Client Success Story

Unifying Two Companies Under One CMMC Level 2 Program After an Acquisition

A 200-person defense contractor that had just acquired a manufacturer needed to bring two separate IT environments under one CMMC Level 2 program before DoD deadlines hit. InterSec unified identity, policy, and controls across both, reaching an SPRS score of 110.

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CMMC Readiness Defense Industrial Base Completed

110

SPRS score reached across both entities

Two companies brought under one CMMC Level 2 program, ahead of the DoD deadline.

Identity unified across the combined workforce

DoD deadlines met without disrupting active work

One coherent policy baseline, not two partial ones

Client

Virginia acquisition-support contractor, 200+ employees

Sector

Defense Industrial Base

Situation

Just acquired a manufacturer: two IT environments

Result

SPRS score of 110, deadlines met

The Challenge

After the acquisition, two organizations had to operate under one CMMC-compliant framework, and looming DoD contract deadlines left no margin for error. An acquisition doubles the policy surface and the attack surface on the same day, and the friction showed up fast.

Disconnected identity

Acquired employees were not in the parent company's Active Directory.

Mismatched policy

Legacy security policies varied across the two companies, with no common baseline.

A hard deadline

DoD deadlines left no room to slowly reconcile two programs.

The Approach

InterSec ran a phased, risk-based integration rather than a single disruptive cutover. Pre-built CMMC templates and methodical remediation phases let the team close the most urgent gaps first while steadily folding in the rest, and the sequencing decision mattered most.

Run a phased integration

Close the most urgent gaps first, then fold in the rest, instead of one disruptive cutover.

Start with identity

Unify Active Directory and access first, because nearly every other control depends on it.

Hold the schedule

Apply disciplined project and quality management to deliver across two organizations with minimal client staff.

The Solution in Practice

The work began with a current-state analysis of the tools, processes, and vulnerabilities across both entities, so the combined picture was understood before changes started. From there, the team executed the remediation plan, deploying MFA, configuring vulnerability scanning, and unifying documentation into one coherent set. Acquired staff were transitioned into the parent company's Active Directory, with password policies and access controls aligned across the combined workforce.

With unified identity, simplified documentation, and coordinated scanning, both the parent and the acquired entity could operate under one cybersecurity program rather than two partial ones.

Results & Impact

A deliberate, step-by-step rollout brought the combined organization to CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 requirements, with the SPRS score reaching 110, and did so ahead of the deadline.

Both entities now operate under one compliant framework, reaching an SPRS score of 110.

Integrated identity and access reduced the confusion and risk of running two separate environments.

Critical DoD deadlines were met without disrupting active project work, protecting contract renewals.

Key Takeaways

An acquisition doubles the compliance surface overnight

Treat post-merger integration as a security project, not just an IT migration.

Start with identity

You cannot enforce access control across systems you have not unified, and most other controls depend on it.

Phase the remediation against the deadline

Closing the highest-risk gaps first protects contract eligibility while the rest follows in order.

Reconcile policy, do not staple two sets together

One coherent baseline is what an assessor expects to see.

Project discipline keeps a multi-entity program on schedule

Structure is what lets a lean team deliver across two organizations at once.

Capabilities Demonstrated

CMMC Level 2 Readiness (NIST SP 800-171)Post-Acquisition Security IntegrationIdentity & Access UnificationPolicy ReconciliationPhased Remediation

Working With InterSec

An acquisition is one of the riskiest moments for a compliance program.

It is also one of the easiest to underestimate. InterSec prepares defense contractors for CMMC assessment and unifies security across newly combined organizations. Let's talk before the deadline does the talking.

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