Exostar Empowers SMBs with Enhanced, Low Cost, Easy to Use Microsoft 365 and CMMC 2.0 Solutions

Upgrades to The Exostar Platform Promote Secure, Compliant Collaboration and Handling of Controlled Unclassified Information

HERNDON, Va., July 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Exostar, a leader in trusted, secure business collaboration in highly regulated industries including aerospace and defense, today announced the availability of updates to The Exostar Platform that allow small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to overcome the technology, time, and cost obstacles of preparing for and demonstrating compliance with Department of Defense (DoD) cybersecurity requirements.

Firms throughout the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), including SMBs deep in the DoD supply chain, will have to acquire Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 certification as soon as May 2023 to participate in subsequent DoD contract solicitations.  According to CMMC version 2.0, any member of the DIB that stores or handles Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) during program execution must meet the 110 practices defined at CMMC Maturity Level 2.  Many SMBs simply do not possess the expertise, bandwidth, or budget to go it alone.

Exostar's Managed Microsoft 365 for CMMC directly addresses these challenges.  This managed solution, based on Microsoft Teams and hosted in a Microsoft 365 Government Cloud Computing (GCC) High environment, is designed specifically for SMBs and delivers benefits including:

• A secure workspace for SMB users within GCC High – without the expense and burden of acquiring, setting up, and managing their own tenant.
• Rapid onboarding – subscribe today and be working tomorrow.
• Implementation of the security controls necessary to properly protect CUI – and facilitate compliance with CMMC 2.0 and other DoD cybersecurity standards.
• Enterprise-grade security at a price SMBs can afford, with room to grow for an enterprise license.

In addition to the launch of Exostar's Managed Microsoft 365 for CMMC, the company has updated and upgraded its CMMC Ready Suite within The Exostar Platform to provide out-of-the-box support to accelerate SMBs throughout their CMMC 2.0 accreditation journeys:

• Certification Assistant – Offers plainspoken descriptions of CMMC practices at all three Maturity Levels, helping SMBs to conduct compliance self-assessments and scoring, gather documentation, and prepare for any necessary third-party audits ahead of accreditation.
• Exostar PolicyPro – Evaluates existing policies (including gap analysis) and/or generates new ones in accordance with all policy requirements defined in CMMC 2.0 practices.
• CMMC 2.0 Basic Assessment – Provides expert guidance from Exostar-vetted cybersecurity compliance specialist partners who use Exostar's CMMC Ready Suite to address an SMB's unique circumstances and accelerate the accreditation process.

"SMBs are the lifeblood of the DIB.  While they must improve their cybersecurity capabilities to better protect CUI throughout the DoD supply chain, CMMC 2.0 represents a heavy lift for many of these companies," said Tony Farinaro, Exostar's Chief Revenue Officer.  "We continue to enhance and expand our CMMC offerings to make it easier and more cost effective for SMBs to meet their obligations so they can stay in the DIB, win business, and keep innovating on behalf of the DoD."

In addition to SMBs, enterprises also can subscribe to Exostar's Managed Microsoft 365 for CMMC, as well as purchase the other applications and services in The Exostar Platform's CMMC Ready Suite, today.

The Exostar Platform supports exclusive communities within highly regulated industries where organizations securely collaborate, share information, and operate compliantly.  Within these communities, we build trust.  More than 150,000 companies and agencies in 175 countries trust Exostar to strengthen security, reduce expenditures, raise productivity, and help them achieve their digital transformation initiatives.  Nearly half of the Defense Industrial Base, including 98 of the top 100, transact business over The Exostar Platform.  Eleven of the top twenty global biopharmaceutical companies rely on The Exostar Platform to help them speed new medicines and therapies to market.  Exostar is a Gartner Cool Vendor.  For more information, please visit www.exostar.com, and follow Exostar on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Contact:
Alan Gilbert
 Exostar 
(703) 793-7735 (o)
(703) 624-4675 (m)
 [email protected]

SOURCE Exostar LLC