Common CMMC Challenges and Practical Solutions for Defense Contractors
Posted in CMMC
Executive Summary
- Common CMMC challenges, such as resource constraints, technical capability gaps, documentation complexity, and change management, frequently delay certification and increase costs for defense contractors.
- Businesses that address these challenges early gain a competitive advantage, reduce cybersecurity risk, avoid assessment bottlenecks, and spread compliance costs over realistic timelines.
- Expert, risk-based CMMC consulting helps companies overcome obstacles efficiently, improve first-pass assessment success, and build sustainable security programs that support long-term compliance.
(Summary generated by AI)
Common CMMC Challenges and Practical Solutions for Defense Contractors
Even with a defined roadmap, businesses pursuing CMMC certification frequently encounter common CMMC challenges that increase costs, delay timelines, and create uncertainty. Understanding these challenges early allows companies to plan strategically, allocate resources effectively, and avoid missteps that derail certification efforts.
One of the most common CMMC challenges is resource constraints, particularly for small and mid-sized defense contractors. Many businesses lack dedicated cybersecurity personnel or mature IT programs, yet CMMC requires sustained technical, administrative, and operational effort. Companies operating with lean teams often struggle to balance compliance initiatives with daily business demands. Successful businesses address this challenge by supplementing their internal staff with managed security service providers, engaging specialized consultants to fill high-impact gaps, or leveraging industry partnerships that share best practices and tooling.
Another of the most common CMMC challenges involves technical capability gaps. Certain CMMC requirements—such as continuous monitoring, advanced threat detection, and incident response—often exceed a company’s internal expertise. Businesses that succeed avoid attempting to build every capability in-house. Instead, they take a risk-based approach by determining where external expertise delivers the greatest value and where internal teams can reasonably manage implementation. For example, managed services often provide scalable security monitoring, while internal staff can maintain policies and procedures with appropriate guidance. Honest capability assessments are critical to avoiding wasted effort and unnecessary cost.
Documentation requirements also present a significant hurdle for many companies. Businesses accustomed to informal or tribal knowledge-based processes often find it difficult to formally document policies, procedures, and security controls. Breaking documentation into structured phases reduces complexity. Companies should begin with high-level policies that define security expectations, followed by detailed procedures that explain execution, and finally a System Security Plan that ties controls to the operating environment. While templates aligned with CMMC and NIST requirements can accelerate progress, businesses must tailor documentation to reflect actual practices rather than relying on generic language that fails under assessment scrutiny.
Change management represents another common CMMC challenge. CMMC often introduces changes to how employees access systems, handle data, and follow security processes. Businesses that struggle in this area frequently underestimate the human impact of compliance. Successful companies prioritize clear communication, role-based training, and visible leadership support. When employees understand the business rationale behind security controls—and see leadership treating compliance as a strategic priority—adoption improves, and resistance decreases.
Many companies also underestimate the time required to achieve readiness. While a six- to twelve-month timeline may seem excessive, it reflects the reality that controls must be implemented, tested, stabilized, and adopted across the business. Organizations that rush preparation often discover late-stage gaps, resulting in failed assessments and expensive rework. Realistic scheduling, phased implementation, and disciplined execution consistently produce better certification outcomes.
The Business Case for Addressing Challenges Early
Although CMMC certification is mandatory, companies that address common CMMC challenges early gain advantages that extend well beyond compliance. The Department of Defense plans to broadly include CMMC requirements in contract solicitations beginning in early 2026. Businesses that wait until requirements appear in active solicitations will already be behind competitors that prepared in advance.
Early readiness creates a clear competitive advantage. Certified companies qualify for opportunities that uncertified competitors cannot pursue. As assessment demand increases, early movers avoid assessor shortages, compressed timelines, and escalating assessment costs. Businesses that delay often face limited assessor availability and heightened pricing pressure under tight deadlines.
Prime contractors are also intensifying scrutiny of their supply chains. Security maturity and compliance readiness increasingly influence subcontractor selection decisions. Early certification signals reliability, professionalism, and reduced program risk. For many subcontractors, demonstrating CMMC readiness differentiates them from competitors and positions them as trusted partners rather than compliance risks.
Beyond contract eligibility, CMMC requirements directly reduce cybersecurity risk. Threat actors increasingly target defense contractors to access controlled unclassified information. Security incidents can result in financial loss, reputational damage, contractual penalties, and regulatory exposure. Addressing common CMMC challenges strengthens security fundamentals, improves operational discipline, and enhances customer confidence—regardless of regulatory pressure.
Early action also allows businesses to spread costs over time. Companies that delay often face compressed schedules requiring expedited implementations, premium consulting rates, and rushed assessments. Proactive planning enables phased investment aligned with normal technology refresh cycles, reducing disruption and financial strain.
Expert Support
Successfully navigating CMMC certification requires specialized expertise, disciplined execution, and sustained effort. While some businesses attempt to manage the process internally, most companies find that expert support significantly reduces risk and accelerates progress.
Tanner Security provides end-to-end CMMC consulting services designed to help businesses overcome common CMMC challenges efficiently and confidently. Our team brings deep expertise in CMMC requirements, NIST frameworks, and federal compliance standards, combined with real-world experience implementing security controls in operational business environments.
Our CMMC gap assessments deliver a clear, objective evaluation of a company’s current security posture and a prioritized remediation roadmap. Rather than relying on generic checklists, we provide environment-specific findings that explain where gaps exist, why they matter, and how to address them effectively. This enables leadership to make informed decisions about scope, budget, and timelines.
As companies move toward certification, Tanner’s internal audit services validate that controls operate as intended before the formal assessment. These audits mirror the rigor of authorized assessments and identify residual issues while remediation time remains. This approach significantly improves first-pass success rates and reduces the likelihood of costly assessment failures.
Throughout every engagement, Tanner Security balances assessment rigor with operational practicality. We help businesses build sustainable security programs that support compliance without disrupting core operations. Our collaborative approach strengthens internal capability and positions companies to maintain compliance long after certification.
Overcome Common CMMC Challenges with Confidence
Common CMMC challenges—including limited internal resources, unclear scoping decisions, documentation gaps, and aggressive assessment timelines—often delay certification and increase costs for defense contractors. Tanner Security helps businesses overcome these challenges through proven, risk-based CMMC consulting that accelerates readiness while avoiding unnecessary scope expansion and rework. Whether your company is just beginning its CMMC journey or preparing for a formal assessment, our team provides the clarity, structure, and expertise needed to move forward with confidence. Contact Tanner Security today to protect your eligibility for future DoD contracts and achieve CMMC readiness with certainty.
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