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In this episode of the Reckless Compliance podcast, Max talks with Justin Paquette from NtelSec about a bold idea: helping small contractors achieve “CMMC in a day” by working inside a pre-secured enclave—CUI Vault—instead of overhauling their entire enterprise. Justin explains how NtelSec’s government collaboration platform SectorNet (which recently achieved FedRAMP Readiness) informed the commercial offering, and why treating the provider as a cloud service (CSP)—not a managed service (MSP)—can slash cost and complexity.

They dig into the nuts and bolts: scoping to an enclave in SPRS, leveraging a customer responsibility matrix for shared controls and inheritance, and how pairing a standard architecture with repeatable audits (through partners like Ignyte) drives costs down. Justin also shares when an enclave is not the right fit, practical pricing discussed on the show, and candid advice for first-time federal sellers facing slow cycles and limited resources.

Discussion Topics

• The problem: small businesses priced out of CMMC by enterprise-wide overhauls
• CSP vs. MSP models: why “use our compliant system” beats “we build yours” for SMBs
• Tight scoping: Enclave vs. Enterprise vs. Contract selections in SPRS/PIEE
• Process walkthrough: L1 self-attestation vs. L2 with provided SSP and artifacts
• Partnerships with auditors (incl. Ignyte) to make assessments repeatable and lower-cost
• Who it’s for (and not): email/docs with FCI/CUI vs. large programs with bespoke needs
• Practical tips for newcomers to the federal market (expectations, cash burn, timelines)

Max Aulakh Bio
Max is the CEO of Ignyte Assurance Platform and a Data Security and Compliance leader delivering DoD-tested security strategies and compliance that safeguard mission-critical IT operations. He trained and excelled while serving in the United States Air Force, maintaining and testing InfoSec and ComSec functions for global unclassified and classified networks.

Connect with Max
LinkedIn: Max Aulakh
Website: Ignyte Assurance Platform

Guest Bio
Justin Paquette (NtelSec) builds secure collaboration and compliance solutions including SectorNet for government–industry engagement and CUI Vault for enclave-based CMMC workflows. His background spans large federal IT programs and practical, security-first SaaS delivery.

Connect with the Guest
LinkedIn: Justin Paquette

Resources Mentioned (in-episode)

• NtelSec SectorNet (government collaboration portal)
• CUI Vault (enclave offering for CMMC)
• SPRS / PIEE self-attestation flows (enclave vs. enterprise)
• CMMC Level 1 & Level 2 considerations
• Microsoft 365, VDI, ID.me (identity), Customer Responsibility Matrix
• GCC High (contextual comparison mentioned)