Achieving and maintaining CMMC compliance is no longer an option for organizations working within the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). With the publication of both 32 CFR and 48 CFR into the federal register, many contractors will begin to (if they have not already) see CMMC requirements in their contracts. This should motivate contractors to act sooner rather than later, as implementing NIST 800-171 requirements can be a long, arduous, and expensive process. For many small-medium sized businesses, the greatest hurdle to achieving compliance is the financial burden. When answering the question of "How much does achieving CMMC cost?", it is important to emphasize that the cost will depend on the company's size, scope, and required maturity level.
Factors Influencing the Cost of CMMC Compliance
Where are you starting from?
Every organization is starting from a different spot. Many have faithfully been implementing the required NIST 800-171 controls since the beginning, meaning that achieving CMMC compliance will be significantly easier. However, many contractors are starting from scratch either because they 1) waited until CMMC's finalization or 2) are just entering the space. If your organization is starting from zero, it will likely cost significantly more time and money. Your organization will need to conduct an initial gap assessment, identify your CUI boundary, generate a data flow diagram, and more prior to even implementing any controls.
What level of certification is needed?
The CMMC model consists of 3 maturity levels: Foundational, Advanced, and Expert. As of now, contractors are only required to comply up to level 2 (advanced) to satisfy contract requirements. However, the difference in cost between level 1 and 2 is significant. Level 1 requires organizations to implement 17 practices relating to foundational cybersecurity and submit an annual self-attestation. If a contractor is required to attain level 2 certification, they must implement all 110 controls outlined in NIST 800-171 and undergo a third-party audit conducted by a C3PAO. The implementation of these controls and the following audit can be costly to a small business.
Company size and complexity
It is impossible to accurately predict the total cost of CMMC compliance without taking into consideration a company's size and scope. Each user, device, location, and application that touches CUI will need to be taken into account. Does your organization print CUI? There will need to be physical security measures taken to ensure sensitive information isn't accessible to those not in scope. What about remote workers? All of these factors must be taken into consideration and will likely add to the overall cost.
Technology gaps
Many SMBs still rely on outdated firewalls, lack multi-factor authentication, or don’t have centralized logging and monitoring in place. Closing these gaps often means investing in modern endpoint protection, encrypted backups, security information and event management (SIEM), and secure configurations for email and cloud services. The larger the gap, the higher the remediation costs—but these upgrades also strengthen overall security far beyond compliance.
CorpInfoTech - Eliminating the Uncertainty in CMMC Compliance
CorpInfoTech is a CMMC Level 2 Certified MSP specializing in IT, cybersecurity, and compliance solutions for small and mid-sized businesses. With decades of experience in protecting sensitive information, we understand the unique challenges contractors face when working with CUI.
Through TAS for CMMC Compliance, your organization will inherit 200+ of the 320 CMMC Level 2 objectives. This inheritance dramatically reduces the compliance burden—making the process faster, more cost-effective, and tailored to your business environment. To accurately scope and estimate your compliance journey, CorpInfoTech first works to understand your current security posture and documentation. This includes gathering:
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Data Flow Diagrams – how information moves through your systems
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Device and Application Inventories – a clear picture of your IT assets
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Personnel Assignments – who is responsible for handling and protecting CUI
If your organization has not yet developed these materials, CorpInfoTech can provide professional consulting services to help identify and refine your CUI environment, often reducing its size and complexity, which lowers both risk and cost.
Once your CUI boundary is clearly defined, CorpInfoTech conducts a comprehensive gap assessment to identify areas needing remediation. From this assessment, we create a Plan of Action & Milestones (POAM)—a prioritized roadmap outlining what must be addressed to achieve CMMC compliance.
From there, CorpInfoTech can serve as your long-term managed service provider, implementing and managing many of the required security controls through our certified Shared Responsibility Matrices (SRMs). By doing so, we close the identified gaps, operationalize compliance, and position your organization to confidently publish its System Security Plan (SSP).
With CorpInfoTech, compliance is not just about meeting a checklist—it’s about building a sustainable, secure foundation that strengthens your business and protects your government contracts.
Ready to take the first step toward CMMC compliance? Connect with a CorpInfoTech CMMC Expert today and start your compliance journey with confidence.
