CMMC doesn’t typically fall apart on the controls. It falls apart on scope, evidence, and timing. That’s why we’re teaming up with BARR Advisory and A-LIGN to help you set boundaries early, keep evidence organized as you go, and go forward towards your CMMC Level 2 assessment confident you’re ready.
Together, we take organizations through the CMMC journey with less friction, from standing up and maintaining a CMMC program to having it evaluated by an independent assessor when Level 2 certification is required.
Our shared goal is simple. We want to make CMMC feel doable, especially for organizations that need a clearer, more predictable path from readiness to certification.
What is CMMC?
CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) is the U.S. Department of Defense program that defines cybersecurity requirements for defense contractors, particularly those handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and Federal Contract Information (FCI).
Depending on the contract, organizations may need to complete a self-assessment (and annual affirmation) or undergo an independent certification assessment to demonstrate they meet the required CMMC level.
In other words, CMMC turns “we take security seriously” into specific controls and evidence tied directly to contract eligibility.
Why CMMC Matters Now
CMMC has shifted from a strong recommendation to contract language. As requirements appear in DoD solicitations and flow down through the supply chain, more contractors and subcontractors will need to demonstrate compliance to remain eligible for new awards.
That creates a clear challenge: demand for readiness support, evidence collection, and assessment capacity will rise quickly, and organizations that wait until the last minute often face higher costs, more disruption, and compressed timelines.
Early preparation helps you reduce risk of contract disruption, avoid last-minute remediation, control advisory and assessment costs as demand accelerates, and most importantly, build a sustainable compliance posture, so readiness isn’t a once-a-year moment of panic.
Your Quick Reference Guide to CMMC Levels and Their Challenges
Level 1: FCI (Basic Safeguarding)
Level 1 focuses on protecting Federal Contract Information (FCI). It generally involves basic security practices and an annual self-assessment and affirmation.
The catch is that even “basic” starts to drag when you’re short-staffed. Writing and maintaining policies, documenting controls, and staying ready year-round is tough when security is a part-time job. And even when the Level 1 requirements are clearly defined, teams often struggle to translate them into consistent implementation and defensible evidence. That’s when they default to manual tracking, which is how you end up with out-of-date docs, missed attestations, and gaps you don’t see until you’re staring at a deadline.
Level 2: CUI (NIST 800-171 Alignment)
Level 2 focuses on Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and requires alignment to NIST SP 800-171. Depending on the contract, you may need a self-assessment (plus affirmation), or an independent C3PAO assessment for certification. This is where the stakes get higher. Controls span identity, endpoints, logging, vulnerability management, configuration, and vendor management, and coordinating all of that takes real internal alignment.
Scope is another common trap. If you’re unsure where CUI can and can’t live, system boundary decisions turn into delays, rework, and scope churn. This is exactly the point where BARR Advisory comes in to help you make the right scope decisions early on in the process, so you’re not rebuilding your plan halfway through.
And if Level 2 certification is required, you’re not just doing the controls. You’re proving them, with precise, consistent evidence packaged in a way assessors can validate efficiently. In practice, most organizations targeting Level 2 should plan for a C3PAO-led certification assessment (not just a self-assessment), especially when CUI is in scope or the contract explicitly requires certification.
Level 3: Highest-Priority Programs
Level 3 applies to the most sensitive, high-impact national security programs. And because it builds on Level 2, organizations should expect to complete Level 2 certification before pursuing Level 3. It introduces expanded requirements, including additional controls drawn from NIST SP 800-172, which typically means more rigor, more oversight, and less room for interpretation.
Across all levels, the pattern is the same. CMMC forces clarity and operational discipline across your people, systems, and documentation. And when teams try to piece it together with disconnected vendors and scattered spreadsheets, it usually creates rework, unclear ownership, and last-minute evidence scrambles.
A Unified Approach: Advisory → Automation → Assessment
Many organizations try to solve CMMC challenges with disconnected vendors and scattered spreadsheets. That often creates duplicated effort, unclear ownership, and last-minute evidence hunts. A more reliable path is a coordinated, three-part approach.
Advisory: Define Boundaries, Identify Gaps, Remediate with Confidence
Readiness starts with clear scoping and practical implementation planning, especially for Level 2, where “what’s in scope” determines what you’ll be tested against.
BARR Advisory supports readiness, implementation, and strategic guidance across NIST 800-171 and CMMC scope, helping teams move faster with less rework. As they put it, many organizations don’t lack intent—they lack clarity.
“Most organizations don’t lack intent—they lack clarity. That’s where we come in. We cut through the noise of federal compliance frameworks, simplifying CMMC so your team can achieve compliance with confidence.”
— Aaron Hamlin, Cybersecurity Consulting Practice Leader, BARR Advisory
Automation: Centralize Evidence, Track Documentation, Sustain Readiness
This is where Drata helps teams replace manual, fragile processes with a system built for continuous compliance.
