The Department values feedback from industry, Congress, and other stakeholders and received over 850 public comments in response to the interim rule establishing CMMC 1.0. These comments focused on the need to enhance CMMC by (1) reducing costs, particularly for small businesses; (2) increasing trust in the CMMC assessment ecosystem; and (3) clarifying and aligning cybersecurity requirements to other federal requirements and commonly accepted standards. CMMC 2.0 was designed to meet these goals, which also contribute toward enhancing the cybersecurity of the defense industrial base.