If you think cybersecurity begins and ends with requiring employees to change their passwords every 90 days, we need to talk. While strong passwords remain an essential component of cybersecurity, they're just one piece of a much larger puzzle called Identity and Access Management (IAM). For defense contractors, manufacturers, healthcare organizations, and pharmaceutical companies handling sensitive data, modern IAM strategies aren't just best practices—they're compliance requirements and business imperatives.
The stark reality is this: weak or stolen passwords remain a primary entry point for cyber attackers. According to a 2024 Forbes Advisor survey, more than 75% of respondents reported that their personal data was taken from hacked accounts. But here's the critical insight that many organizations miss: even perfect password hygiene won't protect you if your overall access management strategy has gaps.
For organizations pursuing CMMC certification or maintaining NIST 800-171 compliance, implementing robust IAM practices isn't optional. The question isn't whether you need modern IAM strategies—it's how quickly you can implement them before your next audit or, worse, your next breach.
Identity and Access Management is the framework of policies, processes, and technologies that ensures the right individuals access the right resources at the right times for the right reasons. Think of it as your organization's security gatekeeper, determining not just who can enter your digital environment, but what they can do once they're inside.
Modern IAM goes far beyond traditional username-and-password authentication. It encompasses:
For defense contractors and organizations handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), these IAM components directly support multiple NIST 800-171 and CMMC requirements. Without proper IAM, achieving and maintaining compliance becomes exponentially more difficult.
Let's start with the most critical upgrade to basic password security: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). In the context of CMMC compliance, MFA isn't a suggestion—it's a requirement for Level 2 certification. If your policy requires multi-factor authentication for all users, but your technical setup only enforces MFA for administrators, this discrepancy must be addressed immediately.
MFA adds additional verification steps beyond just a password, typically requiring:
The security improvement is dramatic. Even if a cybercriminal obtains a user's password through phishing, brute force attacks, or data breaches, they still can't access your systems without that second factor of authentication.
When implementing MFA, consider these best practices:
Remember that having a policy requiring MFA means nothing unless you have corresponding technical controls that actually enforce that requirement. This alignment between policy and practice is exactly what CMMC assessors will be looking for.
Here's a scenario every organization should consider: Do all your employees really need access to all your data? The answer, of course, is no. This is where Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) becomes essential.
RBAC is a method of restricting system access based on a person's role within your organization. Instead of manually configuring permissions for each individual user, you define roles (like "Engineer," "Project Manager," or "Finance Staff") and assign permissions to those roles. Users then inherit permissions based on their assigned role.
For example, having a policy restricting access to sensitive files is meaningless unless you have technical controls like role-based access control systems to enforce that restriction. When policies and controls are in sync, they create a robust, proactive, verifiable cybersecurity environment.
Within your RBAC framework, certain roles will require elevated privileges—access to critical infrastructure, configuration settings, or highly sensitive data. This is where Privileged Access Management (PAM) becomes crucial.
Privileged accounts are the "crown jewels" cybercriminals target because they provide the keys to your kingdom. A compromised administrator account can:
PAM strategies should include:
Consider a real-world scenario: A defense contractor implements a policy requiring that all portable devices containing Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) be encrypted. By deploying encryption software across all devices and using endpoint management tools to monitor compliance, the contractor enforces the policy and generates verifiable evidence for audits. This alignment between policy and technical controls ensures that the organization is prepared for CMMC assessments and remains compliant over the long term.
The same principle applies to privileged access—your policies must be backed by technical controls that enforce and document compliance.
Even with perfect authentication and authorization in place, insider threats and compromised credentials remain risks. This is where User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) comes into play—the practice of establishing baselines for normal user behavior and alerting on anomalies.
UEBA systems can detect patterns such as:
For organizations subject to CMMC requirements, this aligns with the incident detection and response capabilities required at Level 2 and above. Your Incident Response Plan should include procedures for investigating and responding to these behavioral anomalies.
For defense contractors, every IAM decision intersects with CMMC compliance requirements. Let's map key IAM components to specific CMMC practices:
CMMC requires organizations to:
Your RBAC implementation directly addresses these requirements. But remember: policies set the standard for cybersecurity, but without corresponding technical controls, they remain intentions.
CMMC mandates:
This is where your MFA implementation becomes critical. NIST no longer requires passwords to include special characters or numbers—passwords can contain any ASCII character, including spaces and emojis. However, NIST does recommend passwords should be at least twelve characters long, with a maximum length of 64 characters.
CMMC requires organizations to:
Your IAM system must generate and preserve audit trails showing who accessed what resources, when, and what actions they performed. This documentation demonstrates that your security practices are consistently implemented and maintained—exactly what assessors need to see.
Based on defense-grade cybersecurity principles, here's how to build a comprehensive IAM strategy:
Start by mapping your current state:
For organizations pursuing CMMC certification, this assessment should align with your gap and risk analysis.
Clear documentation serves as the cornerstone for a comprehensive understanding of compliance requirements. For CMMC purposes, you need evidence that supports your policies and technical controls, such as:
This documentation demonstrates that your security practices are consistently implemented and maintained.