Drata helps you automate evidence collection where possible (and keep the rest organized when automation isn’t possible), centralize control documentation and ownership, track progress, gaps, and remediation, and maintain readiness over time, so you’re not rebuilding your program every year.
“Automation is the only scalable way government contractors can reach and maintain CMMC. We built Drata to make that possible.”
— Ari Mojiri, Director, GRC Office, Drata
Assessment: Validate Scope and Certify Level 2 (When Required)
For organizations that need CMMC Level 2 certification, assessment readiness isn’t just about having controls, it’s about proving them with consistent evidence and a clearly defined scope.
That’s where our partners come in. As a C3PAO with trained assessors, A-LIGN can take organizations through the formal CMMC assessment process, from validating scope and testing controls to issuing the certification decision when requirements are met.
How Our Partnership Helps You
This partnership is built to remove the biggest sources of friction that slow CMMC progress.
Less Rework Through Earlier Alignment
A common CMMC failure is building a compliance program and only later realizing the scope and evidence don’t align with assessment expectations. With Drata + BARR Advisory, teams can align earlier on what’s in scope, what evidence they’ll need, and how to structure documentation and artifacts so they’re easier to validate. And when it’s time for certification, A-LIGN can serve as the independent C3PAO to assess readiness and validate evidence.
Faster Evidence Readiness (Without the Scramble)
CMMC assessments can become expensive and disruptive when evidence is scattered across tools, tickets, and tribal knowledge.
Drata helps teams centralize and continuously maintain evidence so readiness improves over time, not just right before an audit window. And BARR Advisory helps teams focus that effort on what actually matters for scope and requirements, so you’re not collecting piles of nice-to-have evidence that doesn’t map cleanly to the assessment.
A Clearer Path from Readiness to Certification
When your tooling and your assessment path are better connected, you reduce handoff gaps that create delays. You’ll spend less time translating your environment into assessor-friendly language and repackaging evidence, and experience fewer surprises late in the process.
In short, BARR Advisory helps you scope and plan the work. Drata helps you build and sustain the program. A-LIGN helps you validate it. Together, you get a cleaner, clearer path to Level 2 certification when your contracts require it.
What You Gain From Our Combined Approach
Organizations pursuing Level 1 or Level 2 can expect the following when working with Drata + A-LIGN + BARR Advisory:
- A clearer, faster, more predictable path from readiness to certification
- Reduced cost and timeline risk through better scoping, stronger evidence, and fewer last-minute changes
- A coordinated partner ecosystem instead of disconnected vendors and duplicated work
- A stronger long-term compliance posture, supported by automation and expert guidance, even post-certification
Who This Unified Approach Is Designed For
This coordinated approach is especially helpful if you:
- Expect CMMC requirements in upcoming DoD solicitations or renewals.
- Handle (or may handle) CUI and need a Level 2 path.
- Are unsure how to define scope and system boundaries.
- Don’t want readiness to become a recurring annual fire drill.
- Need independent certification and want to reduce assessment surprises.
Why We’re Better Together
Drata: Keeps the Program Moving (and the Evidence in One Place)
Drata helps teams get out of spreadsheet mode by automating evidence collection where it can, organizing what it can’t, and keeping controls under watch across NIST 800-171 and CMMC. The workflows are there to answer the practical question teams get stuck on: what do we implement next, and what proof do we need to show it’s working? That makes assessment prep less painful and helps you sustain readiness after the initial push.
BARR Advisory: Make Scope and Readiness Decisions Without the Guesswork
BARR Advisory supports readiness and implementation across the full NIST 800-171 and CMMC 2.0 scope, especially the parts that tend to slow teams down, like defining boundaries, validating what’s actually in scope, and turning requirements into an execution plan your teams can follow.
A-LIGN: Validate What You Built When Level 2 Certification is Required
When your contracts require CMMC Level 2 certification, A-LIGN brings the assessment side of the equation. As a C3PAO with trained CMMC certified assessors, A-LIGN works with your organization through the four phases of the CMMC assessment process, helping validate scope, test controls, and complete the steps needed to reach a certification decision when requirements are met. Once the assessment is successfully completed, A-LIGN issues the CMMC Level 2 certification decision and certificate, helping your team meet contractual requirements.
Take the Next Step with Drata + BARR Advisory + A-LIGN
CMMC readiness isn’t just a one-time paperwork exercise. It's a requirement for competing in the defense supply chain.
With Drata + BARR Advisory + A-LIGN, you don’t have to choose between building a sustainable compliance program and preparing for an assessment. You can do both, with less rework and fewer last-minute scrambles.
If you’re preparing for CMMC Level 1 or pursuing CMMC Level 2 certification, book time with our team to see how Drata, BARR Advisory, and A-LIGN can help you document scope, set system boundaries, and walk into the assessment with fewer surprises.
