Choosing a CMMC Consultant: Certification, Experience, and Fit

In this episode of CMMC News, host Wilson Bautista Jr. breaks down the crucial factors to consider when choosing a CMMC consultant. He outlines five essential criteria: ensuring proper CMMC certification, verifying real audit experience, evaluating communication skills, determining consultation needs (assessment vs. implementation), and assessing cultural fit with your organization. Whether you're starting your CMMC journey or preparing for an audit, this episode provides valuable insights to help you avoid costly mistakes and find the right consultant to guide your compliance efforts. Learn how to identify red flags, verify credentials, and make an informed decision that will support your organization's path to CMMC compliance.

Transcript

0:13

Welcome to another episode of CMMC News where we dive deep into all things cybersecurity, compliance, and business resilience. I'm your host, Wilson Bautista junior. And today, we're talking about something that could make your make or break your CMMC compliance journey. I'm your host, Wilson Bautista junior. And today, we're talking about something that can make or break your CMMC compliance journey. Last time, we talked about how to pick a c 3 p o. But today, we're gonna talk about how to pick the right CMMC consultant. So whether you're just starting out with the CMMC or trying to get through an audit, choosing the right consultant is critical. Get the wrong 1, and you waste time, money, and effort only to end up noncompliant. Get the right 1, and they'll guide you smoothly through the process. So in today's episode, I'll walk you through 5 key things you need to look for when selecting a CMMC consultant. Let's get started. First, you gotta make sure that your consultant is actually certified in the cybersecurity maturity model certification. What does that mean? Are they a registered practitioner? Are they a certified CMMC professional, a CCP, or are they a certified CMMC assessor? This is nonnegotiable. The CMMC ecosystem is regulated. And if you're going to get assessed, you might might as well get somebody that's certified so they could guide you properly. So why does this matter? They know the latest standards. The CMMC framework is evolving, and certified professionals are required to stay up to date. They've been trained and tested. Certification isn't just a rubber stamp. It means they've been evaluated on their knowledge and their skills, and the DOD recognizes these certifications. If the Department of Defense won't take them seriously, why should you? So here are some red flags to watch out for. Someone who says they know the CMMC but has no certification. They may have experience in NIST eight hundred fifty three or they may have done a few things with NIST eight hundred one seventy one. But if they're serious about the CMMC, let them show that they've invested the time and the energy and trained and certified in it. And then another red flag is to look for a consultant who claims that they can guarantee compliance without the proper credentials. That is a huge red flag. Anybody that guarantees something that they've never done before, that that is never a good thing. Before hiring, always verify their certification on the cyber a b marketplace. You can look them up by name, and it takes you two minutes. And you could save a lot of time and a world of trouble. Next, ensure that they have real audit experience. 1 of the things I always stress on is ensure that they have real audit experience. Don't just ask if they're certified. Ask if they've actually been through an audit. And why do I say that? When you get somebody that is gonna be consulting for you and they've never been through an audit, it's just, yeah, I know. What's going on? There's a big difference between studying compliance and navigating an actual assessment. Some consultants are great at theory but actually never sat in a room with an auditor. Right? So you should ask, have you helped companies go through a CMMC assessment before? Have you supported a auditor to audit for any kind of framework. Can you walk me through a time when an organization failed and how you help them recover? So here's an example. I once knew a company that hired a consultant who had never done a real audit. When the audit day came, the consultant couldn't explain why certain controls were in place. And guess what? The company failed. They had to start over, losing months of work and tens of thousands of dollars. A a consultant that has real audit experience knows how to handle tough auditor questions. The next 1, communication matters. Super important. It's not just it's not just about IT when it comes to CMMC. It involves finance. It involves HR, leadership, and other departments that touch all of these controls. A good consultant needs to be able to explain technical compliance to different types of people. So when we're looking for a great consultant, look for 1 that can break down compliance jargon for your leadership team. Are they getting too technical, or can they do it at a high level because leadership doesn't have time to try to figure out what they're trying to say? They need to get to the point. A great consultant can also document policies in a way that auditors can easily understand. Again, I'm all about getting straight to the point. Right? Saying exactly what needs to be said and not being verbose with documentation. Another thing to look for is a great consultant will adapt their approach depending on their audience. When you're talking to HR, can they break down the HR controls? For example, doing background checks for, your people? Can you can you break down that control to something simple that HR will understand? Again, when we talk about leadership, can you summarize in an executive summary what exactly needs to be done and how you're going to do it? Huge, advantage when you have a consultant that can adapt their approach depending on their audience. Here's some red flags. Do they overwhelm you with technical jargon without explanation? A lot of people think that if they talk a lot and they provide a lot of information that they sound more competent, but it could be just overwhelming for the audience. So you don't want you don't want a consultant that does that. Is their documentation a mess? If they can't write clearly, your policies won't pass an audit. Again, straight to the point. And if they can't adjust their tone when speaking to different stakeholders, it's gonna be a problem because then you're gonna be trying to interpret and then translate all of that jargon that the consultant just said to the leadership team, to HR, to training, all these different departments because they're not gonna understand. So at the end of the day, if your consultant can't communicate, you'll be stuck translating compliance language to your own team. And trust me, it's a nightmare. Alright. Do you need a consultant for knowledge, implementation, or both? When I look at consultants for CMMC, I look at 3 things. Are they gap assessors? Do they identify what you need to fix but don't actually fix it? 2, are they implementers? Maybe you already know your gaps, but the implementers, they help put the security measures in place. But they may not be the ones that actually did the gap assessment, or they may not be good with strategy and how to put it all together. They're the ones that are just gonna fix stuff. And then 3, full service consultants. They assess and they implement and they get you ready for audit. Before hiring, ask yourself, do we have the internal staff to handle implementation, or do we need outside help? 2, are we looking for guidance, or do we need hands on execution? And then 3, what's our timeline? Do we need fast compliance? Are we preparing for the long haul? Hiring the wrong type of consultant will leave you with gaps in your compliance strategy, so choose wisely. And the last thing is, does this consultant fit your company culture? Huge. If you hire someone who doesn't mesh with your team, you'll have friction, miscommunication, and frustration. Here's what I mean. If your company is full of veterans like me, we don't like beating around the bush. We like direct, no b s communication. You need a consultant who gets to the point. What if your team is made up of engineers who love to analyze everything? You need a consultant who provides deep dive explanations. If your organization has a corporate type culture, you might need someone who is structured, formal, and very polished. How do you test for cultural fit? Ask for a sample deliverable. Does it match how your team operates? Or have a short consultation and see if they adapt their approach to your team. Your CMMC consultant will be working closely with your team, so make sure they don't just have the skills, but also the right personality for your organization. Let's recap. 1, make sure that they're certified in CMMC. No exceptions. 2, ensure that they have real audit experience, not just a certification. 3, find someone who can communicate effectively with stakeholders across your organization. 4, decide whether you need knowledge, implementation, or both. 5, make sure they fit your company culture. So choosing the right consultant isn't just about compliance. It's about finding a partner who will guide you through the process efficiently and effectively. At June Cyber, we do more than just talk about compliance. We help you achieve it. We are an emerging c 3 PAO, certified in CMMC, and have helped countless organizations navigate compliance with no nonsense. So if your organization is preparing for a CMMC assessment and you need an experienced certified team to guide you, visit us at www.junecyber.com. Connect with us on LinkedIn and reach out directly. You could also hook up with me on LinkedIn, and we're here to help you pass the first time. So thanks for tuning in, and I'll catch you in the next episode of CMMC News.