Best CMMC consultants for 2025

by Ian MacRae
President and CEO, E-N Computers
25+ years experience solving business IT problems in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Updated January 28, 2025

Finding a CMMC consultant to help you achieve compliance for CMMC 2.0 is high on the checklist for thousands of small organizations who do business with the Department of Defense.

The Cyber AB, the accrediting body for CMMC, calls the certification process “complex and time-consuming” and considers it “crucial to leverage the expertise of a trusted third-party organization that has been authorized by the Cyber AB.”

Those ‘trusted third-party organizations’ – otherwise known as Registered Practitioner Organizations or RPOs are certified to provide CMMC consulting services, so having one is a smart idea. But where to find one that is both competent and affordable for a smaller business?

We predict that the rush is soon to be on for good CMMC consultants, especially with CMMC certification expected to be required this year. (It can take more than a year to implement CMMC requirements to even apply for certification, so now is the time to start.)

Here are some of the CMMC consultants we have encountered that we respect for various reasons. I tried to think of anything positive or negative you might experience even from the best to help you choose the right consultant for your needs.

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Who are the best CMMC consultants in 2025?

You can find a long list of CMMC consultants on the Cyber AB Marketplace. Summit7 is the behemoth (with a price to match). Kieri Solutions is a great C3PAO with a focus on practical cybersecurity. F1 Solutions is a Microsoft Partner authorized to sell GCC High to smaller organizations. CTI has a wealth of experience supporting defense contractors and hardening Microsoft 365. G2 Ops has worked with the State of Virginia to audit Registered Practitioner Organizations. And E-N Computers focuses on preparing small business defense contractors for CMMC compliance.

E-N Computers — best CMMC consultant for SMBs in Virginia & Washington, D.C.

Website: E-N Computers
Location: Virginia & D.C.
Designation: MSP, MSSP, and CMMC Consulting
Service area: Mostly small to medium-sized businesses (less than 200 employees) nonprofits, government contractors
Specialization: CMMC managed IT services and CMMC compliance consulting
Experience: Nearly 30 years
Certifications: RPO
Services offered: Full CMMC implementation, ongoing managed IT support

I’m starting with us not because I think we’re the best for everybody but so you know who’s giving you these recommendations.

Our focus is on businesses in Virginia and Washington, D.C. seeking CMMC certification. (While we are based in Virginia, we also serve CMMC clients outside the area, as consulting is often less location-specific than managed services.)

We understand the resource constraints of smaller organizations and have been working with nonprofits and government contractors for nearly 30 years. Lately we’ve particulary been working with smaller manufacturers and design firms with compliance requirements.

We’re a regional managed IT services provider. Most CMMC consultants just give you a list of what’s missing. But they won’t fix it, document it, or keep it compliant. We can.

We help clients procure the best and most cost-effective Microsoft 365 Government cloud licenses, including GCC and GCC High. We are also an MSP with a strong focus on planning and prevention. We work as your business partner, not just another IT vendor.

At E-N Computers, we have designed our CMMC consulting services as a collaborative process so that you feel confident and prepared for your assessment. We also offer a CMMC gap analysis as a more short-term engagement. Our three Registered Practitioners are experienced IT and cybersecurity professionals.

We believe that CMMC will change the way you do business. Look at it as an opportunity to improve your technology and processes. Contact us today to request our 30-minute complimentary CMMC consulting session.

Kieri Solutions — best for small to mid-sized businesses

Website: Kieri Solutions
Location: National
Designation: CMMC & NIST Compliance Consultant
Service Area: Small to mid-sized businesses
Specialization: Compliance consulting and gap analysis
Experience: Supporting various business sectors
Certifications: C3PAO
Services Offered: Compliance consulting, gap analysis

Kieri Solutions is a Maryland-based CMMC consultanting that has been in business 10 years and has become a leader in CMMC compliance. They’re also listed on the Cyber AB Marketplace as a CMMC Third Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO). They have a small but highly competent team that can assist you with preparation, documentation, a mock assessment, and more.

One thing we really appreciate about Kieri Solutions is their realistic approach to cybersecurity. They understand that your network needs to be both functional and secure. They focus on solutions that are appropriately sized for smaller organizations. Their audits are also on the more affordable end for small businesses seeking CMMC Level 2 certification. And they offer some interesting compliance documentation templates and reference architecture for Microsoft 365. (Kieri is not a managed IT services provider.)

Summit7 — best for government contractors

Summit7 - best CMMC consultants for big budgets

Website: Summit7
Location: National
Designation: CMMC consultant
Service Area: Large government contractors
Specialization: CMMC compliance and cybersecurity
Experience: Extensive work with defense contractors
Certifications: RPO
Services Offered: Full CMMC assessment and implementation

It’s practically impossible to talk about CMMC consultants without talking about Summit7. They’re the 800-pound gorilla in the CMMC space. Over the years, Summit7 has published useful content around CMMC and helped create Microsoft’s guide to CMMC and M365.

