Case study · Defense / SMB · Virginia, USA
A Virginia defense supplier was quoted roughly $20,000 for a two-VM Azure enclave built around Azure Firewall Premium. ITSECOPS re-architected the same CMMC Level 2 scope down to about $5,000 — a 75% saving — without weakening a single NIST SP 800-171 control.
The client
A small defense industrial base (DIB) supplier in Virginia handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) on a limited number of contracts, with a DFARS 252.204-7012 flow-down and an SPRS score to submit.
The challenge
A prior proposal put two Azure virtual machines behind Azure Firewall Premium in a full hub-and-spoke design. For an enclave that only a handful of engineers would ever touch, the architecture was dramatically oversized — and the ~$20,000 first-year cost was about to stall the whole compliance programme.
What we did
- Re-scoped the enclave boundary so only CUI-touching workflows lived inside it — the single most effective cost lever in any CMMC project.
- Replaced Azure Firewall Premium with network security groups plus right-sized firewall policy that still satisfies the relevant SC controls for an enclave of this size.
- Right-sized both VMs and added auto-shutdown schedules for non-production hours.
- Enforced MFA (3.5.3) via conditional access and FIPS-validated cryptography choices (3.13.11) — the two controls that most often break SPRS scores.
- Delivered the System Security Plan, POA&M and an assessor-style SPRS score ready for submission.
Results
- First-year enclave cost: ~$5,000 vs the ~$20,000 quote.
- SPRS score submitted; evidence pack organized for a future C3PAO assessment.
- No control weakened — the design was reviewed against 32 CFR 170 requirements.
FAQ
How much does a CMMC Level 2 Azure enclave cost?
For a small supplier, a correctly-scoped enclave typically runs $5,000–$15,000 in first-year infrastructure — oversized architectures with premium firewalls can triple that. Our CMMC cost planner models this for your size.
Do I need Azure Firewall Premium for CMMC?
No. CMMC requires that controls are met, not that specific SKUs are bought. Many small enclaves satisfy boundary-protection controls with NSGs and standard-tier tooling.
Do I need a US-based consultant for CMMC?
No — as long as the consultant never accesses CUI, advisory work can be delivered from anywhere. See our full answer: Do I need a US-based CMMC consultant?