Why CMMC compliance may matter for your company in 2026

If your organization carries ongoing contracts with the Department of Defense, you will likely have a new bar to meet in 2026: new CMMC compliance rules.

As of 2025, the DoD has issued a new rule that requires organizations working with the DoD to adhere to new upgraded standards to maintain their Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) certification. This rule is effective November 2025 and involves a three-year phased rollout.

What is CMMC compliance?

CMMC is a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) program that sets cybersecurity standards for companies in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) (contractors and suppliers) to protect sensitive government information such as Federal Contract Information (FCI) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). It uses a tiered system (Levels 1, 2, 3) with increasing security requirements, requiring contractors to achieve certification to be eligible for future DoD contracts, ensuring they can safeguard the data they handle.

As CMMC requirements become increasingly relevant in DoD contracts, organizations handling CUI will need a Level 2 certification to compete for contracts. Compliance is no longer just a onetime achievement, though; it’s an ongoing operating model that demands continuous vigilance and evidence of readiness.

“With the DoD CMMC rule made official in September 2025, the Defense Industrial Base (DiB) now has clear guidance as to what is expected—and when,” said Jerry Craig, vice president of information technology and security at Integris. “DiB organizations must advance their security efforts to become CMMC Level 2 compliant and, in many cases, certified, so they may continue to participate in DoD contracts.”

Why CMMC compliance is no longer optional for DoD vendors

While CMMC compliance doesn’t apply retroactively, new task orders under contracts could require compliance. So, if your organization wants to do business with the U.S. government in future, compliance is not optional.  

Organizations are slow-walking CMMC compliance, however. A survey of Defense Industrial Base (DIB) contractors found that only 1% of contractors are fully prepared for CMMC audits, a drop from 8% in 2023 and 4% in 2025.

If your organization is a contractor or subcontractor hoping to work with the DoD in future, CMMC compliance will be critical.

For organizations that need guidance in meeting CMMC requirements, an IT managed service provider (MSP) may be required to understand the scope, documentation, and processes.

But doesn’t it make sense to hire an MSP that already has achieved CMMC certification itself? Few MSPs hold compliance, as evidenced by the percentages cited previously. But Integris has earned CMMC compliance, so it knows the journey for its clients and has walked that path itself.

“Passing this certification ourselves is a game-changer for our clients,” said Dr. Brian Luckey, Chief Information Officer at Integris. “MSPs can coach you through compliance, but a partner that’s passed the Level 2 audit knows precisely what evidence auditors expect and how to build a defensible, sustainable posture. Our customers now benefit from battle‑tested playbooks, audit‑ready documentation, and operational guardrails that stand up to real-world scrutiny.”

Integris CMMC compliance: Focus areas and services

With a structured, managed approach, organizations can move beyond one-time assessments and toward continuous compliance. By combining prove security controls, expert guidance, and ongoing monitoring, organizations can reduce risk, simplify compliance, and stay audit-ready without overwhelming your internal teams.

Through the company’s partnership with IntelliGRC, Integris delivers a centralized compliance management platform that automates control mapping, evidence collection, and reporting, reducing complexity and ensuring audit readiness.

Still, for organizations to achieve CMMC compliance is complex, resource-intensive, and time-consuming, and it may make sense to turn to a third party to achieve it.

Integris offers the following to ease the burden of CMMC compliance:

• Readiness assessments and gap analysis. Integris identifies compliance gaps in your current environment and provides a prioritized action plan for CMMC readiness, mapping every control to clear responsibilities and supported services. 
• Remediation planning and execution. Integris experts guide you through gap analysis, remediation, and documentation, so you can focus on your core business while we handle the technical heavy lifting. 
• Managed Security Services. With this set of services, Integris offers continuous monitoring, threat detection, incident response, and vulnerability management.  
• Managed Cloud Services. With this offering, Integris provides secure, compliant infrastructure tailored for defense contractors.  
• Audit-ready documentation. Documentation is time-consuming and error prone. Comprehensive tracking and reporting to simplify third-party audits.  

Build your CMMC-compliant future with Integris

Integris’ now-completed certification positions the company to accelerate client readiness and enable customers to gain a clear path to compliance with the confidence to pursue new opportunities in the defense sector.

If your organization is unsure of where to turn and how to achieve compliance, consider a conversation with Integris, now CMMC-certified.