CMMC Compliance: Customer and Shared Responsibility Matrix

This article explains how defense industrial base contractors can use the CMMC Shared Responsibility Matrix (SRM) to distribute NIST SP 800-171/CMMC security controls among themselves and their external service providers (e.g., AWS, Azure, Cloudflare), detailing what the SRM is, how to structure it, and why to implement it ahead of anticipated CMMC rollout (beginning Q1 2025, fully required by 2028). It highlights auditing implications, contractual clarity, and examples of control allocation, emphasizing proactive preparation to avoid disruption. The piece also promotes the Ignyte Platform and its C3PAO services for audits and SRM documentation support.