Choosing a CMMC consultant got harder in 2026, not easier. The Department of War suspended CMMC Phase 2 in July, and a September class deviation stripped mandatory third-party assessment requirements out of contracts. None of that removed the underlying obligation. Every defense contractor handling controlled unclassified information (CUI) still has to implement the 110 requirements in NIST SP 800-171, post a score in SPRS and have a senior official affirm it every year. What changed is the pressure: the firms that treated CMMC as a deadline are now deciding whether to keep going, and the firms that treated it as a security program are pulling ahead.
A good CMMC consultant shortens that work. The best ones scope your CUI environment down before remediating it, write a System Security Plan an assessor can actually test, and leave you with a program you can maintain rather than a binder. The firms below are a mix of Registered Practitioner Organizations (RPOs), managed service providers that run the controls for you, and two authorized C3PAOs that also sell readiness work. None paid to be included. If you are still working out what Level 2 requires, start with our CMMC Level 2 requirements guide and the CMMC compliance checklist.
CMMC Consultants At A Glance
Company
Headquarters
CMMC Role
Best For
Summit 7
Huntsville, AL
RPO and MSP
Microsoft GCC High shops that want one partner for readiness and operations
CyberSheath
Reston, VA
RPO and managed CMMC provider
Contractors who want compliance run as a managed service
Quzara
Vienna, VA
RPO and MSSP
Teams that need a US-staffed SOC alongside CMMC advisory
Beryllium InfoSec Collaborative
Dallas, TX
RPO with its own enclave
Small manufacturers that want CUI in a contained enclave
Ardalyst
Maryland
RPO with its own enclave
Azure-based cloud enclaves and managed compliance
MAD Security
Huntsville, AL
CMMC consulting and MSSP
Veteran-led readiness plus a 24/7 SOC
Agile IT
San Diego, CA
RPO and Microsoft partner
GCC High licensing, migration and configuration
Totem Technologies
Utah
CMMC consulting, training and software
Very small businesses and on-premise enclaves
Compass IT Compliance
North Providence, RI
RPO
Gap assessments and vCISO support for the Northeast DIB
CBIZ Pivot Point Security
Hamilton, NJ
CMMC and multi-framework advisory
Contractors also managing ISO 27001 or SOC 2
Kieri Solutions
Woodbine, MD
Authorized C3PAO that also advises
Deep technical guidance and mock assessments
SecureStrux
Lancaster, PA
Authorized C3PAO that also advises
Contractors who want assessor-grade preparation
Best CMMC Consultant Options In 2026
1. Summit 7 — 100 Clients Certified At Level 2, On Microsoft’s Government Cloud
Summit 7 is the name that comes up first when a contractor running Microsoft 365 asks who can get them to Level 2 without rebuilding their whole IT stack. The Huntsville firm is a Cyber AB registered RPO, and in May 2026 it announced its hundredth client certified at CMMC Level 2. It also holds two Level 2 certifications of its own, one for the company and one covering its managed services, which matters when you are handing a provider part of your compliance boundary.
The practice is split into readiness and GRC advisory, managed IT, and managed security, with Microsoft 365 GCC High and Azure Government migrations running through all three. Summit 7 was among the first firms to earn Microsoft’s Azure Expert MSP status, and in May 2026 it was one of eight firms named to the US Army’s NCODE cyber compliance pilot.
Best for: mid-sized contractors already on Microsoft who want the same partner to certify them and keep them certified.
2. CyberSheath — CMMC As A Managed Service, With A Perfect 110 Of Its Own
CyberSheath has been in the defense compliance business since 2012 and was among the early organizations approved as an RPO in December 2020. Its model is managed CMMC compliance: rather than writing your SSP and leaving, it runs the security tooling, monitoring and documentation that keep the controls in place. The company describes itself as the largest managed CMMC vendor in the defense industrial base.
It practices what it sells. CyberSheath passed its own CMMC Level 2 certification assessment in April 2025 with a perfect score of 110. It also runs the CMMC CON conference and publishes an annual State of the DIB report, which makes it one of the better-read voices on where the program is heading after the 2026 suspension.
Best for: contractors without an internal security team who want compliance operated, not just advised on.
Quzara, founded in 2015 and approved as an RPO in December 2020, pairs CMMC advisory with its own managed detection and response service, Cybertorch. The advisory side covers the usual path: gap assessment, SSP and POA&M development and C3PAO preparation. The operational side is where it stands out, with a security operations center staffed only by US citizens and an MDR offering it describes as FedRAMP High authorized.
That combination answers one of the hardest Level 2 families, audit and accountability, where contractors have to collect, protect and actually review logs. Quzara also offers an enclave on Azure Government and an automation tool for NIST compliance documentation. It is an SBA 8(a) and woman-owned small business, which some primes value when choosing subcontracted services.
Best for: contractors that need continuous monitoring to satisfy the logging requirements, not just a readiness report.
Beryllium is an RPO founded in 2017 that built its own answer to the scoping problem: Cuick Trac, a virtual desktop enclave where CUI lives separately from the rest of the business. For a small machine shop, that can shrink the assessment boundary from every laptop and server in the building to a single controlled environment. Beryllium passed its own CMMC Level 2 assessment on the Cuick Trac platform in May 2025.
