Who we serve

Seven client groups. One evidence standard.

From a founder's first enclave to an agency's authorization program, the counterparties change — assessors, primes, boards, contracting officers, investors — but the discipline doesn't: every assertion supportable, every boundary defensible. Find where you are.

01 Dual-Use & Deep-Tech 02 Federally Funded R&D 03 Cloud, SaaS & AI 04 Defense Contractors 05 Primes & F500 06 Federal Agencies 07 Investors & Accelerators

Client group 01

Emerging Dual-Use, Hard-Tech & Deep-Tech Companies

Build federal readiness into the company before compliance becomes an emergency.

Pre-seed → growth · SBIR/STTR · Agency pilots · Prime teaming

Documentation
Aerospace & space Robotics & autonomy Quantum & photonics AI & semiconductors Advanced materials & bio

You're building technology with both commercial and government futures — often out of a lab, an accelerator, or a Series A. Commercial and federal environments can't be separated yet, source code lives in ungoverned systems, and no one can say which data will become FCI or CUI. We help you see future requirements clearly, protect the R&D that is the company, and design boundaries that scale — without overbuilding too early.

What we do for you

Federal Cyber Market-Entry Diagnostic Secure R&D Foundation & IP protection Federal-Ready Product Architecture Federal vs. commercial deployment analysis Product & enterprise boundary design Secure collaboration & SSDLC architecture Evidence-generation architecture 18-to-36-month readiness roadmap

Assurance focus

Future CMMC applicability Future FedRAMP applicability FCI & CUI forecasting Secure R&D Product security Supply-chain governance

You call us when

Founders are spending prematurely on CMMC or FedRAMP  ·  An investor or prime found security deficiencies  ·  A pilot can't transition to production  ·  No one can explain the security boundary.

Client group 02

Federally Funded R&D & Commercialization Companies

Move from federally funded research to operational deployment without rebuilding security from the ground up.

SBIR I/II/III · STTR · OTAs · Federal labs · University partners

Documentation
SBIR & STTR companies Phase III commercialization University spinouts Federal-lab collaborators Grant & contract recipients

Federal funding brings federal information — and obligations that arrive mid-research. A prototype goes cloud-connected, a prime flows requirements down, technical data starts arriving, and suddenly the company must demonstrate an operating security program. We align security milestones with financing and commercialization, so the transition to production and direct contracting builds on what you have instead of starting over.

What we do for you

R&D information & IP protection Government-data handling assessment Research-collaboration & partner-access governance Contract-clause cybersecurity review CUI boundary design & CMMC readiness Secure prototype-to-production transition Federal cloud strategy & authorization planning Financing-aligned roadmap & board assurance reporting

Assurance focus

Research security IP protection CMMC & NIST 800-171 CUI boundary design FedRAMP applicability Agency authorization planning

You call us when

The company starts receiving technical information  ·  A prototype becomes cloud-connected  ·  Prime-contractor requirements emerge  ·  Security milestones don't match the financing plan.

Client group 03

Federal Cloud, SaaS, AI & Data-Platform Providers

Turn a commercially successful cloud product into a federally usable and continuously defensible service.

Agency pilots · FedRAMP 20x decision · Prime integrations · Federal editions

Documentation
SaaS & workflow platforms AI/ML & analytics DevSecOps & dev platforms IaaS/PaaS & managed services Cybersecurity products

An agency loves the product — then someone asks whether it's FedRAMP authorized, and the deal stalls. We size the federal opportunity honestly (cost, architecture, pathway, schedule), define the certification boundary, choose between shared and separate federal deployments, and build evidence that regenerates itself as the product ships — so authorization keeps pace with the roadmap instead of fighting it.

What we do for you

FedRAMP applicability & federal business case FedRAMP 20x class & pathway strategy Cloud-service-offering boundary definition Commercial vs. federal deployment analysis Responsibility & control-inheritance mapping KSI design, evidence architecture & automation Assessor, Marketplace & package readiness Ongoing certification & change governance

Assurance focus

FedRAMP 20x Federal cloud assurance RMF & agency authorization Inherited controls Persistent validation Evidence automation

You call us when

An agency asks if the product is FedRAMP certified  ·  A pilot is moving to production  ·  Investors need realistic cost and schedule  ·  Evidence is static and engineering doesn't own it.

Client group 04

Defense Contractors, Manufacturers & Supply-Chain Companies

Protect contract eligibility by making every cybersecurity assertion supportable.

DIB entry · Covered contracts · Enclaves · Affirmations · M&A

Documentation
Small & midsized contractors Aerospace & component suppliers Machine shops & specialty mfg. Integrators & test labs Field service & logistics

You perform or pursue defense work, and the requirements arrive by contract clause: FCI, CUI, DFARS, CMMC, SPRS. Generic documents don't survive contact with an assessor — or a prime's supplier diligence. We map what you actually hold, draw the boundary (enclave or enterprise-wide), and build the SSP, POA&M, and operating evidence an examination can pull on — so the score you report is the score you can defend.

