity, so to stay ahead you need to stay informed. Let’s dive into the details.
What is Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification?
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification is a unification of standards for cybersecurity implementation.
This covers the over 300,000 businesses in the defense industrial base.
There are many layers to DoD cybersecurity.
This new certification will be a benchmark standard for dealing with DoD cybersecurity contracts going forward. What do you need to do to prepare?
CMM Certification: Preparations and Compliance
The announcement of the CMMC has only come in the past few months.
As more and more details come out on the subject, the first and foremost move for anyone dealing in DoD contracts should be to read up on any requirements for the CMMC.
This certification will also pertain to anyone on the supply chain of these standards. This can even include foreign companies looking to interact with DoD security measures.
Compliance for this certification will likely start off in June of 2020, with a more solidified requirement settling in around September of 2020.
The framework of the CMMC will include various levels to allow for business to adapt to their own structure. This alleviates the intensity of such a heavy requirement.
The CMMC Framework
The framework of the CMMC shifts into 5 different levels, each ranking the level of potential security clearance and requirements needed.
Each higher rank builds upon the duties and requirements of the last.
Level 1
This level is basic security hygiene. This means that the barest minimum of tasks, including anti-virus software and frequent changing of passwords.
This level gains access to Federal Contract Information, which is government information not made for the public, but not classified.
Level 2
This increases the standards of cybersecurity to that of the US Department of Commerce’s NIST level.
This gives an intermediate level of security clearance for information that bears a requirement to safeguard from broad public knowledge.
Level 3
This level puts a small increase of standards onto the previous level, requiring an institutionalized management plan regarding their cybersecurity standards.
At this level, cybersecurity becomes a strong foundation in the business.
Level 4
At level 4, the security levels start to gain requirements for routine reevaluations.
Tests for the overall effectiveness of security will become a part of the system, with each test tweaking the methods of cybersecurity.
This is where certain classified information may become available, depending on the strength of the reevaluations.
Level 5
At the highest level, a company will need to integrate the highest and most optimized industry practices into its entire structure.
This will require high amounts of reevaluations, many levels of clearance and security checks, and consistency.
The ability to adapt and respond to fast security threats will be the biggest note of this level.
CMM Certification: Keeping up With Business Requirements
With a better understanding of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification and its requirements, you can prepare for the needs of future DoD contracts.
There are no exceptions, this is the path to the future.
DoD requirements aren’t the only item that businesses need to keep in mind, though.
New technologies and business frameworks are everywhere.
Keep up with the news with more of our other articles!