Around the enclave it offers gap analysis, vCISO support, compliance program management and SSP documentation. Like Summit 7, it was named one of the eight firms on the Army’s NCODE pilot in May 2026.
Best for: small manufacturers and subcontractors that would rather contain CUI than secure their entire network.
5. Ardalyst — A Defense Contractor Running Its Own Cloud Enclave
Ardalyst is a registered RPO that is also a DoD contractor itself, so it builds for the same requirements its clients face. Its flagship is Tesseract, a cloud CUI enclave on Microsoft’s platform, sold alongside managed compliance programs and enclave migration and configuration services listed on the Microsoft Marketplace.
The pitch is less paperwork and more architecture: stand up a compliant environment, move CUI workflows into it, and manage the controls there. Ardalyst is a longtime Microsoft partner and has kept publishing practical guidance through the Phase 2 suspension.
Best for: contractors that want a managed cloud enclave rather than a full tenant migration.
6. MAD Security — Veteran-Owned, With A 24/7 SOC In Huntsville
MAD Security is a veteran-owned firm operating out of Cummings Research Park in Huntsville, one of the densest concentrations of defense contractors in the country. It combines CMMC consulting and readiness with a managed security service run from its own 24/7 SOC, and it positions its advisory work as separate from the certification audit itself.
MAD Security achieved CMMC Level 2 with a perfect SPRS score of 110, has appeared on the MSSP Alert Top 250 list five years running, and was named to Inc.’s Best Workplaces in 2026.
Best for: small and mid-sized contractors that want readiness and ongoing monitoring from one veteran-led team.
7. Agile IT — One Of The Original GCC High Resellers
For many contractors, the first big CMMC decision is whether to move to Microsoft 365 GCC High. Agile IT has been answering that question longer than most: the San Diego firm describes itself as one of the six original GCC High resellers and a four-time Microsoft Partner of the Year. It is a Cyber AB registered RPO with Lead CCAs, CCAs and CCPs on staff.
The work is organized into GCC High implementation, CMMC readiness and managed security. Agile IT says it has completed more than 1,000 Microsoft 365 migrations and supported more than 200 defense contracts.
Best for: contractors whose CMMC plan hinges on licensing, migrating and correctly configuring GCC High.
Totem Technologies is a veteran-owned small business that focuses on the part of the defense supply chain larger consultancies tend to price out: shops with a handful of employees and no IT department. It offers CMMC training and workshops, gap assessments and SSP and POA&M support, plus its own CMMC compliance software.
Its most distinctive product is HRDN-IT, an on-premise enclave built around a single hardened workstation, router and encrypted storage, intended for businesses that only touch CUI occasionally and do not want a cloud tenant at all.
Best for: very small businesses that handle CUI rarely and need an affordable, contained setup.
Compass IT Compliance, founded in 2010 in Rhode Island, earned RPO status in 2021 and runs CMMC work as part of a broader compliance and security practice. Its CMMC services cover readiness and gap assessments, remediation roadmaps and virtual CISO leadership, and it can also handle the penetration testing and vulnerability scanning that feed the risk assessment family.
The company says it serves more than 1,000 customers nationwide. (It is not the same company as CompassMSP, a separate Connecticut managed service provider.)
Best for: contractors that want an outside security leader to own the program, not just deliver a report.
Pivot Point Security has been doing information security advisory since 2001 and became part of CBIZ in 2023. Its CMMC consulting and gap assessments are often delivered alongside ISO 27001 and SOC 2 work, which suits contractors that sell into both defense and commercial markets and do not want to run three separate compliance programs.
Being part of a national accounting and advisory group also gives it more depth than a boutique on the business side of compliance, including contracts, risk and governance.
Best for: dual-market companies mapping CMMC onto frameworks they already maintain.
11. Kieri Solutions — An Authorized C3PAO With Deep Technical Guidance
Kieri Solutions, founded in 2015 by Navy and DISA veteran Amira Armond, is an authorized C3PAO that also sells consulting. It has completed more than 50 assessments, and its team edits CMMCaudit.org, one of the most detailed free references on how assessors interpret individual requirements. Armond also co-founded the C3PAO Stakeholder Forum.
One rule applies to every firm in this position: a C3PAO cannot certify a company it consulted for. If you hire Kieri to prepare you, plan on a different C3PAO for the certification assessment.
Best for: technical teams that want an assessor’s reading of each requirement before they are assessed.
12. SecureStrux — Assessor-Grade Preparation From Pennsylvania
SecureStrux was founded in 2013 by Nathan Shea, whose background includes DISA and US Cyber Command, and is now an authorized C3PAO with in-house Certified CMMC Assessors. It runs CMMC preparation consulting and certification assessments as separate lines of business, under the same conflict-of-interest rule described above.
The firm holds ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certifications of its own and has made the Inc. 5000 four times.
Best for: contractors that want preparation shaped by people who run real Level 2 assessments.
What A CMMC Consultant Actually Does
Most CMMC consulting engagements follow the same arc, whichever firm you hire:
Scoping. Mapping where CUI enters, lives and leaves the business, and deciding whether an enclave can shrink the assessment boundary. This is where good consultants save the most money.
