The Real Story Isn’t the Suspension — It’s the Question the Department Asked Next

July 15, 2026

Rob McCormick

CEO, Avatara

Alongside this week's announcement, the Department of War issued a Request for Information (RFI) asking industry how cybersecurity can become simpler, less costly, and less operationally burdensome. While most headlines focused on the temporary suspension of CMMC Phase 2 implementation, the RFI may ultimately prove to be the more significant development.

In commentary published by Federal News Network, Avatara CEO Rob McCormick explores why the Department's questions deserve the industry's attention—and why the answers could help shape the future of cybersecurity across the Defense Industrial Base.

Read full article

About Avatara

Headquartered in St. Louis, Avatara is the developer of Avatara Platform, a fully-managed, all-inclusive, IT systems-as-a-service platform that allows businesses to significantly cut their annual IT spend, while meeting the rising tide of security and compliance standards impacting industries throughout the world. Avatara solves the problem of increasing cost, complexity, and compliance – The Three C’s of IT. We eliminate the endless cycle of acquiring, building, and maintaining an ever-evolving technology foundation to run your business.

Since its founding over 20 years ago, Avatara has worked with hundreds of businesses spanning a range of industries, including defense contractors, manufacturing, architecture, engineering, construction, healthcare, legal, finance, and retail sectors, among many others.