Organizations in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) are under increasing pressure to meet stringent security standards. The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) was designed to safeguard sensitive data and ensure that businesses working with the Department of Defense (DoD) adhere to strict cybersecurity protocols. On December 26, 2023, CMMC was revised to version 2.0, simplifying its maturity levels to just three levels instead of the previous five. Non-compliance with CMMC can have significant consequences, including exclusion from future defense contracts, which could devastate businesses reliant on these opportunities.
For companies in the DIB, achieving and maintaining CMMC compliance is critical. Savvy offers a comprehensive solution tailored to help organizations meet these requirements, providing the visibility, control, and automation needed to secure sensitive information and ensure ongoing compliance.
Understanding CMMC Requirements
What is CMMC?
The Department of Defense introduced the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) to strengthen the security posture of contractors within the DIB. The latest version, CMMC 2.0, focuses on simplifying the certification process while maintaining robust security requirements to protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) from cyber threats.
CMMC 2.0 consists of three levels:
- Level 1: Foundational – Basic cyber hygiene practices for safeguarding Federal Contract Information (FCI).
- Level 2: Advanced – Enhanced practices to protect sensitive data, aligned closely with NIST SP 800-171.
- Level 3: Expert – Progressive security measures designed to protect CUI and safeguard against Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), incorporating select NIST SP 800-172 practices.
CMMC 2.0 requires businesses to meet specific requirements in areas like asset management, identity and access management (IAM), incident response, and data security.
Who Needs to Comply?
CMMC 2.0 applies to a wide range of industries that deal with the DoD, including:
- Defense contractors
- Aerospace companies
- IT service providers
- Manufacturers supplying goods or services to the DoD
If your organization falls within these categories, compliance with CMMC is mandatory to bid on and maintain DoD contracts.
How Savvy Aligns with CMMC 2.0 Requirements
Identities and App Inventory Visibility
Savvy continuously discovers apps and identities—both human and non-human—including shadow IT and often-overlooked on-premises apps that could expose the organization to vulnerabilities.
- Full visibility: Savvy tracks data flows and provides real-time updates on app usage, ensuring organizations always know where their sensitive data resides.
- Real-time tracking: Savvy’s dynamic app inventory provides a comprehensive view of the SaaS landscape, ensuring compliance with CMMC’s management requirements.
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Savvy’s identity-centric security approach is designed to align with the strict IAM requirements of CMMC. It works seamlessly with Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and Identity Governance solutions.
- Detect SSO Bypass and Direct Logins: Savvy continuously monitors and detects when a user logs in directly to a SaaS app instead of logging in through your organization’s SSO. By monitoring direct logins, Savvy ensures that all user activity is authenticated and authorized through your organization’s secure single sign-on (SSO) system. This reduces the risk of unauthorized access and potential data breaches.
- Offboarding Support: Savvy provides offboarding capabilities to help with the separations in the Identity Lifecycle not covered by traditional Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) solutions. This ensures that user access is securely and efficiently removed when employees or contractors leave the organization, reducing risks associated with lingering access permissions.
Incident Detection and Response
A robust incident detection and response system is a key part of CMMC 2.0 compliance. Savvy helps organizations monitor incidents in real-time, allowing them to provide real-time guidance and swiftly and minimize damage.
- Real-time alerts: Savvy continuously monitors network activity and sends instant alerts when suspicious behavior is detected.
- User Guidance and Just-in-time Guardrails: Savvy continuously guides users on best practices for cybersecurity and enforces policies to ensure compliance with security protocols. Guardrails are driven by automation playbooks, which are easily customizable with our no-code visual editor to match your security policy.
Data Security and Reporting
Protecting sensitive data is at the heart of CMMC 2.0, and Savvy provides multiple layers of security, ensuring that sensitive information remains secure.
- Policy enforcement: Savvy’s proactive security guardrails automatically enforce the necessary policies to safeguard sensitive data and maintain CMMC compliance.
- Configurations: Savvy helps organizations maintain secure configurations across their environment by enforcing best practices for MFA configurations, detecting SSO bypass attempts, and ensuring strong credential hygiene.
- Real-Time Compliance Reporting: Savvy simplifies compliance with real-time, automated reporting, providing insights to ensure continuous readiness.
Savvy’s Advanced Functionalities for CMMC 2.0 Compliance
Zero-Touch Integrations
Savvy’s Zero-Touch Integrations (ZTI) simplify deployment by seamlessly integrating with existing apps, cloud services, and security tools without requiring complex manual configurations. Even for non-SSO applications, ZTI can detect a lack of MFA, helping organizations identify and close security gaps across all apps.
Continuous Monitoring and Alerts
Savvy offers continuous monitoring of network traffic, user behavior, and app-to-app communications to quickly detect and address security issues. Ongoing visibility ensures organizations can remediate potential risks before they escalate.
The Benefits of Using Savvy for CMMC 2.0 Compliance
- Simplified compliance process: Savvy automates many of the complex requirements associated with CMMC, reducing the burden on IT teams and ensuring ongoing compliance.
- Cost efficiency: By centralizing the tools needed for CMMC compliance, Savvy helps businesses reduce costs associated with managing multiple solutions.
- Scalability: Savvy is designed to grow with your organization, adapting to expanding security needs as the business scales.
- Easy deployment and fast time-to-value: Savvy’s user-friendly deployment process means organizations can quickly see the benefits of using the platform, accelerating their journey toward CMMC compliance.
CMMC 2.0 compliance is no longer an option for organizations —it’s a necessity. Failure to comply can lead to the loss of valuable DoD contracts, making cybersecurity and compliance a top priority. Savvy provides the comprehensive solution needed to meet and exceed CMMC requirements, offering robust asset management, identity and access control, incident response, and data protection.
Are you ready to secure your DoD contracts and ensure compliance with CMMC? Schedule a demo today to see how Savvy can help protect your business.