We had the opportunity to work with Summit7 on a project that involved helping a client recover from a security breach and implement GCC High. We were reasonably impressed with Summit7 for their knowledge about GCC High and for the way they work. As a client, you get a team that includes a project manager and specialists for various modules and tools. Their structured approach to meetings and managing expectations keeps you in the loop.

In our experience, the transition from sales to project kickoff was a bit bumpy. It took a fair bit of time for the handover to happen and for communication to pick up again. Summit7 is also expensive and their quoting isn’t always the most accurate or easy to decipher.

F1 Solutions — best for IT services and cybersecurity

Website: F1 Solutions
Location: Regional (East Coast)
Designation: IT & Cybersecurity Consultant
Service Area: Government contractors, non-profits
Specialization: IT services and cybersecurity
Experience: Extensive experience with regulated industries
Certifications: RPO
Services Offered: CMMC gap analysis, training

F1 Solutions is a Registered Practitioner Organization (RPO) based in Alabama. They’re also a Microsoft Partner authorized to sell Microsoft 365 Government cloud licenses, including GCC High, to organizations under 500 seats. (We are, too.) We have had the opportunity to work with them on Microsoft 365 projects and have been impressed by their professionalism.

CTI — best for IT security and compliance support

Website: CTI
Location: National
Designation: IT Security & CMMC Consultant
Service Area: All business sizes
Specialization: IT security and CMMC compliance
Experience: Wide-ranging expertise in cybersecurity
Certifications: N/A
Services Offered: Implementation & post-certification support

We’re reasonably impressed by CTI’s credentials and project history. Their team holds several cybersecurity certifications and has decades of combined experience meeting DoD guidelines. They focus on project work and are particularly knowledgeable about hardening the security of Microsoft 365.

G2 Ops — best for large enterprises and contractors

Website: G2 Ops
Location: National
Designation: CMMC, Cybersecurity & Risk Consultant
Service Area: Large enterprises, contractors
Specialization: Risk management and full compliance strategies
Experience: Deep experience with enterprise security
Certifications: N/A
Services Offered: Full compliance management

In 2023, the State of Virginia partnered with G2 Ops and IntelliGRC to perform an audit of CMMC Registered Practitioner Organizations (RPO) including us. So, G2 is obviously trusted. Unfortunately, IntelliGRC does not produce helpful reports. Then, the policy reports we received were ultimately copies of NIST 800-53 — a very broad set of IT standards. This is a bit like giving a CDL study guide to a car driver. Even a copy of NIST 800-171 would have been marginally more useful since it directly relates to CMMC. However, G2 Ops has done a lot of business in the Virginia cybersecurity market, so we’re including them here.

When you need a CMMC consultant

The best time to hire a CMMC consultant is right now. CMMC compliance can take several months to years, and CMMC deadlines are looming.

While looking, think beyond your certification. A consultant should help improve your overall cybersecurity posture, not just get you through the audit.

Consider long-term support post-certification to maintain compliance and continually enhance your security. CMMC certification requires recertification every three years. Without ongoing support, security configurations can degrade, policies may become outdated, and new threats can emerge.

How to vet a CMMC consultant

Look for consultants who have worked with businesses that resemble yours in structure and operations. From our experience, there are three common types of companies pursuing CMMC, and a good consultant will understand the nuances of each:

Staffing/“Butts in Seats” Companies: These organizations provide personnel for federal contracts and often rely on a small internal operations team to support a large contractor workforce. Compliance can be challenging when contractors handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) but lack standardized secure environments or equipment.
Manufacturers: These companies are producing goods for the federal government and tend to have more established infrastructure and networks. Their compliance work usually involves system hardening and aligning processes with production workflows.
Traditional service providers: These are businesses like landscapers or cabling installers that offer local or physical services. While they may not seem like typical targets, they often handle federal contracts and still need to meet CMMC requirements.

Here are a few other considerations when looking for a consultant:

Proper certifications: Look for CMMC-Registered Practitioners (RP), C3PAOs, or CCPs with appropriate credentials. Your consultant/RP cannot also be your auditor (C3PAO) due to a conflict of interest.

Customization: A quality consultant will tailor solutions to your business instead of providing generic templates.

Microsoft 365 expertise: If you use Microsoft cloud services, look for a consultant who can guide you through the necessary configurations for compliance, such as configuring Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to meet CMMC access control and logging requirements as one example.

How to compare CMMC consultants

Consider what services are included, how clear the pricing is and also ask for client testimonials or references, preferably from businesses similar to yours.

For scope of services, some consultants offer only assessments, while others assist with full implementation, staff training, and managed services.

For pricing, ask about the pricing model—whether hourly, per engagement, or through support packages. Hourly rates may provide flexibility but can become pricey for long engagements. Per-engagement pricing offers predictability but may have scope limitations. Support packages provide ongoing assistance but require a long-term commitment.

More CMMC Resources

If you’re looking for CMMC consulting services for your small business

If you need to better understand CMMC requirements:

If you’re looking for CMMC tools and training:

If you’re looking for a Registered Practitioner Organization:

If you’re looking for a CMMC assessor:

Best CMMC assessors near Washington, DC

If you’re looking for information about CMMC that is targeted toward smaller businesses:

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