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{Washington, DC}: Advantage Industries today announced that they have gained a CMMC Registered Provider Organization (RPO) certification, and additionally, that two of their staff members, Kevin Dubois and Matt McGinty, have gained CMMC Registered Practitioner (RP) certifications. These certifications position Advantage Industries as one of the few IT services companies currently capable of helping DoD contractors assess, remediate and certify CMMC compliance.
“Companies working with the DoD are expected to be proactive in their pursuit of CMMC compliance, and as a partner to organizations in that field, I knew we needed to be proactive about being in a position to provide expert assistance,” says Mike Shelah, Advantage Industries.
In October 2020, the DoD released their Interim Final Rule, which set a deadline for NIST compliance and a timeline for CMMC compliance. These new compliance standards not only put DoD contractors on the clock, but also presented them with far more rigorous expectations than they’ve been subject to before.
Unlike other compliance systems, CMMC is not a set of guidelines that can be met through self-assessment; CMMC requires authorized assessment and certification. This prompts a considerable expenditure of time and money for DoD contractors, in many cases requiring them to work with multiple parties in order to certify compliance. One third-party to assess, another to remediate, and another to certify.
Advantage Industries is now in a position to streamline and simplify that process. As an RPO with two RPs on staff, Advantage Industries can guide companies through the process end to end. They will assess the client’s current compliance, manage the remediation process firsthand, and directly liaise on the client’s behalf with a party that will handle the certification. After compliance is certified, Advantage Industries can deliver ongoing support to ensure their certification is maintained.
The RP certification process in particular is intensive. In addition to training and testing, Dubois and McGuinty were subject to vetting processes as well. The CMMC Accreditation Body had to verify that they did not present any vulnerabilities which could be used against them by malicious third parties or foreign states.
While more RPOs and RPs will enter the field as time goes on, right now, Advantage Industries offers an early start on the process for DoD contractors that want to be proactive about CMMC compliance.
About Advantage Industries
Advantage Industries is a full service IT support company, with expertise in managed services, compliance, network security, software, hardware, project management and process engineering. Since 1999, their customized IT solutions have helped commercial enterprises and government agencies leverage new technologies to drive progress and innovation in the workplace.
