For organizations moving from CMMC Level 1 to Level 2, the challenge shifts from basic cyber hygiene to proving that security operations are consistently executed and auditable over time. Level 2 introduces 110 NIST SP 800‑171–aligned controls and a third‑party assessment, requiring teams to demonstrate centralized visibility, documented response workflows, and retained security evidence.
Radiant Security helps teams make this transition by centralizing security logs and alerts, enabling structured triage and response workflows, and preserving customer‑owned, audit‑ready evidence required for a successful Level 2 assessment.
Why Organizations Move to CMMC Level 2
Organizations typically pursue CMMC Level 2 certification for one or more of the following reasons:
- Handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)
Contracts involving technical drawings, network architecture, vulnerability data, or sensitive program information require Level 2 compliance. - DoD Contract Requirements
Level 2 certification is increasingly specified in DoD solicitations and RFPs, making compliance a condition for award. - Maintaining Eligibility in the Defense Supply Chain
Prime contractors often require subcontractors to meet Level 2 requirements to remain part of the supply chain. - Competitive Differentiation
Achieving Level 2 demonstrates mature, auditable security operations within the Defense Industrial Base. - Preparation for Future Contracts
Organizations investing in long‑term growth in federal markets often proactively pursue Level 2 readiness.
How Radiant Supports CMMC Level 2 Readiness
Centralized Logging & Visibility
A unified view of security events, alerts, and logs from integrated tools to support investigations, incident response workflows, and audit requirements.
Bring Your Own Bucket (BYOB) Log Storage
Security logs are stored in the customer’s own S3 bucket, providing full ownership, controlled retention, and audit‑ready access to evidence required for CMMC Level 2 assessments.
Data retention policies
Define granular retention policies for different types of data, including alerts (benign or malicious), incidents (true or false positives), and logs (event or raw logs).
Always‑Available Audit Logs
Audit logs are continuously available and accessible through Radiant’s log manager, supporting ongoing review, incident reconstruction, and third‑party assessment needs.
Triage & Response Workflows
Structured triage and investigation workflows aligned to incident response requirements, helping teams consistently analyze, document, and respond to security events surfaced by existing tools.
Audit‑Ready Evidence Generation
Preserved logs, alerts, and incident records that demonstrate security controls are operating effectively over time – a core requirement for CMMC Level 2 assessments.
Self‑Reported Phishing Triage
Automated, AI‑assisted triage of employee‑reported phishing emails to accelerate investigation and remediation of phishing and business email compromise (BEC) incidents.
CMMC Level 2 Control Areas Supported
Radiant supports multiple CMMC Level 2 / NIST SP 800‑171 control families by enabling centralized evidence, operational consistency, and audit readiness:
- Audit & Accountability (AU)
Centralized log management, controlled retention, and ongoing review of security events and audit records. - Incident Response (IR)
Incident triage, investigation workflows, documentation, and preserved response evidence. - System & Information Integrity (SI)
Visibility into security alerts and events from integrated tools, supporting investigation, validation, and false‑positive reduction. - Risk Management (RA)
Operational visibility into security events and incident patterns that inform ongoing risk evaluation and remediation prioritization
Example NIST SP 800‑171 Control Mapping
Radiant supports specific NIST SP 800‑171 practices underlying CMMC Level 2, including:
| NIST SP 800‑171 Control | Control Description | Supporting Radiant Feature |
| AU‑2 | Create and retain system audit logs | Centralized logging with customer‑owned S3 retention configurable data retention policiesplatform user activity audit logs |
| AU‑6 | Review and analyze audit records | Unified visibility and platform audit logs accessible at all times |
| AU‑9 | Protect audit information from unauthorized access or modification | Customer‑controlled S3 storage |
| IR‑4 | Incident handling | Structured triage and documented response workflows |
| IR‑6 | Incident reporting | Preserved incident documentation and audit‑ready case records |
| SI‑4 | Monitor systems to detect potential security events | Surfaces only real threats from integrated security tools |
What Radiant Does – and Doesn’t Do
Radiant Helps You:
- Operationalize CMMC Level 2 security controls
- Centralize and retain audit‑ready security evidence
- Reduce manual SOC and compliance effort
- Standardize incident triage and response workflows
Radiant Does Not:
- Guarantee CMMC certification on its own
- Replace required policies, procedures, or training
- Act as a certifying body or auditor
- Replace primary detection or prevention tools
- Cover all 110 CMMC Level 2 controls by itself
CMMC Level 2 compliance is a shared responsibility across people, process, and technology.
