The November 10th deadline for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) compliance is approaching fast. For CISOs, risk managers, and compliance leaders across the defense industrial base, this date represents more than a regulatory milestone; it’s a make-or-break moment for securing and maintaining DoD contracts.
Don't let manual compliance processes slow down your ability to meet this deadline. Compliance shouldn't cost your organization the risk of losing contracts. Keep reading to learn what you must do before the November 10th deadline and recommendations for streamlining compliance.
The Department of Defense has been explicit: organizations that fail to achieve compliance by November 10 will not be eligible to compete for or retain contracts requiring CMMC. Extensions aren’t expected, and “near compliance” will not satisfy the requirement.
Beyond contract risk, the compliance process itself demands time and resources. Without preparation, teams risk being caught in an endless cycle of documentation, manual evidence gathering, and duplicated work across frameworks like NIST and ISO.
To meet the deadline confidently, compliance and risk leaders should focus on three critical areas:
Audit-Ready Documentation
Manual spreadsheets or siloed tools often crumble under auditor scrutiny. Teams need centralized, defensible documentation that demonstrates CMMC requirements are not just checked, but continuously met.
Cross-Framework Visibility
Most organizations already comply with overlapping NIST and ISO standards. The challenge is proving that those existing controls also satisfy CMMC requirements. A unified view reduces duplication and ensures every gap is clearly identified.
Risk-Based Prioritization
Not all compliance gaps carry the same weight. Leaders must prioritize remediation efforts based on risk impact, not guesswork, to allocate resources effectively before the deadline.
Understand the CMMC domains for your compliance audit.
This is where automation proves invaluable. CyberStrong’s Automated Compliance capabilities simplify CMMC readiness by:
Crosswalking controls across NIST, ISO 27001, and CMMC to eliminate redundant work.
Continuously monitor control effectiveness to ensure evidence is always audit-ready.
Streamlining audit preparation and reducing compliance management costs can ensure easy CMMC compliance, allowing you to continue receiving defense contracts.
Rather than scrambling to assemble fragmented documentation, teams can focus on higher-value tasks: closing true gaps, mitigating risk, and preparing their organization to demonstrate compliance with confidence.
By November 10, compliance can no longer be treated as a one-time checklist; it must be continually monitored and updated on an ongoing basis. It must be unified, continuous, and defensible. Organizations that embrace automation and risk-based prioritization will not only meet the CMMC deadline but also strengthen their long-term security posture and competitiveness in the defense market.
Ready to ensure your team is prepared? Learn how CyberStrong streamlines CMMC compliance.