CERTIFIED CMMC ASSESSOR (CCA) EXAM PREP

Your CMMC certification journey begins with a solid foundation. This 5-day course provides a comprehensive look at the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC 2.0) standard and prepares participants to perform as effective CMMC assessors, implementers, and consultants. With our team of world-class instructors with decades of experience, participants can expect a well-rounded view of CMMC.

COURSE DATES >
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) CMMC Training and Education Certification CMMCAB LTP LPP RP RPO C3PAO OSC Certified Assessors Licensed Instructors CMMC Standard Registered Provider Organization Licensed Training Provider Licensed Publisher Partner Certified Third-Party Assessor Organization Registered Practitioners Organizations Seeking Certifications
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) CMMC Training and Education Certification CMMCAB LTP LPP RP RPO C3PAO OSC Certified Assessors Licensed Instructors CMMC Standard Registered Provider Organization Licensed Training Provider Licensed Publisher Partner Certified Third-Party Assessor Organization Registered Practitioners Organizations Seeking Certifications

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS

These industry powerhouses chose to instruct with Edwards to help groom and grow the army of qualified assessors necessary for CMMC to be successful. Our Training team partnered with our Cybersecurity SMEs to bring you CMMC-AB approved courses and training materials – ensuring you receive the best CMMC education available. Being both a government contractor and commercial provider, we are heavily invested in supporting the contractor community to navigate CMMC.

Hover over the instructors’ name to learn more.

Kat Adams

KATHERINE ADAMS is the Director of Compliance Solutions and Services at Cask Government Services, with over 35 years of practical IT experience in Information Systems, Acquisition, and Inspections. Upon retiring from the United States Air Force as a “Cyber Warrior”, Kat determined that letting go of the common sense approach of meeting requirements was not an option. Her goal is to show students how to break down obstacles and impediments and realistically apply classroom lessons to their everyday life challenges. Kat graduated from Bellevue University with a B.S. in Information Systems Management. She also holds two A.S. degrees from the Community College of the Air Force – Information Systems Technology and Instructor of Technical & Military Science.

Amira Armond

AMIRA ARMOND has 20 years experience in operating highly secure military networks with strong and repeatable processes. She is a founder of the C3PAO Stakeholder Forum, an industry group which focuses on standardizing assessment procedures and interpretations among C3PAOs. Amira has been an active voice in CMMC through her blog at cmmcaudit.org, a source of free resources and training for CMMC preparation. Amira is a CMMC Provisional Assessor, CMMC Provisional Instructor, Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Project Management Professional (PMP). Students will appreciate her deep understanding of CMMC practices and processes, scoping and boundaries, proving inheritance, and regulatory requirements for CUI.

Joy Beland

JOY BELAND is the CMMC Program Manager for Edwards Performance Solutions, delivering live training for all areas of CMMC, as well as an active participant of the Commercial Cybersecurity Assessment Team. Before joining Edwards, Joy served the MSP community as a cybersecurity education instructor, educating 3,000+ on cybersecurity fundamentals from 2019-2020. In addition to her facilitation experience, Joy owned a successful MSP in Los Angeles for 21 years.

Tony Buenger

TONY BUENGER CMMC-AB PA, PI | CCISO, CISSP, CISM, CGEIT, has over 25 years of experience in information technology and cybersecurity. Tony was previously with Redspin and co-lead the effort to become the first Authorized CMMC 3rd Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO). Tony is now employed with SecureStrux, LLC as the Practice Lead for Risk and Compliance. Tony is an experienced instructor within the cybersecurity profession fulfilling roles such as full-time military faculty teaching master degree level information security courses at the National Defense University, adjunct instructor and co-developer of the master degree level cyber security program at Auburn University-Montgomery, and lead faculty chair for cyber security and networking at the University of Phoenix.

Sara Deaton

SARA DEATON is a CMMC Provisional Instructor and Assessor. Her experience spans 30 plus years in the commercial and defense industry. She was first introduced to cybersecurity when working as the sole mission assurance engineer on an FMS Weapon System development effort. Since then, Sara has been involved with cybersecurity activities. She has a BS degree in Applied Mathematics and a MS degree in Systems Engineering (Operations Research). Sara has extensive experience as an instructor. She owns and operates a small business called Atomic Wombat Inc, that focuses on CMMC, CMMI, Quality Assurance, and Process Improvement. Atomic Wombat is located in Huntsville, Alabama.

Matt Hoeper

MATT HOEPER is an experienced cybersecurity professional with 25+ years of IT experience. Matt holds a Master’s degree in Management Information Systems as well as PMP and CISSP certifications. Prior to joining Edwards, he worked for Fortune 500 companies and small businesses in areas of engineering, financial, marketing, supply chain, manufacturing, and health care. Matt has conducted security assessments against multiple standards, as well as spoken to multiple organizations including the Chamber of Commerce, local colleges, and MEPs.

