In this episode of Hash It Out, Virtru CMO Matthew Howard interviews Stuart Itkin, chief security evangelist at FutureFeed, about CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) requirements for the Defense Industrial Base. They discuss the upcoming QECON conference in Florida where Itkin will moderate a panel on architectural approaches to CMMC compliance. The conversation covers the challenges facing small businesses in the DIB, which make up over 80% of defense contractors but often lack IT expertise and resources. Itkin explains that organizations starting from scratch typically need 12-18 months to achieve compliance, requiring a balanced approach of people, process, and technology. The discussion emphasizes that CMMC is fundamentally about security and protecting controlled unclassified information (CUI) rather than just checking compliance boxes. They explore various solutions including managed service providers, prebuilt tools, and architectural choices that can help reduce complexity and cost for defense contractors on their CMMC journey.