Case Study
Specialty Manufacturer and Navy Contractor Achieves CMMC Level 2 Without Slowing Down the Shop Floor
Real-World Compliance Challenges in a Manufacturing Environment
Level 1 Fasteners, a West Virginia-based specialty fastener manufacturer and defense contractor, needed to strengthen its cybersecurity posture and achieve CMMC certification. With more than 60 years of experience producing certified fasteners, Level 1 serves customers in military, aerospace, medical, and other highly regulated industries.
When the challenge of implementing NIST 800-171 landed on one team member's plate, the company turned to outside help. Previous attempts with local MSPs and consultants went nowhere, since most didn't understand CMMC or weren't able to take on the complexity of a manufacturing environment. Level 1 needed an all-in-one partner with deep DIB compliance expertise and responsive, knowledgeable support. They found that in Sentinel Blue.
Key Outcomes
CMMC Level 2 certified on the first try
Certified in three months vs. years independently
Migrated to Microsoft GCC High hybrid environment
Real threats caught by SOC before damage occurred
Legacy machine shop environment made compliant
Ongoing managed support and compliance maintenance
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Most MSSPs that deal with CMMC environments have never experienced the challenges of a machine shop. Their idea is to just update your machines so they can run the right software, but that's not always possible. At the same time, CMMC is giving you 300 pages of technical requirements to figure out on your own. Having Sentinel Blue explain all the technical details and how they apply to our environment was the support we needed when we were drowning.
Amanda Webb
Information Systems Security Officer, Level 1 Fasteners
The Solution: Purpose-Built Cybersecurity for a Busy Machine Shop
Modernizing an On-Prem Environment
Sentinel Blue began by migrating Level 1 Fasteners from an almost entirely on-premises infrastructure to an ultra-secure hybrid environment anchored by Microsoft Government Community Cloud (GCC High). The transition introduced a new firewall configuration, remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools, and controls to lock down external device access, replacing what had previously been an informal trust system with consistently rigorous protocols. Sentinel Blue also provided vCISO advisory services, including tabletop exercises that helped Level 1's team understand responsibilities and gaps in a hands-on, practical way.
Real-Time Threat Detection with SOC-as-a-Service
Sentinel Blue's dedicated SOC team added significant visibility and responsiveness to Level 1's existing security measures. The Overwatch SOC-as-a-Service delivered a comprehensive, fully managed stack covering everything from endpoint protection and vulnerability management to email security, identity and access management, and backup and disaster recovery. To date, the SOC's continuous monitoring capabilities have flagged several serious incidents, including accidental malware downloads and phishing emails designed to harvest Microsoft credentials. Thanks to the SOC team's deep industry expertise, these threats were flagged and action was taken before damage was caused.
Tackling Compliance Challenges in a Machine Shop Environment
Achieving CMMC Level 2 in a specialty manufacturing environment comes with challenges that most MSPs have never encountered. Level 1's shop floor presented a number of them: dozens of operators sharing workstations, IOT devices with visibility blind spots, and legacy machines (including one dating back to the 1930s) that couldn't simply be replaced or updated.
Unlike a typical office environment, a shop floor is also a physically harsh space. Oil, dust, and heavy machinery can accelerate wear on hardware and make it prohibitively expensive to maintain individual tablets for each employee. As a result, Sentinel Blue had to find creative workarounds for upgrades, device deployment, and more.
Another reality for this kind of manufacturing environment was the volume of printed CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information). Sentinel Blue worked through the process of eliminating printed CUI where possible, which meaningfully reduced the compliance scope. For what remained on paper, including files for specific customers that still required pen-and-ink signatures, Sentinel Blue offered starting points for a physical security strategy.
Finally, for legacy systems that couldn't be replaced, including a half-million-dollar machine running on Windows 7, Sentinel Blue helped determine what could be moved to a separate VLAN, what could be removed from the network altogether, and what could be configured to operate within the GCC High environment.
Supporting Change Management Across the Organization
In a small business where processes have been in place for years, achieving CMMC compliance isn't just about implementing technical controls. When internal advocacy wasn't enough to get buy-in on some specific updates, Sentinel Blue stepped in directly. Having a trusted expert there to clearly and credibly explain the stakes proved to be the ticket to getting the final necessary changes adopted before assessment.
"When we needed to make security changes, it could take months to get everyone aligned. Finally Andy came in and said, 'Here's what you need to do, otherwise you're not going to pass your assessment.' He had the expertise to persuade the team and get things moving quickly."
Amanda Webb
Information Systems Security Officer, Level 1 Fasteners
What the Case Study Covers
CMMC Level 2 certification journey
Microsoft GCC High migration
SOC-as-a-Service and threat detection
Machine shop compliance challenges
Legacy system and IoT risk management
Printed CUI scope reduction
vCISO advisory and tabletop exercises
Organizational change management
Assessment preparation and execution
Ongoing compliance and managed support
Key Outcomes: CMMC Certification, Improved Processes, and Ongoing Peace of Mind
CMMC Certification on the First Try
Level 1 Fasteners passed their CMMC Level 2 assessment on the first attempt. They estimated that certification would have taken several years to prepare for independently; with Sentinel Blue, they were able to cut that time to three months. Because Sentinel Blue handled both the technical control implementation and the policy documentation, Level 1 was well prepared when it came time for certification.
3 Months
From engagement to CMMC Level 2 certification
1st Try
CMMC Level 2 passed on the first assessment
1.5 Days
Assessment completed vs. the week or more anticipated
"I was super stressed out about the assessment, but Andy was on the call with me, and he made it so simple. I assumed we'd have at least a week of dealing with the assessors. It was a day and a half. Andy handled almost everything, and whenever it came time for my part, I was already prepared with what was required."
Operational Improvements Beyond Compliance
Although it initially met some internal resistance, the move away from printed CUI turned out to be a genuine operational improvement for the company. Paper documentation that was once difficult to read became digital, searchable, and tied directly to manufacturing jobs in the system. Similarly, the GCC High implementation improved security across the board for the sales team.
Reliable, Ongoing Support
Achieving CMMC certification was a milestone but not a finish line. Level 1 now has a long-term partner to help them maintain compliance through future assessment cycles and stay ahead of evolving regulatory requirements. Sentinel Blue is also helping the company plan strategically for what comes next, including a potential move away from their remaining on-premises infrastructure to a fully cloud-based environment.
That support extends to the day-to-day as well. For a small team where everyone wears multiple hats, having a friendly and responsive help desk to handle technical complexity in the background has made a real difference.
Amanda Webb
Information Systems Security Officer, Level 1 Fasteners
"I'm able to go on vacation without getting calls. Having Sentinel Blue there to help with the upgrades I have planned for the future — without having to add it all to my plate — is tremendous. We're a small company, and that support makes a huge difference."
Amanda Webb
Information Systems Security Officer, Level 1 Fasteners
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Case Study
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The full story of how a specialty defense manufacturer achieved CMMC Level 2 in three months, solved machine shop compliance challenges no other MSP could crack, and built a long-term managed program with Sentinel Blue.
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