# Summit 7 Opens CMMC Cloud Enclave Beta

Summit 7 began limited beta trials of IKE: Enclave on October 12, 2026, offering businesses with 25 or fewer employees an isolated, customer-owned Azure Government and Microsoft GCC High environment with managed IT and cybersecurity services. The commercial service is designed to help small defense contractors prepare for NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2/3 and CMMC Level 2 assessments; Summit 7 says it could cost up to $150,000 less than a traditional enclave in its first year. General availability is expected in Q1 2027. This is a commercial offering, not a government contract award or solicitation.

- Small defense contractors evaluating CMMC readiness can compare the beta service’s managed enclave approach and claimed first-year savings with the cost and capabilities of building a traditional enclave.
- The service uses Azure Government and Microsoft GCC High and offers a potential path to a customized enclave as a customer grows. Organizations should assess whether the beta’s scope and services fit their specific NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC Level 2 preparation needs.
- The Q1 2027 general availability estimate gives interested businesses a planning reference; the beta is currently limited, and the reported savings are Summit 7’s claim.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military, Information Technology
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Cloud Services
**Published:** October 15, 2026

### Government Entities
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

### Vendors
- Summit 7 (Commercial provider of IKE: Enclave)
- Microsoft (Provider of Azure Government and Microsoft GCC High platforms used by the offering)

### Key Quotes
> Small, innovative, businesses are the backbone of the defense industry. They deserve a scalable, affordable, and compliant environment; IKE: Enclave delivers exactly that: a fully isolated, fully customer owned, and fully compliant cloud enclave with a seamless growth path. We’re proud to offer IKE and IKE: Enclave as a breakthrough solution that lowers barriers to CMMC readiness and sets a new standard for what a compliant enclave can be.
> — Scott Edwards, CEO of Summit 7

### Sources
- [Summit 7 Tests Cloud Enclave for Small Defense Contractors](https://www.executivebiz.com/articles/summit-7-ike-enclave-beta-testing) - ExecutiveBiz
- [Summit 7 unveils IKE: Enclave - Intelligence Community News](https://intelligencecommunitynews.com/summit-7-unveils-ike-enclave/) - Intelligence Community News