The Business Case for CMMC - Surviving DOGE

The Business Case for CMMC - Surviving DOGE

From GRC Academy by Jacob Hill

June 19, 2025 · 53 min · Season 2 · Episode 10

About this episode

In this episode, Jacob Hill discusses the business case for CMMC certification with guest Derek Kernus, focusing on its importance for small businesses facing DOGE cuts.

CMMC certification could be the key to surviving DOGE cuts! 👀 In this episode, I’m joined by Derek Kernus of Aethon Security to discuss the business case for CMMC! This episode was really refreshing to me. Yes, our discussions about deep CMMC topics are important, but learning how to convince your company leadership to make the CMMC investment is even more critical. Here are some takeaways: How CMMC early adopters can shape contracts and limit competition How to frame the CMMC investment to internal leadership The impending CMMC bottleneck of doom 👻 What mock assessments are and how they can help you prepare Why choosing the wrong MSP could actually kill your chances at certification After being impacted by DOGE myself, I've put a lot of thought into how small businesses will be impacted by DOGE + CMMC. Most of my concern is for SMBs that haven't started preparing for CMMC. That costs a lot of money, and if SMBs lose revenue due to DOGE cuts before they prepare for CMMC, I'm not sure they'll be able to survive in the defense contracting space. But there is great opportunity for CMMC early adopters to be part a small cadre of CMMC certified companies and operate in a much…

People in this episode

Host: Jacob Hill

Guest: Derek Kernus

Topics covered

  • CMMC
  • business case
  • defense contracting
  • SMBs
  • DOGE cuts
  • certification

Keywords

  • CMMC certification
  • business investment
  • defense contracting
  • SMB challenges
  • mock assessments
  • MSP selection

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Aethon Security

More episodes of GRC Academy

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the GRC Academy podcast page.