Alchemi Data Management Inc., a leading provider of data security and compliance services, today announced the release of its Top 10 Questions Manufacturers Must Ask to separate trusted CMMC partners from the rest of the crowd. As the Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 inches toward full ratification, U.S. manufacturers are under increasing pressure to meet its rigorous cybersecurity requirements or risk losing critical Defense Industrial Base (DIB) contracts. 

“CMMC 2.0 is no longer an optional best practice – it’s about to become the law of the land,” said Rob Sims, CTO at Alchemi Data Management. “Unfortunately, this urgency is attracting a wave of vendors and consultants offering incomplete CMMC solutions. Manufacturers need clear guidance to identify which partners are truly equipped to secure their operations from the shop floor to the boardroom.”

A High-Stakes Mandate for the DIB

CMMC 2.0 was designed to bolster national security by ensuring that every contractor handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) implements robust cybersecurity controls. But compliance can be a daunting undertaking for manufacturers that often operate with limited IT resources and complex operational technology (OT) environments. Alchemi warns that many offerings on the market today address only fragments of the compliance challenge and leave manufacturers vulnerable to penalties, lost contracts or devastating breaches. By asking the right questions, manufacturers can avoid wasting time and money on providers who lack the expertise or infrastructure to deliver end-to-end compliance.

The Top 10 Questions Manufacturers Should Ask

Alchemi recommends manufacturers vet potential partners by asking:

1. Does your platform provide around-the-clock SOC monitoring and rapid threat response, ensuring issues are addressed in real time?
2. Is your solution deployed within a FedRAMP Moderate or GCC High cloud environment to align with federal security standards?
3. Do you bill per user for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), and if so, how does that pricing structure accommodate a busy manufacturing floor?
4. How many of the required CMMC controls can we inherit directly through your environment without additional configuration?
5. Are features like logging, file access governance, and incident response natively integrated, or must we rely on outside tools to fill those gaps?
6. Does your offering secure both Operational Technology (OT) and traditional enterprise IT systems, or is the manufacturing floor excluded from your scope?
7. What methods do you use to detect and address situations where an insider, intentionally or by accident, is mishandling or leaking sensitive information?
8. Can your system quarantine a single compromised user or device while allowing the rest of the business to continue operating normally?
9. If a file is corrupted, encrypted or deleted, can you instantly restore the last clean version, or are you dependent on older backups that may be outdated?
10. What safeguards are in place to keep personnel from bypassing security protocols – for instance, storing machine code off-network or copying files outside approved channels?

“These questions cut through marketing fluff and expose whether a provider can deliver a secure enclave that protects against both external attackers and insider risks,” Sims added. “Most solutions are built to keep outsiders out but assume insiders can be trusted – an assumption that has cost manufacturers millions in breaches. True compliance is more than ticking boxes. It’s about true operational resilience.”

A Comprehensive Approach to Compliance

Alchemi’s own CMMC readiness solutions are built specifically for the realities of manufacturing environments, from protecting sensitive CAD files and shop floor programming to integrating OT and IT cybersecurity. The company’s infrastructure offers a FedRAMP-compliant environment, continuous monitoring via a 24x7 SOC, and advanced rollback capabilities that safeguard operations from ransomware and accidental deletions alike.

Beyond technology, Alchemi provides expert guidance to ensure manufacturers understand and meet all levels of CMMC 2.0. By focusing on operational workflows and not just checklists, the company enables manufacturers to implement controls in ways that minimize disruption to production and ensure compliance.