For over 30 years, Monarch’s experts have prepared audits and assessments for financial institutions and healthcare organizations. We bring this same level of experience and cybersecurity mastery to the defense industry.

A feature of our longstanding client relationships is our ability to break down complex challenges into clear, straightforward strategies. You’ll understand precisely what is required to meet each objective. And, you’ll be better prepared to respond to your assessor’s queries and ensure your documentation is ready.

Monarch employs our proprietary web application, Security Catapult, to accelerate your preparedness. Security Catapult will:

• Guide you through assessment questions and help you understand your organization’s gaps against NIST 800-171/CMMC requirements.

• Immediately show your SPRS (Supplier Performance Risk System) score.
• Track all required tasks and prioritize your remediation steps.

Be ready for anything. Talk to us today.

Certification Assessment vs. Readiness Assessment

A Certification Assessment is the official CMMC investigation and certification that all DoD contractors and subcontractors must successfully undergo when the CMMC final rule goes into force in order to be eligible to work on government contracts. A CMMC assessment must be completed by a CMMC-AB-certified assessor organization, such as Monarch.

By contrast, a CMMC Readiness Assessment (sometimes called a Gap Assessment) is the first step to understand how prepared you are for the actual certification assessment. It is an extremely important part of your certification process.

The Readiness Assessment:

(1) Allows you to accurately see how your organization’s cybersecurity program aligns with CMMC requirements, at a reasonable price point.

(2) Identifies any weaknesses in your cybersecurity methodology so that you can correct them prior to undergoing your Certification Assessment.

(3) Gives you the opportunity to adjust the level of your security systems to match that of your anticipated contract requirements.

(4) Ensures that assessors and your organization are on the same page as you seek certification.

(5) Through Q&A with the lead assessor, provides an educational opportunity for your team to grasp the full dimension of the Certification Assessment, along with what will be required of your organization to ultimately become certified.

Certification Assessment vs. Readiness Assessment

CMMC Assessments are not to be taken lightly. The Department of Defense will not offer contracts to any companies who fail to achieve certification – no exceptions. A CMMC Assessment is essential for any business desiring to work with the DoD.

It should be no surprise that we vigorously recommend conducting a Monarch Readiness Assessment prior to your formal certification assessment. We feel so strongly about this, in fact, that we provide a discount on the certification cost if your conduct a readiness assessment with us.

Talk to us today to learn more.

Readiness Program Development

Monarch understands that CMMC is a lot for many organizations to implement. CMMC isn’t a fix to an “IT problem” – it’s a strategic challenge for your entire organization. Meeting that challenge requires some heavy lifting, operationally, financially, and culturally.

Monarch’s Senior Advisors are not only highly skilled cybersecurity experts, but they have also tempered that expertise with hands-on business experience, including strategy development and day-to-day business operations. They bring this unique perspective to every engagement.

Virtual Information Security Officer (V-ISO) is Monarch’s most engaged and comprehensive offering. We become an extension of your team, effectively bringing all of Monarch’s specialized services in-house. 

You’ll receive custom developed policies and plans, along with unrestricted access to your Dedicated Monarch Senior Advisor. Each of our advisors is a senior industry-certified information and cybersecurity professional with a minimum of 20 years’ experience. You also get monthly meetings, project tracking and reporting, privileged pricing, and much more.

Find out how we can best work with you. Talk to us today.