First Column IT

This year's family picnic was one to remember!

For the first time, we hosted the picnic at our new office and celebrated the occasion with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony! It was a special opportunity to commemorate the blessing of our new space and recognize the incredible team members and families who have helped make First Column IT what it is today.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for a day of food, fun, and fellowship. We're excited for this next chapter, and we look forward to serving our clients and community from our new home for years to come!

Today marks the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001.

We pause to remember the lives lost, honor the courage of first responders, and reflect on the resilience that brought our nation together during one of its most challenging moments.

As we continue to connect people through technology, we are reminded that our greatest strength has always been the human connections that unite us.

The suspension of CMMC Phase II has created a lot of discussion across the Defense Industrial Base, but the practical takeaway for contractors is simpler most people think.

❓ What changed?

Phase II of the CMMC program was slated to take effect in November of this year. Phase II includes requirements on some contracts to achieve CMMC Level 2 certification via C3PAO audit. The Department of War announced an immediate suspension of Phase II requirements while it conducts a review of the program.

❓ What did NOT change?

DFARS 252.204-7012 requirements remain in effect, and contractors are still expected to protect covered defense information. This mandates compliance with NIST SP 800-171 and restricts use of cloud service providers to those that meet the FedRAMP Moderate (Class C) baseline. During this period, the Department stated it will continue enforcing cybersecurity compliance through NIST SP 800-171 self-assessments and selected government-led assessments.

💼 For businesses, this means:

✅ You may not need a C3PAO assessment right now.
✅ You still need a compliant NIST SP 800-171 environment.
✅ You still need a System Security Plan (SSP), documented controls, and evidence that your security program is operating as intended.
✅ You still need to use Cloud Service Providers that meet the FedRAMP Moderate (Class C) baseline.
✅ Prime contractors and customers will likely continue evaluating cybersecurity maturity when selecting suppliers.

The biggest mistake organizations can make is viewing this suspension as a reason to pause cybersecurity efforts. Whether the future brings a revised CMMC program, a different certification approach, or a return to third-party assessments, the underlying requirement remains the same: Protect sensitive defense information and demonstrate that you're doing it.

Organizations that continue building strong NIST 800-171 programs today will be in a far better position regardless of how the regulatory landscape evolves.

First Column IT is a CMMC Registered Provider Organization (RPO) and we love helping our clients achieve their compliance goals! If your company needs help meeting your DFARS requirements or self-attesting to CMMC, we would love to help you!

Happy Independence Day from all of us at First Column!

As our nation marks 250 years of freedom, we're reminded that America's story has always been one of people coming together, solving challenges, and creating opportunities for future generations.

We're proud to be part of that ongoing story and grateful for the employees, clients, and communities we serve.

Have a safe and wonderful 4th of July!

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🚀 Introducing CompliantVDI - First Column IT's exciting new offering!

CMMC compliance doesn’t have to mean rebuilding your entire IT environment. That’s why we built CompliantVDI — First Column IT’s turnkey virtual desktop solution designed to simplify CMMC compliance and reduce the operational burden on your team.

With CompliantVDI, organizations can:
✅ Reduce the scope of systems that fall under CMMC.
✅ Shift day to day compliance responsibility to a tightly controlled environment.
✅ Support secure CUI work without enterprise level complexity.

This isn’t a one size fits all answer — but for teams with limited CUI volume, it can be a practical, defensible path forward. If CMMC is on your roadmap, understanding your architectural options early matters.

👉 Curious about whether CompliantVDI fits your CMMC roadmap?

Learn more at compliantvdi.com

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Today, we honor and remember the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country.

Their sacrifice made our freedoms, and the work we do every day, possible.

This Memorial Day, we pause in gratitude and remembrance. 🇺🇸

It's National Small Business Week!

They say leadership is about service, and today, some of our leaders took that literally! 🧼🚗

Our Team Leads and Managers traded their laptops for sponges and hoses to host a surprise employee car wash during their lunch break. It was a great day of sun, suds, and saying "thank you" to the incredible team that keeps us moving forward every day.

We’re proud to have a team that isn't afraid to roll up their sleeves.

Huge congratulations to the Academy of Christian Education on an incredible 30 years of excellence! 🎉

Our very own Client Success Manager, Patty Hess, had a blast representing First Column IT at this past weekend’s anniversary gala. We are so proud to support such an amazing institution—here’s to 30 more years of success!

Happy Data Privacy Day from First Column IT!