CMMC Readiness

CMMC READINESS

Get ready faster. Stay ready afterward.

Epik Systems prepares startups and fast-growing companies for CMMC Level 1 and Level 2. We specialise in rapid readiness and assessment preparation for organisations that work with the government or the Department of Defense and need a certification decision on a real deadline, not a two-year programme.

Who we work with

• Startups and growing suppliers that have won, or are bidding on, DoD or federal work.
• Companies that handle Federal Contract Information (FCI) and need CMMC Level 1.
• Companies that handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and need CMMC Level 2.
• Teams with a small IT function, or none, and no in-house compliance staff.
• Prime contractors that need their subcontractors brought up to the same standard.

The problem we solve

CMMC is not a document exercise. It asks you to prove, with evidence, that a defined environment enforces the NIST SP 800-171 controls every day. Most growing companies hit the same wall: the scope is unclear, the environment was never designed for CUI, the policies do not match how people actually work, and the evidence needed for an assessment does not exist. Meanwhile the contract clock is running.

We bring the roles a startup cannot justify hiring full time — fractional CIO and CISO leadership, a compliance programme office, senior security engineering, and evidence and readiness specialists — and we run the programme end to end with your team.

CMMC Level 1 readiness (FCI)

For organisations that handle Federal Contract Information only. We confirm your scope, implement and document the basic safeguarding requirements, close the gaps in your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace and endpoint configuration, and prepare the annual self-assessment and affirmation so it stands up to scrutiny.

CMMC Level 2 readiness (CUI)

For organisations that store, process or transmit Controlled Unclassified Information. This is our core work. It covers scoping and data-flow mapping, enclave or environment design, identity and access control, endpoint and network hardening, logging and monitoring, incident response, the System Security Plan, POA&M management, control-by-control evidence, and a full readiness review before an assessment.

Where an enclave is the fastest route, we design and build one so CUI lives in a small, well-controlled boundary instead of across your whole company — which shortens the programme and lowers the ongoing cost of staying compliant.

How the programme runs

• Discover and scope — find the FCI and CUI, map how it moves, and agree the assessment boundary.
• Design and prioritise — target architecture, gap analysis against NIST SP 800-171, and a sequenced plan tied to your contract dates.
• Design — identity, device, network, data-protection and monitoring design, plus the policy set that matches it.
• Implement — build the environment or enclave, deploy the controls, and migrate the people and data that belong inside the boundary.
• Operationalise — turn controls into routines your team can actually run, with owners, cadence and automated evidence collection.
• Validate and readiness review — test the controls, assemble the evidence package, and rehearse the assessment before it happens.

To be clear about what we are: Epik prepares you and gets you assessment-ready. Certification itself is granted through the appropriate CMMC assessment path, not by us.

Continuous readiness and managed services

Compliance decays the moment the project ends. Our managed service teams keep you ready afterwards: control monitoring, evidence refresh, POA&M burn-down, configuration and patch management, log review, access reviews, annual affirmations, and support through reassessment. The same teams deliver our national IT managed services, so security operations and day-to-day IT support come from one place.

See also IT services and managed services and our wider governance, risk and compliance work.

FutureFeed partner

Epik Systems is a FutureFeed partner. FutureFeed is a compliance platform purpose-built for CMMC and NIST SP 800-171, and we use it to track control status, hold your System Security Plan and POA&M, and keep evidence organised and current. You get a live view of where you stand instead of a spreadsheet that is out of date the week after it is written.

Common questions

Do I need CMMC Level 1 or Level 2? If you only handle Federal Contract Information, Level 1 applies. If you store, process or transmit Controlled Unclassified Information, Level 2 applies. The contract clauses and the data you actually hold decide it, and confirming that is the first thing we do.

How long does readiness take? It depends on scope, but a focused Level 2 programme for a small or mid-sized company typically runs as a phased engagement across several months to about a year. Narrowing the boundary with an enclave is the single biggest lever on that timeline.

Can Epik certify us? No. We prepare you, build the environment and assemble the evidence; certification comes through the appropriate assessment path.

Do you help after certification? Yes. Our managed service teams provide ongoing CMMC maintenance, monitoring and evidence upkeep so you stay ready between assessments.

We are a startup with almost no IT. Is it too early? No, and it is usually cheaper. Designing for CUI before you scale avoids re-engineering a whole company later.