According to PwC's Global Risk Survey, 40% of polled business and risk leaders reported enhancing their organization's risk management approach in the previous year to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
This percentage increased to 81% for the top 5% of firms.
But what is driving this tremendous rise in numbers?
The solution lies in clearly identifying and successfully handling the most severe impediments.
Some compliance challenges include procedural inconsistencies, information inaccessibility, and an inability to react to changing compliance regulations.
These problems can have a detrimental influence on operational effectiveness, increase the risk of fines and penalties, and degrade an organization's reputation.
Compliant organizations go above and beyond, examining the strategy's symptoms in addition to compliance.
For most firms, the question isn't why an efficient compliance program is necessary, but rather how to deal with any issues that arise.
A body working with the Department of Defense must achieve specified CMMC requirements in order to be classified as a CMMC compliance contractor and win contracts.
However, contractors are prone to making mistakes that may jeopardize their certification and business opportunities.
Some of the most common ones are as follows:
1. Ignoring the importance of documentation
Many contractors overlook the importance of necessary documentation. CMMC assessors go beyond simply examining the application of cybersecurity controls.
They also want to see paperwork proving the practices needed are in place.
Inadequate documentation can cause a certification delay. In some cases, it may keep a contractor from undergoing the CMMC compliance process.
Generally, documentation should include an organization's policies, procedures, and evidence of cybersecurity efforts.
Additionally, these documents must be updated on a regular basis to reflect changes in security policies.
2. Failure to perform thorough risk assessment
One of the first things you should do is conduct an initial self-assessment. Companies frequently think that they have always met standards.
Not knowing where you are can lead to many false turns and wasted time. Poor risk assessment can result in ineffective controls and lost expenditure.
It may also raise the risk of cyberattacks and data breaches, endangering CMMC compliance. Begin this process early.
If you begin, you will be able to repeat them and prepare for the actual third-party evaluation and the formal self-assessment required as part of the process.
By studying the procedure this way, you better prepare yourself and increase your chances of success.
3. Not understanding CMMC requirements
If you don't understand exactly what the CMMC framework expects of your organization, you may struggle to comply.
Many firms find themselves in this predicament, where they misunderstand the depth and breadth of the CMMC criteria, resulting in compliance gaps and audit failure vulnerabilities.
To prevent being like these firms, you must become acquainted with the CMMC framework.
The framework has five maturity levels. As you go from the first to the third maturity level, you will face increased complexity and stronger regulations.
That being said, you'll need to determine which level pertains to your company.
This allows you to modify your cybersecurity levels so that your firm can be found compliant during a CMMC audit.
On the contrary, if you do not understand your applicable maturity level, you will be unable to align your processes and security procedures with unique needs.
This, in turn, creates the conditions for mismatched compliance efforts and unsuccessful CMMC audits.
As a result, purposeful internalization of CMMC criteria is recommended.
Involve key stakeholders and dedicate time and effort to understanding how CMMC provisions fit within your business processes.
This core understanding serves as your first line of defense against audit failure.
4. Neglecting supply chain security
Failure to evaluate and manage cybersecurity threats posed by third-party vendors and suppliers is a frequently asked issue.
And many people are unaware of how stringent the restrictions are when it comes to vendors and third parties used for commercial purposes.
Not every vendor needs CMMC accreditation. Subcontractors who work with CUI, on the other hand, must be at least CMMC Level 2.
Prime contractors are responsible for ensuring that their supply chain adheres to the appropriate security standards.
CMMC places a strong emphasis on supply chain security. Your organization's compliance efforts will fail if your vendors do not provide proper security.
You might do everything correctly internally within your firm, but if you don't ensure vendor security, you'll lose your CMMC accreditation and the contracts you rely on.
When you begin self-assessments, make sure to include everything, such as all access points for vendors and others in your supply chain.
5. Relying on legacy systems without evaluation
Legacy systems present a hidden challenge in CMMC certification.
Organizations often assume their existing IT infrastructure can be adapted to meet requirements, only to find that older systems lack necessary security features like encryption, multi-factor authentication, or logging capabilities.
Integrating non-compliant legacy technology either delays certification while upgrades are implemented or leads to costly last-minute system replacements.
To prevent this, companies should create a full inventory of systems and software early in their compliance planning.
Evaluating each asset for CMMC readiness helps identify which systems need to be replaced, updated, or isolated from sensitive data processes to maintain security standards.
Final thoughts
The Department of Defense continues to prioritize cybersecurity.
This means that CMMC compliance is critical for a contractor's ability to acquire or retain government contracts.
Avoiding the aforementioned issues will help contractors get CMMC certification faster.
CMMC compliance will also assure long-term success for contractors looking to engage with the Department of Defense.