Strike Graph Launches Free AI-Powered CMMC Toolkit as DoD Contractors Race Toward DFARS Deadline

As the U.S. Department of Defense prepares to enforce sweeping cybersecurity mandates under the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Final Rule this November, one AI-native compliance platform is trying to help contractors catch up before it’s too late.

Strike Graph today unveiled a free guided Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Self-Assessment and Compliance Toolkit, designed to help defense contractors get audit-ready and protect their eligibility for DoD contracts. The move comes as an estimated 337,000 organizations face the new requirement to maintain active CMMC certification across all systems handling Federal Contract Information (FCI) or Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

A Compliance Crisis Years in the Making

The CMMC rollout has been one of the most delayed and misunderstood security initiatives in federal contracting history. Many vendors postponed preparations while waiting for final rules to drop—only to find themselves now scrambling to meet a fast-approaching compliance deadline with limited resources and assessors.

“These contractors and subcontractors form the backbone of our national defense infrastructure,” said Justin Beals, CEO and Founder of Strike Graph. “Compliance shouldn’t be a barrier to those serving our country—it should be a revenue accelerant.”

Beals emphasized that Strike Graph’s free toolkit aims to “ensure that lack of awareness or resources doesn’t prevent critical defense suppliers from maintaining their ability to serve.”

AI Meets Bureaucracy

At its core, Strike Graph’s platform brings automation and AI validation to a process long dominated by spreadsheets, manual audits, and costly consulting fees. The free 60-day access includes:

• Guided CMMC Level 1 and 2 self-assessments with automated SPRS score submission

• System Security Plan (SSP) templates and customizable documentation

• AI-driven evidence validation through Strike Graph’s Verify AI technology

• POA&M (Plans of Action and Milestones) tracking for remediation

• NIST 800-171 control mappings and real-time dashboards

These tools are meant to close the gap between intention and execution—helping contractors quickly identify compliance weaknesses and implement “quick-win” controls to improve readiness.

The Countdown to Compliance

Once the Final Rule takes effect on November 10, 2025, the DoD will begin phasing in CMMC requirements across all new contracts. By November 2028, full compliance will be mandatory. The timeline is unforgiving: certification prep can take 6–18 months, and only about 250 Certified Third-Party Assessor Organizations (C3PAOs) currently exist to serve hundreds of thousands of vendors.

That bottleneck has already become one of the most pressing risks for defense suppliers. In a 2024 review, the DoD found that 70% of organizations claiming compliance failed their assessment—often due to misinterpretation of what counts as CUI or incomplete documentation.

Real-World Results

Some contractors have already turned to Strike Graph to bridge that gap. “We’ve used Strike Graph for five CMMC assessments and passed all five,” said the head of Security at Sanmina, a major defense manufacturing partner. “Our C3PAO assessors consistently praised our evidence collection and organization, which directly contributed to our assessment success.”

A Race Against Time

For defense vendors, the message is clear: the compliance window is closing fast. Those who delay may not even be able to book assessments before contract eligibility lapses. Strike Graph’s free toolkit offers a pragmatic on-ramp—stripping out cost and complexity to help organizations start their journey now, not six months from now.

DoD contractors can access the free 60-day CMMC Self-Assessment and Compliance Toolkit at strikegraph.com/self-assessments.

As Beals put it, “Achieving CMMC compliance isn’t just about checking boxes; it’s about building trust with government partners and positioning your business at the front of the line for lucrative contracts.”