Summit 7’s Scott Edwards Makes Wash100 Debut for Supporting GovCon Compliance With CMMC
Executive Mosaic is honored to announce that Summit 7‘s Scott Edwards has won the Wash100 Award for the first time. The Wash100 Award is a prestigious accolade given out annually to the 100 most influential and impactful members of the government and government contracting industry in recognition of their achievements and in anticipation of future contributions.
Summit 7’s Chief Executive
Edwards currently serves president and CEO of Summit 7, a managed services provider that works to support contractors for the Department of Defense. Edwards brings to his role over two decades of experience in a variety of fields, including security, compliance and cloud services, and an understanding of government regulations concerning data security, including the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.
The Summit 7 chief executive also currently serves as executive director at MSPs for the Protection of Critical Infrastructure, an organization that aims to provide the government and critical infrastructure industries with information concerning providers of managed security and other services. At the MSP Collective, Edwards leads the board of directors and works to facilitate consultations regarding external service providers and relevant policies and issues affecting their use.
Edwards’ earlier employers include SAIC and Computer Science Corporation. He had also served as a U.S. Army Signal Corps officer.
Commenting on Edwards’ win, Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award, said, “Scott is making his Wash100 debut. As president and CEO of Summit 7, Scott has turned the company into a standout player in security, compliance and cloud services—so much so that Microsoft named Summit 7 a finalist for its 2024 Partner of the Year award. With deep expertise in Microsoft Cloud architectures and CMMC compliance, Scott is helping government contractors navigate the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.”
Select Scott Edwards as your favorite 2025 Wash100 Award winner at Wash100.com! Voting closes on April 30, with the winner of the popular vote competition to be announced soon thereafter.
Supporting Industry Compliance With CMMC
As Summit 7 chief executive, Edwards works to lead his organization in fulfilling its mission of helping defense industrial base companies “win more contracts through next-level cybersecurity and compliance.” To achieve this, the company delivers or licenses products and services — including those from Microsoft — that allow government contractors to meet agency requirements, including alignment with federal regulations concerning data and systems security.
Of particular significance is compliance with CMMC 2.0, whose full rollout is expected to begin within 2025. To make sure that customers meet the requirements of DOD’s new cybersecurity regime, Summit 7, under Edwards’ leadership, offers tools like a managed CUI enclave and the CMMC All In Solution. The former is a scalable information system built on government-grade versions of Microsoft 365 and Azure, which protects sensitive data using a software-defined perimeter, while the latter, also built on Microsoft’s offerings, forms a set of capabilities meant to support organizations handling DOD data that mandate CMMC Level 2 certification.
In anticipation of the CMMC rollout, Summit 7 has also released a number of resources for DIB companies. In July last year, Summit 7 offered a free readiness brief that includes an overview of the CMMC, an explanation of the various CMMC levels, a timeline for certification under the program and a checklist to determine one’s readiness for CMMC certification. The company also organized a free webinar that provided advice on how one might prepare a budget for CMMC certification.
In September, Summit 7 released a pathfinder tool, which offers users guidance on the CMMC level their organization should aim for, how they should prepare for certification and whether they should partner with a managed service provider.
Regarding the tool, Edwards said, “CMMC compliance can be overwhelming, but the Pathfinder Tool helps break it down into actionable steps. We designed this tool to eliminate the guesswork, so companies can understand their current position and take the steps to confidently move forward toward full compliance.”
And following the issuance of the final CMMC program rule in October, Summit 7 organized a webinar tackling its implications.
Concerning this development, Edwards said, “The finalization of CMMC Program Rule marks the culmination of nearly a decade of rulemaking intent on improving the cybersecurity posture of America’s defense supply chain. Over the next 24-36 months, roughly 80,000 companies in the Defense Industrial Base are going to have to meet these requirements set by CMMC, and we’re here to help them today just like we have been for the last 8 years. We are committed to helping contractors Protect the American Dream into the future.”
Expanding Market Reach
Offering these products and resources, however, is not enough. It is just as important to get them in the hands of as many DIB companies as possible. To achieve this goal, Summit 7 in November joined forces with Carahsoft Technology, in which the latter would serve as a referral partner. Under the collaboration, access to Summit 7’s offerings would be expanded via Carahsoft’s network of resellers and government customers. According to Summit 7 Chief Revenue Officer Darron Makrokanis, the partnership would help joint defense customers secure more contracts by improving their security and securing CMMC certification — a feat that Summit 7 itself, with Edwards at the helm, has recently achieved.
Leading by Example
In February 2025, the company secured two CMMC Level 2 certifications. The first demonstrates corporate compliance with requirements under DFARS 252.204-7012 and 7021, including those involving the handling of controlled unclassified information. The second validates the shared responsibility matrix vis-a-vis the company’s Guardian and Vigilance managed services offerings.
Commenting on the milestone, Edwards said, “Summit 7 completing our CMMC L2 assessment is not just about compliance—it’s about building confidence and trust within the DIB.”
“Achieving the dual CMMC certifications underscores our commitment to leading by example and ensuring the security of our nation’s supply chain,” he added.
Through Edwards’ leadership, Summit 7 has become a key player in the CMMC space and the broader GovCon industry. As the company’s chief executive, Edwards has demonstrated a concern for delivering products and services that bolster the ability of defense corporations to achieve their missions as well as a concern for ensuring the cybersecurity of the country’s systems and capabilities. These are qualities that the Wash100 Award honors and for which Edwards is being given recognition.
Congratulations to Edwards and his team for this achievement!
Don’t forget to vote for Scott Edwards as your esteemed 2025 Wash100 awardee at Wash100.com!