CMMC certification is rolling out in RFPs in the defense and federal security compliance space. This framework promotes a uniform approach to security to protect important, unclassified data that passes through third-party vendors working with federal agencies. To ensure that companies meet their compliance requirements, CMMC leverages outside certified assessors to serve as a third-party assessment organization (C3PAO).

This article will cover the basics of C3PAOs in CMMC certification. This discussion includes a breakdown of CMMC requirements and the importance of a C3PAO in providing objective evaluations of vendor security in the defense space.