CMMC Managed Services
CMMC managed services keep your NIST SP 800-171 environment compliant after the project ends. A readiness assessment and remediation get you to a defensible score; managed services keep that score true as people join and leave, software is updated, devices are replaced and suppliers change. The SPRS score you posted is a continuing representation to the government, and managed services exist to make sure it still describes the environment you run.
Why compliance drifts
Most environments that pass a readiness review fall out of compliance within a year without anyone deciding to let them. The causes are ordinary:
- Configuration drift: updates and quick fixes change settings that the SSP says are fixed.
- Boundary creep: a new SaaS tool, mailbox or integration starts touching CUI.
- Stale evidence: screenshots and exports from implementation day no longer prove current operation.
- Unowned controls: the person who ran log review or access recertification leaves.
- Open POA&M items: the 180-day closeout clock keeps running whether or not anyone is watching it.
What the service covers
Documentation kept current
The System Security Plan, policies and procedures are updated as the environment changes, so they continue to describe reality. Start points are the SSP template and POA&M template; the managed work is keeping them accurate.
Evidence refreshed on a cadence
Controls that run monthly, quarterly or annually produce evidence on the same schedule: access reviews, log review records, vulnerability scan results, training completion, incident response exercises. Evidence is mapped to the 320 assessment objectives, not filed by date.
Boundary reviews
Every new tool, supplier, office or integration is checked against the CUI boundary before it goes live, not after an assessor finds it.
Score and POA&M oversight
Material changes trigger a re-score, open POA&M items are tracked against their deadlines, and the SPRS entry is kept consistent with the SSP. See how the SPRS score works for why consistency matters.
Customer and assessor requests
Prime contractor questionnaires, flow-down confirmations and evidence requests are answered from a maintained package rather than rebuilt each time.
Signs you need ongoing support
- Nobody can say, without checking, when the SSP was last updated.
- The SPRS score was posted more than a year ago and the environment has changed since.
- POA&M items have passed their milestone dates without anyone noticing.
- Evidence requests from a prime take weeks and involve rebuilding screenshots.
- New SaaS tools are adopted without anyone asking whether they touch CUI.
- The person who ran the compliance project has moved on or left.
Any one of these means the score you represent to the government may no longer match the environment. That is a commercial risk with primes and a legal one under the accuracy obligations attached to SPRS entries, and it is far cheaper to manage continuously than to rebuild before every customer review.
How it works with your IT provider
Managed compliance does not replace the people who run your systems. If an MSP administers in-scope systems, it stays responsible for the technical work, and its own tools and access may bring it into scope as an External Service Provider. The compliance service defines what the MSP has to do and evidences that it was done. The guide for CMMC compliant MSPs explains where providers fall under 32 CFR 170.
How engagements start
- Baseline. A CMMC readiness assessment establishes the boundary, score and documents. If you already have them, we review them before taking them on.
- Ownership map. Every requirement gets a named owner and an evidence schedule.
- Operating rhythm. A monthly review of changes and evidence, a quarterly score check and an annual full reassessment.
The service is scoped to the systems and people inside the CUI boundary, which keeps it proportionate. A small, well-defined enclave is much cheaper to keep compliant than a company-wide environment.
To discuss ongoing support, contact us. Controlled information is never exchanged over the web form.
Frequently asked questions
What are CMMC managed services?
Ongoing work that keeps a CMMC or NIST SP 800-171 environment compliant after the initial project: maintaining the SSP and POA&M, refreshing evidence, reviewing the boundary, re-scoring when things change and preparing for customer or assessor requests.
Is a CMMC managed service the same as an MSP?
No. An MSP runs your IT. A CMMC managed service keeps the compliance program accurate: documentation, evidence, scoring and oversight. Some organizations get both from one provider, but the roles are different, and a provider that administers in-scope systems can bring itself into your assessment scope.
Do we need managed services if we already passed a readiness assessment?
A readiness assessment is a point in time. Accounts, devices, software and suppliers change every month, and the SPRS score you posted is a continuing representation. Managed services exist to keep that representation true.
How is the work scoped?
Around the CUI boundary established in the readiness assessment. Systems outside the boundary stay outside the service, which keeps the cost proportionate.