Summary
A CUI enclave is an isolated environment built to securely process and store sensitive government data while keeping the rest of the organization out of scope. A managed enclave adds major advantages: you own the tenant, scale on demand, meet FedRAMP High requirements, support hybrid needs, ensure U.S.‑person staffing, and maintain continuous compliance with full IT, SOC, and Compliance support.
Primes under pressure to secure their supply chains extend it to their suppliers, sometimes with very tight timelines.
Below, we break down why a Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) enclave works to speed up the timeline and save you money, and why managed enclaves are the better choice over hosted. We’ll also let you know when to consider an all-in approach.
What is an Enclave?
A CUI enclave is the fastest and most cost-effective way to achieve Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) compliance for organizations with only some employees touching CUI. It creates a smaller controlled environment for sensitive data within your main environment. Enclaves dramatically reduce the scope of compliance efforts, lower security risks, and accelerate timelines. It also allows you to start small and scale to an all-in approach later if needed, making it ideal for companies with limited CUI flow.
Why Choose a CUI Enclave?
A CUI enclave segments an organization’s network into a smaller, protected “island” where CUI can safely reside. Instead of migrating your entire company into a compliant environment, an enclave lets you build a tight boundary around only the systems, users, and workflows that directly handle sensitive data.
Many companies know that they have CUI but don’t know where all of it is stored; only that it exists and requires protection. An enclave solves this by giving you a place to confidently store, process, and manage CUI while you continue discovering and streamlining its flow.
Once established, you can expand the enclave’s footprint over time, adding systems, applications, printers, or even full departments as needed. This “compliant beachhead” enables faster initial certification, plus a structured path to eventually going all in if your CUI footprint continues to grow.
Why Enclaves Are Easier and Faster Than All-In Solutions
- Easier Assessment
A smaller boundary with fewer systems means fewer controls to manage and fewer complexities during your CMMC assessment. Virtualized enclaves in Government Community Cloud (GCC) High also shift much of the responsibility to Microsoft, simplifying your compliance management even further.
- Minimal Internal Disruption
Moving an entire company into a compliant environment can trigger workflow frustration, user disruption, and resistance. An enclave limits change only to people who actually work with CUI, reducing friction across the business.
- Faster Deployment
A virtual enclave can be operational in weeks. A fully managed enclave environment can often help organizations achieve CMMC compliance in as little as two months.
Why Enclaves Are More Cost-Effective
Because enclaves focus only on the systems that touch CUI, they cost less to deploy, maintain, and certify. This limited footprint significantly reduces cost of entry and ongoing compliance overhead.
For organizations with a small CUI footprint (around 15% or less of employees touching CUI), an enclave is nearly always the most cost-effective approach.
Hosted vs. Managed Enclaves: Why the Difference Matters
Not all enclaves offer the same capabilities or compliance outcomes. Organizations generally encounter two types:
- Managed Enclaves
- Hosted Enclaves
Managed Enclaves
This is the type of enclave Summit 7 offers. Managed enclaves are a cleaner, more scalable solution than hosted ones. With a managed enclave, you own the licensing and tenant. Your vendor (like Summit 7) designs, builds, and supports your environment.
Key benefits of a managed enclave with Summit 7:
- You own all your M365 GCC High licensing and Azure Government subscription
- Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) High-authorized environment (through Microsoft GCC High)
- Easy scaling for new users, contracts, printers, engineering systems, or manufacturing connections
- Supported by U.S. persons only, which is crucial for International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and export-controlled data
- Can grow into a hybrid enclave or eventually an all-in approach
- 24/7 support through Guardian (Managed Service Provider [MSP]) and Vigilance (Managed Security Service Provider [MSSP]), and Commander (Governance, Risk, and Compliance [GRC] Advisory)
- Customer Shared Responsibility Matrix (CRM) and Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed (RACI)-aligned to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-171
- You retain all data and system access at all times, even if support ends
For most organizations seeking rapid CMMC compliance, a managed enclave provides the flexibility, scalability, and security required to meet strict government standards.
Hosted Enclaves
With a hosted enclave, a third-party vendor owns the hardware, licenses, and infrastructure. Hosted enclaves make it difficult to scale services and risk access to your data if you cut ties with your provider.
Drawbacks of a Hosted Enclave:
- Difficult or slow scaling when you win new contracts
- Vendor may struggle to meet FedRAMP Moderate or equivalency requirements
- Limited boundary extension for on-premises (on-prem) equipment like printers
- Potential difficulty extracting your data if the relationship ends
- Often unclear SRMs
Pricing: Hosted vs. Managed Enclave Options
Managed Enclave (Summit 7)
- Approximately $350 per user, per month (assuming 100 Users)
- Includes GCC High licensing, virtual desktops, full IT support, Security Operations Center (SOC) services, security awareness training, and CMMC advisory services
- Continuous compliance management throughout the certification cycle
- Designed to support hybrid needs, line-of-business apps, printers, manufacturing environments, and on-prem systems
Hosted / Software as a Security Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (SaaS VDI) Enclave (Typical Market Pricing)
- Slight cost saving at $300 per user, per month
- Includes a virtual desktop and limited IT/SOC support
- Does not include CMMC advisory services
- Limited ability to support hybrid/on-prem environments
- Suitable only for simple VDI-only CUI handling
While there is a small price difference between the two types of enclaves, that difference becomes less meaningful when considering the value of each solution. A managed enclave offers complete compliance support rather than requiring outside consultants or additional tools.
Who Should Not Choose a Managed Enclave?
Enclaves are ideal when around 15% or less of your environment touches CUI. However, organizations where most employees work on defense contracts may outgrow enclave boundaries quickly.
If 90% or more of your work is Department of War (DoW)-related, going all in is usually the better long-term strategy.
Partner With Experts for the Fastest Path to Compliance
With the right enclave strategy, certified professionals, and a structured implementation plan, you can get a CMMC-compliant enclave ASAP. By leveraging a managed enclave, organizations can:
- Secure CUI quickly
- Meet regulatory requirements
- Avoid major internal disruption
- Reduce costs
- Scale seamlessly over time
- Prepare for future expansions such as Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) CUI or all-in migrations
Summit 7’s CMMC Certification Track Record
Summit 7 maintains one of the strongest CMMC compliance success records in the industry:
- Summit 7 is CMMC Level 2 certified
- Over 100 Summit 7 clients are certified at CMMC Level 2
- 100% CMMC certification pass rate among Summit 7 clients
This reliability is the result of pairing three integrated services:
- Guardian (MSP) for environment and identity management
- Vigilance (MSSP) for 24×7 SOC operations
- Commander for CMMC advisory, System Security Plan/ Plan of Action & Milestones (SSP/POA&M), policies, procedures, assessments, and scoping
For organizations deploying an enclave, this unified model ensures both rapid deployment and long-term compliance stability. If you’re ready to speed up compliance with Summit 7, reach out to an expert.