Cybersecurity and compliance requirements are dynamic. Conduct periodic reviews of your policies and technical controls to ensure they stay aligned as new threats, technologies, and regulatory changes emerge. Regular updates are crucial to maintaining this alignment and ensuring that your organization remains audit-ready and compliant.
Even well-intentioned organizations make these mistakes:
When employees leave or change roles, their accounts often remain active with their original permissions. Establish clear user provisioning and deprovisioning procedures to eliminate this risk.
"Permission creep" happens when users accumulate access rights over time as they move through different roles. Regular access reviews can identify and remediate excessive permissions.
If your policy requires multi-factor authentication for all users, but your technical setup only enforces MFA for administrators, this discrepancy must be addressed immediately. Policies should reflect the implemented controls, leaving no room for ambiguity or conflicting information.
Documentation acts as a trail of breadcrumbs, enabling organizations to trace their compliance efforts. Every action, policy, or procedure must be documented, establishing accountability throughout the organization. This traceability is crucial for audits and assessments, demonstrating a commitment to compliance over time.
Contractors, vendors, and partners who access your systems must be included in your IAM strategy. Their access should be:
Beyond compliance requirements, modern IAM delivers tangible business benefits:
With proper IAM controls, even if credentials are compromised, the damage is contained. MFA prevents unauthorized access, RBAC limits what attackers can reach, and behavioral monitoring detects suspicious activity quickly.
Automated provisioning and deprovisioning reduce IT workload. RBAC makes it easy to grant appropriate access as employees join or change roles. Self-service password reset capabilities reduce helpdesk burden.
While security and convenience often seem at odds, modern IAM solutions like single sign-on (SSO) actually improve user experience by reducing the number of passwords employees must remember while increasing security.
For defense contractors, CMMC certification is becoming a prerequisite for DoD contracts. Organizations with mature IAM practices can achieve certification faster and more reliably, positioning themselves to compete for lucrative government contracts.
Customers, partners, and regulators increasingly expect organizations to demonstrate robust security controls. A mature IAM strategy signals that you take data protection seriously.
Even with MFA and RBAC in place, passwords remain part of your security ecosystem. Let's face it: remembering passwords, even if they're only 12 characters long, is difficult. And then you also need a unique password for every account? No one can memorize all of that.
Password managers can securely store complex passwords, making it easier to manage multiple accounts without compromising security. You memorize one really awesome and long passphrase, and then the password manager remembers the rest.
However, it's essential to choose a password manager that meets compliance standards. For CMMC compliance, a password manager must be FIPS compliant. Different password managers have achieved different compliance standards:
When selecting a password manager for your organization, verify it meets the compliance standards relevant to your industry and contracts.
Your IAM strategy and Incident Response Plan must work together seamlessly. When an incident occurs, clear roles and responsibilities must be established. Your IRP should outline who is responsible for different tasks during an incident, such as investigation, communication, and system restoration.
IAM supports incident response by:
Notification and communication procedures should define how to communicate with stakeholders, including employees, customers, and regulatory bodies, during an incident. Your IAM system can help identify which users might be affected and need notification.
Modern IAM isn't built overnight, but every journey begins with a single step. Here's how to get started:
At Dragnet, we understand that achieving robust IAM while maintaining CMMC compliance can feel overwhelming. Our team includes Registered Practitioners (RPs) and Certified CMMC Professionals (CCPs) who can help you build an IAM strategy that protects your organization and satisfies compliance requirements.
Passwords alone won't protect your organization in today's threat landscape. Modern Identity and Access Management strategies—combining strong authentication, role-based access control, privileged access management, and continuous monitoring—create multiple layers of defense that protect your most sensitive resources.
For defense contractors, manufacturers, healthcare organizations, and pharmaceutical companies handling sensitive data, these IAM practices aren't just security best practices—they're compliance requirements that directly impact your ability to compete for contracts and maintain operations.
The synergy between written policies and technical controls is where true CMMC compliance lies. Policies set the standard for cybersecurity, but without corresponding technical controls, they remain intentions. When policies and controls are in sync, they create a robust, proactive, verifiable cybersecurity environment.
Ultimately, technical controls bring your cybersecurity policies to life, ensuring that your security objectives are actively upheld and documented—a critical requirement for passing CMMC audits and securing your position in the defense sector.
Don't wait for a breach or a failed audit to discover gaps in your IAM strategy. The time to act is now.
Ready to strengthen your Identity and Access Management strategy? Contact Dragnet's team of cybersecurity experts for a comprehensive IAM assessment. We'll help you identify gaps, implement controls, and prepare for CMMC certification—all while protecting your organization from evolving cyber threats.
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Dragnet delivers defense-grade cybersecurity solutions to midsize enterprises across defense contracting, healthcare, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical industries. Our comprehensive services include Gap & Risk Assessments, CMMC Program Management, Penetration Testing, and Policy & Procedure Development—ensuring your organization maintains robust security while achieving compliance.