What we do for you

Contract & cybersecurity-clause inventory FCI & CUI lifecycle mapping CMMC level, boundary & asset categorization NIST 800-171 assessment & SPRS integrity review SSP, POA&M & evidence development Secure enclave strategy & CUI migration Mock assessments, affirmation & interview prep Supplier assessment & M&A inherited-risk review

Assurance focus

CMMC DFARS NIST SP 800-171 SPRS FCI & CUI protection Supplier flow-down

You call us when

A solicitation includes CMMC  ·  A prime requests 800-171 evidence  ·  An SPRS score can't be supported  ·  A merger, new facility, or production line changes the boundary.

Client group 05

Prime Contractors, Fortune 500 & Critical-Infrastructure Operators

Connect federal cyber obligations to enterprise risk, supplier resilience, investment, and executive accountability.

Multi-division CMMC · Supplier networks · M&A · Board governance

Documentation
Defense primes & integrators Fortune 500 contractors Energy, utilities & telecom Data-center & infrastructure operators PE portfolio companies

At enterprise scale the problem isn't one framework — it's coherence. CMMC maturity varies by division, supplier readiness is uneven, acquisitions bring unknown CUI exposure, and the board lacks visibility into federal obligations. We connect CMMC, FedRAMP, RMF, zero trust, and enterprise risk into one governed portfolio — with executive assertions on top that are actually supported.

What we do for you

Enterprise federal-cyber portfolio assessment Multi-business-unit CMMC governance Supplier & subcontractor assurance programs Federal cloud & FedRAMP portfolio strategy Board advisory & independent challenge M&A & transaction diligence Zero-trust, AI-governance & post-quantum planning Incident-command & executive tabletop exercises

Assurance focus

Enterprise CMMC governance FedRAMP portfolio Zero trust Supply-chain assurance AI governance Executive accountability

You call us when

Divisions tell different CMMC stories  ·  An affirmation is poorly supported  ·  An acquisition brings unknown CUI  ·  High-consequence scenarios have never been rehearsed.

Client group 06

Federal Agencies & Mission Organizations

Strengthen the decisions, evidence, and operating discipline behind federal cybersecurity and mission assurance.

ATOs · Cloud adoption · Zero trust · ConMon · Acquisition security

Documentation
Civilian agencies Defense components & commands Federal labs & PEOs CIO/CISO & authorizing officials Oversight & shared services

Adoption, authorization, modernization, oversight — agency security organizations carry all four at once, while legacy systems and leadership transitions complicate every one of them. We support the decisions underneath: authorization strategy, vendor-package review, zero-trust operationalization, continuous-monitoring design, and the acquisition and supplier requirements that make contractor cybersecurity governable.

What we do for you

Federal RMF & authorization support FedRAMP cloud-adoption & package review Security architecture & boundary review Zero-trust maturity & implementation planning Continuous-monitoring program design Contractor & supplier cybersecurity governance Acquisition-security requirements & program assessment Executive advisory, exercises & education

Assurance focus

Federal RMF Agency ATO FedRAMP adoption Zero trust Continuous monitoring Mission assurance

You call us when

A new cloud product must be adopted  ·  Vendor evidence must be evaluated  ·  Zero trust must move from memo to operation  ·  Contractor risk needs real governance.

Client group 07

Investors, Accelerators, Venture Studios & Innovation Programs

Identify federal cybersecurity barriers before they reduce valuation, delay deployment, or consume growth capital.

Diligence · Portfolio screening · 100-day plans · Cohort programs

Documentation
Defense-tech & deep-tech VC Private-equity sponsors Corporate venture Accelerators & venture studios University commercialization

Portfolio companies underestimate federal cybersecurity costs. Founders claim CMMC compliance without evidence; FedRAMP appears in revenue forecasts with no architecture, pathway, or capital plan behind it. We give investors the technical read — which findings are remediable gaps and which are product-architecture problems — plus the reserve math, and portfolio programs that stop the same security debt from recurring deal after deal.

What we do for you

Pre-investment cybersecurity diligence FedRAMP feasibility & CMMC exposure review Security-architecture diligence Federal revenue dependency analysis Remediation-reserve & transaction-risk assessment Post-investment 100-day security plans Portfolio readiness programs & founder workshops Portfolio cyber-governance dashboards & board advisory

Assurance focus

Transaction diligence CMMC exposure FedRAMP feasibility Secure R&D Remediation-cost estimation Portfolio governance

You call us when

Security debt surfaces late in diligence  ·  Federal projections lack security costs and schedule  ·  The same gaps keep repeating across the portfolio.

Don't see yourself in the list?

If a federal requirement, a prime, an agency, or an investor is asking you cybersecurity questions, you're in the right place. One conversation is usually enough to tell you where you stand.

gmhardy@nationalsecurity.com