San Diego's dedicated CMMC 2.0 & NIST 800-171 partner. We fast-track your path to Audit-Readiness, eliminate compliance roadblocks, and help you win more bids.
Confidential Gap Analysis Request
CMMC 2.0 mandates that a corporate officer legally attest to cybersecurity compliance. Inaccuracy is now actionable fraud under the False Claims Act. We validate your network against your System Security Plan (SSP) before you sign, ensuring your attestation is accurate, defensible, and audit-proof.
Common questions from San Diego Defense Contractors
CMMC 2.0 requires more than just digital security; it requires physical security protections for Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). As a San Diego-based firm, AvanteTec can perform the necessary onsite inspections of your facility from server room locks to visitor logs that remote national firms often overlook. Our team includes CMMC Registered Practitioners (RPs) who understand the specific needs of the San Diego Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and the local construction, manufacturing, aerospace, and maritime sectors. We are uniquely positioned to be onsite for your assessment if auditors question your System Security Plan (SSP) or technical implementations, providing a level of local accountability that national "consulting mills" cannot match.
Think of NIST 800-171 as the technical rulebook and CMMC 2.0 as the verification framework. If your contract contains the DFARS 252.204-7012 clause, you are already legally required to comply with the 110 controls of NIST 800-171. CMMC is simply the Department of Defense's method of ensuring that work is actually being performed. AvanteTec utilizes Assessor-verified strategies to bridge the gap between "claiming" compliance and actually proving it to the DoD. We focus on the three pillars of CMMC: Self-Assessments (Level 1), Third-Party Assessments (Level 2), and Government-Led Assessments (Level 3), ensuring your business is prepared regardless of your required certification level.
We eliminate the guesswork by subjecting every System Security Plan (SSP) to a rigorous multi-tier review process. Our compliance documentation is prepared by our team of CMMC Registered Practitioners and Certified Assessors who use the exact same scoring methodologies and interpretative guides as authorized C3PAO auditors. This ensures that by the time you reach your final assessment, your documentation is defensible, accurate, and audit-ready. We don't just write the plan; we provide the "Eyes on Glass" 24/7 monitoring and evidence logs that auditors require to see "Institutionalization" of your security practices over time.
Yes. Submitting an inaccurate score to the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) can lead to significant liability under the False Claims Act. We conduct a "brutal" and honest CMMC Gap Analysis of your network to generate a defensible SPRS score that reflects your true security posture. We then help you build and manage the Plan of Action & Milestones (POAM) required to show the DoD exactly how and when you will remediate any remaining security gaps. Our management ensures that your POAM items are closed out within the required 180-day window, maintaining your eligibility for high-value defense contracts.
Most CMMC consultants are auditors, not engineers. They can tell you what is wrong but lack the technical capability to fix it, leaving you to find an IT shop that understands FIPS 140-3 encryption on their own. AvanteTec is a full-service implementation firm. We are one of the few San Diego firms that combines high-level compliance strategy with experienced boots-on-the-ground technical engineers. We don't just hand you a list of failed controls; our cybersecurity technicians actually supply, install, and maintain the Next-Gen Firewalls, Phishing-Resistant MFA, and Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solutions required for compliance.
The level of certification required depends entirely on the type of data you handle. CMMC Level 1 (Foundational) is for companies handling Federal Contract Information (FCI) and consists of 17 basic security practices. CMMC Level 2 (Advanced) is required for any contractor handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and aligns with the 110 controls of NIST 800-171. AvanteTec helps San Diego contractors identify their data flow to determine the most cost-effective path to compliance, ensuring you don't overspend on security you don't need or leave yourself vulnerable to contract loss.
CMMC requires active monitoring and incident response capabilities. AvanteTec's "Eyes on Glass" approach means that your network is being monitored 24/7 by human analysts in our Security Operations Center (SOC). We don't rely solely on automated alerts that can be ignored. We provide the active threat hunting and log retention (Audit and Accountability) required to satisfy CMMC requirements. When an auditor asks, "How do you know if you've been breached?", you will have a definitive, documented answer backed by real-time human surveillance.
We aren't a call center in another state. We understand the specific needs of San Diego's ship repair, aerospace, and defense manufacturing sectors.
Technical Framework & Definitions
The official accreditation body authorized by the Department of Defense to oversee the CMMC ecosystem.
Government-created information requiring safeguarding controls consistent with applicable laws and regulations.
Authorized entity to conduct CMMC assessments and certify that a DIB contractor meets required standards.
Our specialized team handling interpretation and documentation of NIST 800-171 controls.
The clause mandating protection of unclassified Safeguarded Defense Information and cyber incident reporting.
Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Assessment Center; the DoD's internal authority for cybersecurity assessments.
Security philosophy emphasizing 24/7 human vigilance over a network vs automated software alone.
Federal Contract Information not intended for public release provided by or generated for the Government.
U.S. government security standard for cryptographic modules. CMMC requires FIPS-validated encryption.
Assessment identifying differences between current posture and required CMMC controls.
Managed Detection and Response; advanced service providing threat hunting, monitoring, and response.
Publication outlining the 110 security controls required to protect CUI in non-federal systems.
The entity undergoing the CMMC assessment process to achieve certification.
Plan of Action and Milestones; document identifying tasks to remediate security vulnerabilities.
An individual trained, certified, and authorized by the CMMC Cyber AB to provide CMMC consulting, advisory, and pre-assessment readiness services to defense contractors.
DoD's authoritative source for supplier performance information, including self-assessment scores.
System Security Plan; foundational document describing how an organization implements security controls.