TL;DR: A Managed Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) Enclave is the fastest way to achieve CMMC compliance, potentially within just two months. It creates a controlled environment for sensitive data, simplifying compliance and reducing your cybersecurity risks. Plus, it allows you to start small and expand into an All-In approach later if needed.
With the CMMC final rule imminent, organizations that have delayed starting their compliance journey are looking for a fast way to get started. With the right approach and guidance, becoming CMMC compliant in as little as two months is actually possible. This blog will guide you through how leveraging an enclave will expedite your compliance journey in this crucial moment where every month counts.
Check out our free webinar on CUI Enclaves below, which includes expert tips for discerning if an enclave is right for your organization + a live tutorial of what an enclave virtual desktop might look like running in your environment:
A CUI Enclave is a segmentation of an organization's network or data that is intended to wall-off that network or database from all other networks or systems.
By creating this “CUI island,” if you will, you essentially create a smaller controlled environment for Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). This allows you to simplify the compliance process and reduce the scope of your cybersecurity efforts.
You may not know the full extent of your CUI, but you are aware of its presence and your contractual obligations. By creating an enclave, you can establish a compliant environment that meets these requirements.
As you identify more CUI, you can either bring additional systems into scope or move the data into the enclave for processing.
The enclave provides a solid compliance foundation to build upon. Build a compliant beachhead, then land and expand.
After building your compliant beachhead, you can expand the enclave to accommodate more contracts and systems, gradually building out the environment rather than going all-in from the get-go, which requires much more time.
The tighter the boundary and the more limited the number of assets (systems) and scope, the easier and less complex the assessment will be. This is especially true for a virtualized enclave, which we frequently use. Having those systems in the cloud, with Microsoft managing much of the responsibility, simplifies your job even further.
One of the biggest frustrations for an IT admin, or anyone we talk with about implementing comprehensive changes, is dealing with the frustration of the rest of the company.
Your team has to significantly shift how they do things once they’re in a compliant environment. When you're transitioning off non-compliant systems, users accustomed to the old ways can feel disoriented. It's a classic "who moved my cheese" scenario.
As an IT person, you want to minimize this disruption.
Starting with an enclave and focusing on specific users and systems is a great initial step. Employees can be disrupted when their system shifts and they feel that they can't do their jobs properly – especially if their work doesn’t actually touch CUI.
With a CUI Enclave, you’re limiting the scope of migration to only a smaller segment of your organization working with CUI.
The smaller the footprint, the easier the assessment and cost management. For organizations with a small CUI footprint, it's crucial to keep that footprint small, especially if you're not generating significant revenue from defense-related work.
The enclave approach will save money in the long term. You'll maintain productivity in that environment without affecting the commercial side of your business, resulting in a lower cost of entry. We offer aggressive pricing for small businesses, since we know that CMMC is placing the biggest challenge on their shoulders.
There are two types of enclaves: a hosted enclave where a 3rd party vendor owns the physical hardware, potential software licenses, etc., and a managed enclave where you own the hardware and software but a vendor helps you set up and manage it.
Typically, we find that enclaves are an excellent initial solution if the threshold is about 15% or less of the company accessing CUI. Consider the cost of implementation and using the environment, and balance that with factors like how much revenue you're generating from CUI-related contracts and how many users will be affected from a productivity standpoint.
If you're a dedicated defense contractor with all employees working on defense projects, creating an enclave might be challenging. You might end up integrating the entire organization into the scope rather quickly.
If 90% of your work is for the DoD, this might not be for you. If that’s you, we recommend our All-In Solution.
Achieving CMMC compliance in two months is ambitious but feasible with a focused and strategic approach. By leveraging an enclave and following a structured implementation plan, you can secure your CUI, meet regulatory requirements, and protect your organization from cyber threats. You don’t have to sacrifice cost or risk to get started.
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*Timelines will vary for each organization according to scope and complexity. This is the fastest that Summit 7 is currently seeing Enclaves setup for organizations, and while we guarantee efficiency, we cannot accurately provide an estimated timeline until learning more about your goals and environment.