Jacob Horne

JACOB HORNE is the Chief Security Evangelist for Summit 7 Systems where he specializes in helping customers, partners, and the broader defense industrial base understand how security and process can improve business operations. As a former NSA intelligence analyst and U.S. Navy cryptologic technician, Jacob has over 14 years of experience in offensive and defensive cybersecurity operations. As a civilian, he has led cybersecurity compliance and engineering teams at AT&T, Northrop Grumman, and the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).

Brian Hubbard

BRIAN HUBBARD brings 35+ years of cybersecurity program management experience to his role as Director of Commercial and Cybersecurity business at Edwards Performance Solutions. Brian leads Edwards CMMC initiatives, supporting organizations in their preparation for CMMC assessments, as a CMMC-AB Registered Professional (RP). Prior to joining Edwards, Brian led the contractor team supporting NIST in the development of the “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity” (i.e., the NIST Cybersecurity Framework) in response to Executive Order 13636.

Chris Silvers

CHRIS SILVERS CMMC-AB RP, PA, PI | CISSP, CEH, PCIP, CWNA, CEI, SEPP, MLSE, CRISC, CEI is the founder and CEO of CG Silvers Consulting as well as a DEF CON black badge winner. His professional history stretches from the Federal Reserve System — where he led building vulnerability management, red team exercises, forensic investigation, and incident response capabilities for 9 years — to top security clearance Department of Defense technical security course instruction for red and blue teams. Chris’ passion for education and more than 20 years of experience in information security have landed him on the presenter’s stage at conferences such as Defcon, BsidesAtlanta, NolaCon, DerbyCon, and GrrCon. Chris has a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA. Most recently, he has been a C3PAO candidate since September 2020.

CCA OVERVIEW

Course Description

This course provides in-depth knowledge of the CMMC Model and the technical background required for an Assessor to successfully participate on a C3PAO assessment team, or a consultant to successfully prepare an organization for their Level 2 CMMC Assessment. In this 5-day deep dive of the CMMC model, we navigate multiple company scenarios to demonstrate the application of the NIST 800-171 Framework, relevant assessment objectives, and evidence requirements pertaining to the Certified CMMC Assessor (CCA) learning objectives.  This course is taught using multiple scenario OSC environments varying in size, locations, and on-prem vs. hybrid systems.

Students will receive in-depth technical and administrative perspectives from CMMC-AB Provisional Instructors who are also Provisional Assessors currently working through NIST SP 800-171 assessments. After completing the course, students will be eligible to sit for the CCA exam.

Objectives

  • Learn how to perform, manage, and score assessment objectives in accordance with the established methods and requirements of NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment Methodology, Version 1.2.1 and NIST SP 800-171 r3.
  • Lead and participate in the CMMC Assessment Process throughout each phase, with a thorough understanding of assessment outputs and expectations.
  • Determine Level 2 scoping boundaries and asset categorization.
  • Understand varying environmental and infrastructure factors and their associated impact on assessments.

What's Included

  • 5 days of live instructor-led training
  • Digital CCA Exam Prep Guide
  • In-class activities and interactive discussions with Provisional Assessors and Provisional Instructors
  • Digital workbook and downloadable resources
  • Optional Certified CMMC Assessor (CCA) weekly guided exam prep study group (recommended)

Prerequisites

Certified CMMC Assessor course participants are not permitted to take the CCA exam until they have completed a CCP course and passed the CCP exam. It is recommended that prospective students review the CCA prerequisites on the CMMC-AB website prior to registering if interested in receiving full CCA certification with the accompanying benefits.

WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SAYING

Outstandingly informative course. By far the most notes I’ve ever taken based on the SHEER amount of information provided.

— John Britton

The perspectives of the different instructors was good. Especially those who already went through the DIBCAC process.

— Richard Kyaw

This was a good course and starting point. Also liked the tie into the original 110 and difference with policy/procedure/management.

— Sonya Wickel

Over the 5 days I learned a tremendous amount about CMMC. The course was laid out in a way that made the explanation of CMMC manageable to digest.

— Preetesh Patel

 The first part that made this so amazing was the different experiences and insight that each of the three instructors provided. I havent been in a class quite like this and now the rest of my classes may be a bit of a let down if they arent with Edwards.

— John Hocking

The process was done really well. I have a much better perspective on what I need to put together and how the policy and process and plans should look

— Matt Katzer

Overall the sharing of thoughts and ideas on how to apply and properly interpret the CMMC Practices and Objectives was the most valuable.

— Kevin Base

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