By Joshua Marpet | Chief Compliance Officer, Cyturus
Compliance isn’t just about passing audits anymore. It’s a strategic advantage that smart organizations leverage across contracts, procurement, sales, and marketing to accelerate deal velocity and reduce friction at every touchpoint.
The idea is widely accepted, even if it is not operationalized nearly enough. We’ve seen that gap firsthand in our work with organizations pursuing certification. During our June “Day After Certification” panel, one theme was crystal clear: compliance, done right, creates business momentum—not bureaucracy.
Certification Is a Trust Accelerator
Whether pursuing government or commercial contracts, being certified to a recognized framework (like CMMC Level 2) sends a powerful signal: you’re trustworthy. You de-risk the buying process, clear Vendor Risk Assessments faster, and often qualify for work your uncertified competitors can’t even bid on.
As Robert Teague of Redspin shared during our The Day After Certification panel: “We know what it takes to get through the assessments, and we can tell within the first three questions whether the team is living the standard or just trying to pass. When they live it, that trust is tangible—and it shows up in contracts.”
It’s Not Just Posture—It’s Positioning
From a go-to-market lens, being certified allows sales and marketing teams to position your organization as future-ready and security-first. But that only works when your internal operations and external messaging are aligned.
Rob Groome, CIO of USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies, offered a university perspective that applies broadly: “We created a CMMC Center of Excellence and publish a regular update newsletter, ‘CMMC & U,’ to keep teams engaged post-certification. It’s not about fear—it’s about clarity. We explain how this helps us win, protect our work, and move faster.”
The Real Red Flag? Thinking It Ends at Certification
Most organizations see certification as a milestone. It’s not—it’s Day 1 of a three-year journey. As Dr. Thomas Graham of Redspin put it: “If you’re doing quarterly CCB meetings, the assessor may ask you three years from now for meeting records from 2.5 years ago. That’s not theory—that’s what we ask. Maturity has been stripped from the name, but it hasn’t been stripped from the process.”
This is why compliance and contract capture must be tightly linked. A well-run compliance program keeps the organization “audit ready” and contract-friendly—reducing risk, eliminating surprises, and proving your capabilities in action.
Compliance Is a Recurring Revenue Enabler
When your compliance muscle is strong, you don’t just land contracts—you renew them. As Chad Gray from PwC warned: “Most orgs are so focused on the first certification they don’t think about continuous monitoring. But this isn’t set-it-and-forget-it. You have to plan Day 1 of your post-certification operations the moment you pass.”
Certifications can also help set pricing power. As the article originally noted, “you can charge rates commensurate with being certified”—and that’s especially true in a competitive RFP or bid process where compliance maturity can be the differentiator.
A Final Word: Stop Leaving Value on the Table
Modern GRC and Maturity Management systems (like Cyturus CRT) aren’t just there to help you pass. They’re built to make compliance measurable, repeatable, and strategic. Whether you’re building a unified control framework, managing pre-award CUI conversations, or just trying to keep teams engaged across departments—the real win comes from turning compliance into collaboration.
Compliance is not the cost of doing business.
It’s the signal that you’re ready to lead it.