2025 was a year of undeniable progress when it came to the establishment and enforcement of CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification). As we left 2025 and CMMC moved from anticipated requirement to full-on enforcement, one thing became clear: the companies that made the most CMMC progress weren’t just guessing—they were informed.
Over the past year, our most-read and most-shared CMMC guides reflected the real questions defense contractors were asking as enforcement began and timelines tightened. From practical breakdowns of CMMC requirements to step-by-step preparation advice, these resources stood out because they helped organizations turn to action. As we head into 2026, a year when expectations only increase, these top-performing guides may be just as useful for you as they were for thousands of others navigating what’s next in CMMC compliance.
1. CMMC Data Flow Diagrams Done Right: A CCA’s Perspective
Creating a Data Flow Diagram (DFD) is a foundational step in achieving Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) compliance. DFDs offer a visual representation of how Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) traverses through an organization’s systems.
The process of identifying how FCI and CUI traverse an organization also highlights the people, processes, and technology that come in contact with FCI and/or CUI in the normal course of business—from finding, bidding on, and winning work, scoping the work, and delivering and invoicing for the work. Knowing this gives your organization the power to determine resources for proper protection and mapping your environment to ensure your compliance program is in scope.
2. Case Study: Building a Resilient Compliance Program for a DoD Aerospace Engineering Parter
A major DoD aerospace engineering partner for manufacturers in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), was concerned about their lack of a compliance program. Knowing CMMC was advancing in rulemaking stages, it would be a matter of time before contract requirements included CMMC certification.
This case study explores the work of a team of Certified CMMC Assessors and how a holistic consulting approach was able to build a sustainable compliance program. Learn more about what that process looked like, how it impacted this defense organization’s compliance efforts, and what their future toward a C3PAO assessment will look like.
3. How to Pass the 5 Most Failed CMMC Controls
CMMC controls can feel like a frustrating combination of complexity and vagueness that could drive any compliance professional to madness. Wondering which CMMC controls organizations fail most often and how to avoid making the same mistakes?
In this recorded live-session, our Certified CMMC assessors broke down five of the most commonly failed controls, explained what they expect to see in an assessment, and shared how to avoid the findings that trip up most organizations.
4. Timeline of CMMC Phases and Contractor Requirements: A Quick Guide
48CFR has been published, and the CMMC Phase 1 rollout is in full swing. But what exactly is going to happen for DIB contractors, and when will it happen? We put this quick guide together with a timeline for the upcoming months and years of CMMC Phases and their anticipated rollouts.
Defense Industrial Base (DIB) contractors are understandably beginning to search for information regarding the recently finalized DFARS rule (Case 2019-D041) and formally integrating the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements into the DoD acquisition process. We saw a significant increase in search results, contact inquiries, and outreach on social networking sites like LinkedIn on this topic and decided to put a reference together to help.
5. 9 C3PAO Red Flags to Look Out For
Getting assessed by a Certified Third-Party Assessment organization (C3PAO) is required for CMMC compliance — but not all C3PAOs are made equal. With dozens of C3PAOs to choose from, it’s important to partner with one that can efficiently and accurately guide you through the assessment process.
This guide breaks down nine critical red flags to watch out for when evaluating a C3PAO. It’s a process that cannot be done on a whim, nor can you go with the first organization to give you a decent quote. There’s a fine line between quality assessments, affordability, timeliness, and other ideal factors that lead to a positive experience with your chosen C3PAO. Make sure you know what not to look for in the process.
6. Where Can You Store CUI and FCI: A CCA’s Guide to Compliance
Proper storage of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and Federal Contract Information (FCI) is at the core of a healthy and satisfactory compliance program. The issue? There seems to be ample confusion on what CUI and FCI are, the difference between the two, and where they can officially be stored.
Improper storage of both CUI and FCI not only puts your organization’s environment at risk, but it also leaves you vulnerable to failing a compliance assessment, contract loss, and heavy fines. One of our Certified CMMC Assessors put together this quick guide to ensure organizations know exactly what is needed and expected when it comes to housing FCI and CUI.
7. In the Mind of the Assessor: A C3PAO’s Tips for Your CMMC Assessment
Many organizations face uncertainty going into a C3PAO assessment. How strict are the assessors? What exactly are they looking for? Do all assessors interpret controls in the same way? How can you know what specifically results in a control being marked as “Met” or “Not Met?”
We put this recorded session together with real Certified CMMC Assessors to answer those questions and more. These professionals broke down what leads to controls being “Met” or “Not Met” based on real insights, firsthand accounts on how assessors evaluate complex controls, what counts as ‘adequate and sufficient’ evidence, and how to avoid the most common mistakes.
8. How to Choose the Right C3PAO for Your CMMC Assessment
First, this guide is not about rushing you to select a C3PAO because the sky is falling. This is, however, a blog about choosing the right C3PAO so you don’t feel as if the sky is about to fall on you.
Selecting the correct C3PAO for your CMMC assessment should be as critical as selecting the right sitter for your kids or pets or choosing the right partner for your ERP migration. Choosing the wrong C3PAO can lead to many issues, including dealing with unnecessary paperwork, potentially more than once, and a subpar assessment.
9. Whitepaper: The Regulatory Compliance Risks Affecting the Defense Industrial Base
The Defense Industrial Base (DIB) inherently operates under strict regulations to safeguard sensitive information, including Federal Contract Information (FCI), Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Export Control Information (ECI) with the need to ensure cybersecurity standards.
This whitepaper was created to help organizations explore the risks associated with:
- CUI management and the dangers of over-classifying information as CUI
- Inaccurately reporting Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) scores
- Responsibilities when sharing CUI within the supply chain
- Hosting CUI in public cloud environments without FedRAMP Authorization to Operate (ATO)
- Not reporting cyber incidents promptly
- Treating all CUI as export-controlled
10. Case Study — CUI Data Mapping: Reducing the Cost of CMMC
What does the CUI in your environment look like, and how are you storing and protecting it? Many organizations don’t realize their compliance programs are heavily out of scope; overclassifying data in their environment as CUI and overspending on protecting transmission tallies up big bills.
This case study explores the efforts made by a large engineering organization when they attempted to migrate its operations to a Cloud enclave to simplify CMMC compliance. A lack of proper preparation resulted in confusion surrounding the location and transmission of CUI and consulting services were needed to significantly reduce the cost of compliance by clearly identifying and reducing the scope of CUI, reduce the cost of Cloud investments, and strengthen the organization’s security and compliance posture.