By Phillip Conrad, CCP, Lead CCA, & CMMC Consultant at Redspin
Introduction
The Department of Defense (DoD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program rule is now final and enforcement begins November 10th, 2025. Starting now, DoD contracts and solicitations will begin listing CMMC as a requirement. Many defense industrial base members still view CMMC as a checklist exercise and have put off compliance until this very last minute or are still hesitating.
In this post, we will review multiple impacts of CMMC that show why it is a vital step to securing the “digital backbone” that enables the DoD’s mission and all it entails, which goes far beyond just another bureaucratic checklist.
Overview
The Department of Defense (DoD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program rule is now final and enforcement is November 10th, 2025. Starting now, DoD contracts, and solicitations will begin listing CMMC as a requirement.
Six years after CMMC was introduced, and eight years after DFARS 252.204-7012 (Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting) was established, members of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) who store, process, and/or transmit Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) or Federal Contract Information (FCI) need to prove they have the required cybersecurity safeguards in place in order to accept awarded DoD contracts.
Many DIB members still view CMMC as a checklist exercise that involves a company ticking a lot of security boxes to satisfy the government. Many have put off compliance until this very last minute, and some are still hesitating. Aside from the associated overhead, the delays are often because an organization thinks its existing security controls are sufficient, or simply doesn’t understand the risk of not complying with the NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 standard on which CMMC is based. Consequently, they may fail to have proper documentation or verify their technical configuration meets DoD requirements.
In reality, CMMC is so much more than a bureaucratic checklist. It is a vital step to securing the “digital backbone”―the large and complex research, development, production and services supply chain―that enables the DoD’s mission and all it entails. Here’s why it matters:
Protecting People
Perhaps the most important place to start with accepting the imperative of CMMC is thinking about the safety of our warfighters. Most Americans have a high respect for our military; we depend on them, and we celebrate both those in active service and our veterans throughout the year. Anyone whose business relies on supplying the DoD should be especially cognizant of warfighter well-being. CMMC is a way that DIB members can practically demonstrate their support for our troops.
Without the proper cyber defenses, even a small supplier can be the weak link that creates an opening into the supply chain for a clever cyber attacker to navigate to a strategic deliverable. The result can be real harm to a soldier, sailor or airman relying on that deliverable’s ultimate application. Throughout the CMMC ecosystem, whether you are a DIB member, an External Service Provider or a CMMC assessor, you have the opportunity to be involved in something that helps protect these warfighters.
Safeguarding National Interests
CMMC will also have a fortifying impact on our country. When cybersecurity is not a priority, bad actors can and do infiltrate our infrastructure. Katie Arrington, the acting DoD Chief Information Officer and CMMC’s original lead architect, recently stated to the House Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems Committee on Armed Services: “In 2016 alone, the Council of Economic Advisors estimated that cyberattacks cost the U.S. economy between $57 billion and $109 billion, both from ransomware extortion and from the theft of intellectual property. Those attacks have only increased since, in both frequency and sophistication. Adversaries target DIB information systems to steal cutting-edge American innovations and defense technologies. The number of cyber incidents reported to the DoD Cyber Crime Center continues to increase.”[1] Beyond these significant economics, US critical infrastructure, health systems, transportation systems and other aspects of well-being are targets for nation-state actors looking to disrupt our way of life.
Earning Trust
CMMC Certification is also about supplier transparency, proving dependability and deterring wrongdoing. Katie Arrington recently called on DIB companies to stop making negative public comments about having to comply with CMMC. She explained that such comments reveal a company’s non-compliance to prospective government customers while setting them up as targets for bad actors.
Continued resistance to a program that has been years in coming is not a way to inspire confidence among your prospects and customers. CMMC certification is a way to demonstrate that your organization is responsible and trustworthy and takes the DoD’s security seriously.
Managing Risk
Cyberattacks can have many well-known consequences: data theft, leakage of stolen data, ransoming systems, operational disruption and much more. In the aftermath of a serious incident, a DIB organization’s reputation can easily be damaged and contracts then lost. With the pervasiveness of threats, no company should think they are immune.
Non-compliance with CMMC presents an additional risk. Both Katie Arrington and Defense Secretary Hegseth have recently affirmed CMMC as central to protecting all hardware and software procured by the DoD. From a business perspective, this means DIB members who are not CMMC-compliant or in process to be so by a certain date will miss out on contracts requiring certification. For those that have long hesitated, there may soon come a point at which a decision to remain in the DIB or not must be made. For those that keep hesitating, the decision may be made for them.
All the Right Reasons
It’s time for any more CMMC hesitations to be put aside. Yes there is a list of requirements to be met, but they are not new to you and creating a strong security foundation and implementing best practices are both necessary and now required by the DoD. With so much at stake, everyone in the DIB ecosystem can have a sense of pride in carrying on the defense of our country.
How Redspin Helps
We’ve helped hundreds of organizations prepare for CMMC—and we’re one of the first authorized C3PAOs.
Whether you need a readiness assessment, help fixing gaps, or support during your audit, our team can guide you through the process with zero guesswork.
Don’t wait until the RFP drops—start getting compliant now.
Book a meeting to get CMMC certified with Redspin: