CMMC 2.0 Is Here: What Defense Contractors Need to Know About Level 2 Certification
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The Department of Defense has drawn a line in the sand. With the CMMC 2.0 final rule now in effect, defense contractors face a stark reality: achieve certification or lose access to DoD contracts entirely. There are no extensions, no workarounds, and no exceptions. If your organization handles Federal Contract Information or Controlled Unclassified Information, Level 2 certification isn’t optional—it’s the price of admission to the defense industrial base.
CMMC Level 2 requires organizations to implement 110 security controls derived from NIST SP 800-171. These controls span access management, incident response, system integrity, and data protection. For most contractors, meeting these requirements means overhauling existing security infrastructure, implementing new technologies, and documenting every policy and procedure.The penalty for falling short isn’t a slap on the wrist—it’s disqualification from contracts you may have held for years.
Smart contractors are looking for solutions that deliver compliance without requiring them to build everything from scratch. Platforms that already hold FedRAMP Moderate Authorization have been vetted against rigorous federal security standards, which overlap significantly with CMMC Level 2 requirements. This means less redundant effort, faster time to compliance, and confidence that your security infrastructure meets government expectations. FedRAMP High Ready designation signals even greater security maturity for organizations handling the most sensitive unclassified data.
Kiteworks consolidates secure file sharing, encrypted email, managed file transfer, and secure web forms into a single platform purpose-built for compliance. With FedRAMP Moderate Authorization and FedRAMP High Ready status already achieved, Kiteworks addresses nearly 90% of CMMC Level 2 control requirements out of the box. Rather than stitching together multiple point solutions and hoping they integrate, defense contractors can standardize on one platform that was designed from the ground up to protect sensitive government data and simplify the audit process.