By Melissa McCoy, Chief Information & Security Officer – CISSP-ISSAP, CCSP, RP
Understanding Enclaves: Reducing Compliance Scope
A Smarter Path to CMMC Compliance: Enclaves and Cloud Solutions begin with understanding what an enclave is–a logically or physically isolated segment of an organization’s information technology (IT) infrastructure, designed to store, process, and protect controlled unclassified information (CUI). By confining CUI to the enclave, companies can dramatically reduce the scope of their CMMC assessment. Instead of having to apply all 110 security controls of NIST SP 800-171 across their entire enterprise, they can focus their resources on securing a smaller, more manageable environment. This not only streamlines the compliance process but also significantly lowers the cost and time required to achieve certification.
To successfully implement a CUI enclave, a contractor must first conduct a thorough data mapping to identify all systems, applications, and users that touch CUI. Once the CUI is identified, a clear compliance boundary must be established for the enclave. Access to the enclave should be strictly limited to a “need-to-know” basis. Limiting who has access to CUI will further simplify compliance. Enclaves can be internally managed systems or hosted in the cloud.
Cloud-Based Solutions and FedRamp Requirements
For those organizations leveraging a cloud-based solution, the CMMC Final Rule requires a FedRamp Moderate authorized platform to host the cloud enclave. Leveraging a FedRamp-certified cloud provider simplifies the technical and documentation requirements for CMMC Level 2 certification.
Some popular FedRamp-certified solutions are Google Workspace, Box, Microsoft GCC High, Amazon GovCloud, Microsoft Azure Government, Virtru, and Egnyte.
Cloud providers can also undergo their own third-party audits against FedRamp controls without becoming FedRamp certified. Services like PreVeil have achieved a FedRamp Moderate Equivalency status.
You have options for your enclave. Consider what works best for your business operations.
Melissa McCoy of Kaizen Approach, Inc. shares biweekly insights to help you and your business find a smarter path to CMMC compliance. Like and share the CISO Perspectives blog, help us continue to improve the IC’s security posture. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss your CMMC needs today!
