HUNTSVILLE, Ala., May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Effective May 15th, with the start of the Army's pilot program, Summit 7 joins the Next-gen Commercial Operations in Defended Enclaves (NCODE) marketplace. NCODE is the Army's solution to the price barrier National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-171 and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) pose to small businesses with 2–10 employees.
As the only Agreement for Online Services - Government (AOS-G) partner selected to participate in the NCODE Program, Summit 7 looks to leverage its 8 years of experience as a partner working with Microsoft 365 Government Community Cloud (GCC) High Licensing and Azure Government to develop a solution that meets the needs of the Department of War (DoW) and provides the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) with the solution they have been asking for.
The revolutionary NCODE marketplace will assist with contractors' compliance journeys in establishing a secure, foundational environment for pursuing CMMC. NCODE pairs participating businesses with suitable Verified External Service Providers (VESPs) like Summit 7. The Army's initial NCODE Solution budget is $49M over 5 years.
Regardless of size, DIB businesses face the same cyberthreats; however, small businesses find it far more difficult to budget for VESPs to lead, implement, and maintain the NIST and CMMC requirements.
"This critical enclave environment will allow us to ensure that the most innovative, yet vulnerable, members of our defense supply chain are not shut out of participating in our defense industrial base," Scott Edwards, CEO of Summit 7, said. "These highly innovative companies bring capabilities to the ecosystem that we cannot afford to lose. Summit 7 is incredibly excited to help these companies continue to bring new capabilities to market for our warfighters."
Though initially created by the Army, the NCODE marketplace will be open to any contractor with a DoW contract or requirement to include Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Major Defense Agencies, and National Guard in addition to the Army, providing relief for small businesses across the entire DIB.
"The NCODE Program is a groundbreaking solution for eligible businesses that otherwise may find NIST 800-171 and CMMC unattainable," Dan Yaciuk, Director of Federal Sales, said. "Ensuring these small businesses have the tools and support required to remain a part of the DIB Supply Chain addresses a significant data security concern shared by the Army and DoW."
The pilot program will include 8 VESPs serving a selected number of small businesses with the capability to serve up to up to 1,000. The main program is expected to launch within six months, at which time the capacity of the NCODE program will be opened to support thousands of eligible businesses.
About Summit 7
Summit 7 helps the Defense Industrial Base protect the American Dream and support the warfighter through advanced cybersecurity, compliance, and cloud solutions. In just three years, the company has grown from 100 employees to more than 300, earning national recognition on the CRN Fast Growth 150 and Inc. 5000 lists. As one of Microsoft's top U.S. security and compliance partners, Summit 7 is known for its deep expertise in CMMC, NIST 800-171, and DFARS 7012 within GCC High environments. Beyond client work, the company has educated the DIB by providing free resources to all, helping strengthen the nation's defense. With many veterans and military family members on staff, Summit 7 stands out for its exclusive focus on the defense supply chain, its education-first approach, and its proven record of securing some of the nation's most critical contractors.
SOURCE Summit 7 Systems
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