Insights

Practical guidance for agencies, prime contractors and growing organizations.

CMMC Level 1 for Small Subcontractors: What to Know Now

October 2026 | Cybersecurity and Compliance

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) clause began appearing in Department of Defense contracts on November 10, 2025, and Phase 2 begins in November 2026. For small businesses that handle Federal Contract Information (FCI), Level 1 is the starting point.

  • What it covers. Fifteen basic safeguarding requirements drawn from FAR 52.204-21, such as limiting system access to authorized users, using unique logins, protecting against malicious code and controlling physical access.

  • How you show it. An annual self-assessment, with results and an affirmation by a senior company official entered in the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS).

  • Why it matters to primes. Prime contractors must flow CMMC requirements down to subcontractors that handle FCI, so a current SPRS entry makes a small business easier to team with.

First steps: identify where FCI lives, map each of the fifteen requirements to a control you can show, fix the gaps, document it, then complete the SPRS entry.

Moving a Workstation Fleet to Windows 11 and Intune: A Practical Checklist

October 2026 | Infrastructure and Modern Workplace

Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025, so any machine still running it no longer receives regular security updates. A planned move to Windows 11 with Microsoft Intune turns a forced upgrade into a security and management gain.

  • Inventory. List every device, its hardware eligibility, its owner and its location.

  • Standardize. Define one Windows 11 build, required applications and security baseline.

  • Protect data. Confirm user files and settings are backed up or synced before any rebuild.

  • Enroll. Join devices to Microsoft Entra ID and Intune so policies, updates and compliance are managed centrally.

  • Schedule around people. Work site by site, outside peak hours, with a clear handoff for each user.

  • Verify and document. Confirm compliance in Intune, record every device and hand over a clean report.

What Prime Contractors Look For in a Small Business Teaming Partner

October 2026 | Government Contracting

Primes add small businesses to a team to meet subcontracting goals and to bring focused capability. The partners they call back make that decision easy.

  • Clean registrations. An active SAM.gov record, a UEI and NAICS codes that match the work.

  • A clear capability statement. One page that shows what you do, your codes and how to reach you.

  • Relevant experience. Past performance where you have it, and named leadership experience where you are new.

  • Compliance readiness. Cybersecurity posture, insurance and the ability to accept flow-down clauses.

  • Realistic pricing and fast answers. Labor rates that fit the bid and replies within a day.

Looking for a teaming partner for IT, cybersecurity or technical staffing? Visit our Government page or email info@zztechsolutions.com.