CMMC compliance is becoming an increasingly important requirement for organizations working within the U.S. defense supply chain. However, preparing for CMMC is about more than having cybersecurity controls in place—it also requires organizations to understand their systems, document their processes, and be able to provide the right evidence during an assessment.
In this conversation, Charlie Sciuto, CISO, CTO, and Lead CMMC Certified Assessor at SSE, shares insights from his experience conducting more than 60 assessments and discusses some of the challenges organizations face when preparing for CMMC. He explores why organizations can sometimes believe they are ready based on a self-assessment, only to discover significant gaps when their processes, documentation, systems, and evidence are examined more closely.
The discussion looks at several important aspects of CMMC readiness, including documentation, system scoping, asset inventories, CUI data flows, evidence collection, and the difference between simply meeting technical requirements and demonstrating that those requirements are being properly implemented. Charlie also discusses why understanding the scope of an environment is critical and how organizations can avoid discovering important gaps late in the assessment process.
Another key focus is the role of self-assessments and ongoing preparation. Rather than treating compliance as a one-time exercise, organizations need to maintain visibility into their systems and processes and continually understand where they stand. The conversation also explores how CMMC requirements can extend beyond individual organizations and affect the broader defense supply chain, including relationships between prime contractors and their suppliers.
Charlie shares practical perspectives on what organizations should be doing while preparing for an assessment, where common mistakes occur, and what separates companies that are genuinely assessment-ready from those that may only appear compliant on paper.
The conversation provides a closer look at the realities of CMMC preparation and why organizations should approach compliance as an ongoing process of readiness, documentation, and continuous improvement.
