CMMC NOPE: Why You Don’t Need to be CMMC Compliant

This TrustedSec guidance explains how CMMC applies to DoD contractors, subcontractors, and external service providers, defines Federal Contract Information (FCI), Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Security Protection Data (SPD), summarizes relevant FAR and DFARS clauses (including DFARS 252.204-7012 and the upcoming 252.204-7021), outlines CMMC Levels 1–3 and their control baselines (FAR basic safeguards, NIST SP 800-171, and NIST SP 800-172), highlights scope and assessment differences (including FedRAMP requirements for cloud providers), and provides practical recommendations for identifying in-scope information and preparing for compliance while minimizing scope and cost.