With November 10 deadline looming and auditor shortage creating bottleneck, Strike Graph offers DoD vendor community accessible first step toward certification to protect national security and business continuity

Strike Graph, the AI-native compliance management platform, today announced the availability of a free, guided Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Self-Assessment and Compliance Toolkit to help U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contractors prepare for the upcoming Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Final Rule, effective November 10, 2025. The free toolkit is designed to help defense contractors take immediate action toward certification—protecting both national security and their ability to compete for DoD contracts.

The DFARS Final Rule marks a fundamental shift in how cybersecurity requirements are incorporated into DoD contracts and subcontracts, requiring contractors to maintain current CMMC status for all information systems that process, store, or transmit Federal Contract Information (FCI) or Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Yet the DoD contractor community remains dangerously unprepared. After years of postponing preparation while waiting for final rules to emerge, many vendors are only now beginning to understand their requirements and obligations—with few having allocated proper, if any, resources to compliance efforts.

"These contractors and subcontractors form the backbone of our national defense infrastructure," said Justin Beals, CEO and Founder of Strike Graph. "Compliance shouldn't be a barrier to those serving our country—it should be a revenue accelerant. For prime and subprime vendors serving the DoD, achieving CMMC compliance isn't just about checking boxes; it's about effectively meeting security requirements to build trust with government partners, unlocking opportunities, and positioning their businesses at the front of the line for lucrative contracts. We built this free offering to ensure that lack of awareness or resources doesn't prevent critical defense suppliers from maintaining their ability to serve."

To support the DoD vendor community during this critical transition period, Strike Graph is offering free access to its guided self-assessment and complete CMMC compliance platform for 60 days. This initiative reflects the company's commitment to supporting organizations that are essential to national defense readiness.

Strike Graph's free offering provides DoD contractors with full access to the company's AI-native CMMC compliance platform, including:

• Guided CMMC Self-Assessment: Complete your mandatory CMMC Level 1 or 2 self-assessment and submit Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) scores with clear, actionable guidance for understanding compliance gaps
• System Security Plan (SSP) Templates: Comprehensive, customizable SSP documentation that meets CMMC requirements
• POA&M Tracking: Plans of Action and Milestones management to document remediation efforts for conditional certification
• NIST 800-171 Control Mappings: Complete mapping to the 110 security requirements that form the foundation of CMMC Level 2
• Evidence Validation and Control Monitoring: Strike Graph’s patent-pending AI-native technology, Verify AI reduces manual audit preparation
• Real-Time Compliance Dashboards: Visual tracking of compliance status, control implementation, and readiness across the organization
• Evidence Collection Automation: Automated gathering and organization of compliance artifacts

Unprepared contractors risk more than delayed contracts, including loss of business, ineligibility for future contracts, and even potential contractual penalties from violations for failing to maintain compliance. The Final Rule introduces binding requirements for more than 337,000 unique entities, which includes prime contractors and subcontractors. 2024 DoD review found that 70% of organizations claiming CMMC compliance failed to pass their assessment, primarily by misunderstanding the scope of CUI and its derivative information.

Organizations also dramatically underestimate the time required to implement NIST SP 800-171 controls—the foundation of CMMC Level 2 certification. Depending on a vendor's size and current security posture, preparation for assessment can require anywhere from 6-18 months or more. Compounding this challenge, there are currently only approximately 250 authorized C3PAO (Certified Third-Party Assessor Organization) companies worldwide to serve the tens of thousands of companies requiring CMMC Level 2 certification. This severe shortage means contractors who delay action risk being unable to schedule assessments by C3PAOs in time to maintain contract eligibility.

Strike Graph’s free CMMC Self-Assessment is an accessible first step for organizations that may have delayed preparation, lack clarity of CMMC requirements, or want to build lasting operational and compliance efficiencies. By supporting contractors across the compliance journey, Strike Graph reinforces its commitment to strengthening the defense industrial base and national security.

DoD contractors can accomplish multiple, realistic 60-day milestones:

• Complete Level 1 or Level 2 self-assessment to identify compliance gaps and generate and submit SPRS scores.
• Develop comprehensive inventory of systems handling FCI and CUI
• Create documented System Security Plan tailored to organization's environment
• Establish POA&M for identified deficiencies with realistic remediation timelines
• Implement quick-win security controls that can be addressed immediately
• Build foundation for ongoing compliance monitoring and evidence collection
• Gain clear visibility into audit readiness and remaining work required

"Strike Graph gave us the confidence to successfully complete multiple CMMC assessments across our facilities," said Sanmina’s head of Security. "We've used Strike Graph for five CMMC assessments and passed all five. The platform was instrumental in helping us collect, organize, and evaluate over 600 artifacts of evidence per plant—something I can't imagine doing without Strike Graph. Our C3PAO assessors consistently praised our evidence collection and organization, which directly contributed to our assessment success and positioned us to compete for critical DoD contracts."

Beginning November 10, 2028, DoD will be required to include CMMC requirements in all solicitations and contracts where contractors use information systems to process, store, or transmit FCI or CUI. However, during the three-year phase-in period starting November 10, 2025, DoD will have discretion to include CMMC requirements in individual contracts, meaning requirements are already appearing in solicitations.

With assessment timelines stretching 6-18 months and C3PAO availability severely constrained, contractors must begin their compliance journey immediately. Strike Graph's free toolkit removes the initial barriers—cost, complexity, and confusion—that have prevented many DoD vendors from taking action.

DoD contractors and subcontractors can access Strike Graph's free 60-day CMMC Self-Assessment and Compliance Toolkit at https://www.strikegraph.com/self-assessments.

For more information about Strike Graph's CMMC compliance solutions, visit https://www.strikegraph.com/nist-800-171.

About Strike Graph

Strike Graph is an AI-native compliance management company empowering organizations of any size to eliminate redundant work, accelerate audits, and achieve trust. Strike Graph’s next-generation platform transforms GRC through its purpose-built graph-based architecture, patent-pending agentic evidence validation technology, Verify AI, and dynamic mapping across 30+ compliance frameworks. Built with privacy-first principles, Strike Graph hosts its own AI models rather than relying on third-party services, ensuring customer data remains secure and siloed. Founded in 2020 by technologist and serial entrepreneur Justin Beals and backed by top-tier investors, Strike Graph has helped hundreds of organizations reduce compliance timelines by more than 86% while achieving 100% clean audit reports.

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