CMMC readiness assessment or gap assessment. Testing each of the 110 requirements against its assessment objectives and producing an honest SPRS score, not an optimistic one.
Documentation. Writing the System Security Plan, policies, procedures and any POA&M, and making sure they describe what is actually running.
Remediation. Closing gaps such as multifactor authentication, FIPS-validated encryption, logging and network segmentation, either directly or through a managed service.
Assessment support. Preparing evidence, running a mock assessment and supporting you through the self-assessment or C3PAO assessment.
The CMMC ecosystem uses specific titles, and they are not interchangeable.
Role
What It Is
Can It Certify You?
CMMC consultant
Any firm offering CMMC advice or implementation. No accreditation is required to use the term.
No
RPO (Registered Practitioner Organization)
A consulting firm or MSP registered with the Cyber AB that employs Registered Practitioners. Some firms still use the older name, Registered Provider Organization.
No
C3PAO
A CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organization authorized by the Cyber AB, employing Certified CMMC Assessors (CCAs) and Professionals (CCPs).
Yes, but not a company it consulted for
RPO status shows a firm has registered with the Cyber AB, agreed to its code of professional conduct and employs trained practitioners. It is not a quality guarantee, so check references either way. You can confirm any firm’s current status in the Cyber AB Marketplace.
How Much CMMC Consulting And Certification Cost
There is no standard price for a CMMC consultant, because the cost is driven by scope: how many people, systems and locations touch CUI. A small business with a tight enclave and a mid-sized manufacturer with CUI across its whole network are different projects.
For the certification side, the DoD’s own CMMC rule estimated roughly $105,000 over a three-year cycle for a small business Level 2 certification assessment. That estimate covers the assessment and affirmations, not the work of implementing the controls, which for most contractors is the larger bill. Ask any consultant to separate readiness fees, remediation (tools, licensing, engineering) and ongoing managed services in their proposal, so you can compare like with like. Our guide to how much CMMC certification costs breaks the budget down by level.
How To Choose A CMMC Consultant
Have They Been Through A Level 2 Assessment Themselves?
Several firms on this list hold their own Level 2 certification. A consultant who has sat on the other side of an assessment knows what evidence holds up. Ask how many clients they have taken through a C3PAO assessment, not just how many gap assessments they have run.
Will They Shrink Your Scope Before Remediating It?
The cheapest control is one you do not have to implement. A good CMMC consultant will ask where CUI really needs to go before quoting remediation, and will explain whether an enclave, a GCC High tenant or segmentation fits your business.
Do You Want Advice, Or Someone To Run The Controls?
Advisory firms leave you with a plan and documentation. Managed providers operate logging, monitoring and patching for you. If you use a managed provider, make sure your SSP includes a customer responsibility matrix showing which requirements they cover.
Can They Also Assess You?
They should not. If a firm is an authorized C3PAO, it cannot certify an organization it consulted for. Keep the preparation firm and the assessing firm separate from the start.
How Do They Read The 2026 Changes?
Mandatory third-party assessments are paused, but NIST SP 800-171 obligations, SPRS scores and annual affirmations are not. A consultant who tells you to stop is ignoring the contract clauses already in force. One who tells you nothing has changed is not reading the news either.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a CMMC consultant do?
A CMMC consultant scopes your CUI environment, runs a readiness or gap assessment against the 110 NIST SP 800-171 requirements, writes the System Security Plan and supporting documents, guides remediation and prepares you for a self-assessment or C3PAO assessment.
What is a CMMC RPO?
A Registered Practitioner Organization: a consulting firm or managed service provider registered with the Cyber AB that provides CMMC advisory services. RPOs cannot conduct certification assessments.
Can a C3PAO be my CMMC consultant?
A C3PAO can offer consulting, but it cannot then certify the same company. If you hire one to prepare you, use a different C3PAO for your assessment.
Do I still need a CMMC consultant after the Phase 2 suspension?
If you handle CUI, the NIST SP 800-171 requirements, SPRS score and annual affirmation still apply. Many contractors still use consultants to reach and document compliance, and to be ready if third-party assessments return.
How long does CMMC consulting take?
It depends on your starting point and scope. A gap assessment can take a few weeks; remediation to a Level 2 ready state commonly takes many months, especially if it involves migrating to GCC High or building an enclave.
Conclusion
The right CMMC consultant depends on what you are missing. If you run Microsoft 365, Summit 7 and Agile IT know GCC High better than almost anyone. If you want compliance operated for you, CyberSheath, Quzara and MAD Security run the controls day to day. If containing CUI is the smarter path, Beryllium, Ardalyst and Totem each built their own enclave. And if you want an assessor’s eye before the real assessment, Kieri Solutions and SecureStrux can prepare you, as long as someone else certifies you. Whichever you choose, ask for a scoped proposal, references from certified clients and a clear line between advice, remediation and ongoing services.
If you’re a CMMC consultant and want to feature your company on this list, email us or submit a form in the Top Choices section. After a thorough assessment, we’ll decide whether it’s a valuable addition.
