Authorized CMMC Third-Party Assessor Organization (C3PAO) and managed services provider — one of the few organizations that simultaneously conducts official CMMC Level 2 certifications AND operates CMMC-compliant managed services for clients. Over 300 organizations supported through their CMMC journey. NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center DIB program member.
Ariento occupies a rare position in the CMMC ecosystem — they're both an authorized C3PAO (certified to conduct official CMMC Level 2 assessments) and a managed services provider (running CMMC-compliant environments on behalf of clients). They were one of the first orgs to go through a DIBCAC assessment to become an authorized C3PAO, one of the first through Joint Surveillance Voluntary Assessment (JSVA) during the CMMC pilot, and now one of the first to officially certify themselves at CMMC Level 2. Note: conflict-of-interest rules prevent a C3PAO from assessing organizations they've consulted with for 3 years — so Ariento clients work with separate assessors when it's certification time.
You have CUI exposure, you've been working on CMMC readiness, you want managed services from a provider that lives in the framework every day — and you understand the C3PAO-vs-managed-services separation.
Ariento's managed services specifically target cloud-native capable SMB contractors. Less friction than retrofitting on-prem environments.
Large contractors with strong internal IT may want only the C3PAO assessment side or readiness consulting, not full managed services. Ariento delivers both as separate engagements.
If you don't have DFARS 252.204-7012 flow-down, you're paying a CMMC premium for nothing. Brief Drata for commercial framework automation instead.