As the CMMC framework becomes the law of the land for all organizations handling federal contract information (FCI) and/or controlled unclassified information (CUI), many contractors are still trying to get their virtual arms around things like timelines to compliance and costs. Perhaps most importantly, many are grappling with how to get from Point A (current status) to Point B (compliance) with the least possible disruption to daily activities.
If that describes your organization, you should know about lean enclaves, a path to CMMC compliance that can reduce time, costs, and disruption to your operations.
First, a look at the vocabulary: In IT terms, “lean” very simply means minimizing waste and maximizing value. An enclave, in geographical terms, is a territory entirely surrounded by one other entity (think Vatican City). Taken together, you start to get a better idea of the principles of a lean enclave in the CMMC universe, which isolates critical data.
Building a lean enclave starts with scoping the project. That means identifying where FCI/CUI lives in your environment, how it’s stored and transferred, and who has access to it. Instead of bringing an entire organization into the project scope (which may carry a price tag of $200k or more for Level 2 compliance), you isolate and address only the affected pieces of the puzzle.
Beyond those upfront cost savings, fewer resources are needed for ongoing monitoring and assessments. And a lean enclave often results in an even stronger security profile, because sensitive data is being isolated, and access to it better controlled.
The ultimate goal is to meet CMMC requirements without major disruption to the way your business works, because you have things to do besides achieving compliance. This is where having a true IT partner makes a huge difference. Yes, there are so-called “CMMC-in-a-box” SaaS products, but they often force companies to change how they operate in order to fit the requirements of the software tool.
We believe that should work the other way around, so if you find yourself having to change the way you do business in pursuit of CMMC, give us a call.
Questions about lean enclaves and CMMC compliance? Contact Hill Tech Solutions.
