For security leaders in the DIB, CMMC is a priority that reaches far beyond the IT department as an existential requirement for the business. As DoD/DoW contractors rush to secure Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), many are looking to implement a secure CMMC enclave, an isolated environment specifically designed for storing and sharing sensitive CUI.
When evaluating CMMC file-sharing and storage solutions, security leaders inevitably come to the Virtru vs PreVeil debate. While some consider setting up a PreVeil enclave, a growing number of DoD contractors are actively searching for a superior PreVeil alternative that doesn't disrupt their daily operations.
While both platforms aim to protect CUI and facilitate compliance, the approaches are fundamentally different. From their FedRAMP status to the reality of the daily user experience, here is why Virtru Collaborate stands out as the better choice for DoD contractors.
When evaluating a cloud service provider for CMMC, one of the most critical distinctions is their FedRAMP status.
PreVeil markets its security as "FedRAMP Equivalent." While that phrase sounds official, it comes with a massive caveat for defense contractors: You assume all the risk. With an "equivalent" vendor, the burden falls entirely on your organization to prove to an assessor that the vendor's environment meets necessary security standards. Furthermore, if a breach occurs, your organization is left holding the bag for DFARS incident reporting requirements.
Virtru, on the other hand, is FedRAMP Authorized and listed on the FedRAMP Marketplace. This means Virtru’s environment has been rigorously audited and sponsored by a federal agency. We are formally held responsible for meeting and maintaining security standards aligned with DFARS requirements. Choosing a FedRAMP Authorized PreVeil alternative like Virtru significantly reduces your organizational risk and simplifies your compliance audit.
A security tool is only effective if your team and your subcontractors actually use it. If a CMMC enclave acts as a clunky, isolated portal, users will inevitably find dangerous, non-compliant workarounds just to get their jobs done.
This is where the Virtru vs PreVeil comparison becomes stark. PreVeil Drive relies heavily on a separate portal experience. It requires external partners, vendors, and clients to create a new PreVeil account and often relies on downloading applications or software to function smoothly. Every time you need to share a CUI file with a new subcontractor, you are forcing them to jump through administrative hoops just to view a document.
Many of our customers evaluate PreVeil alongside Virtru, and ultimately choose Virtru for its seamless user experience. One global engineering firm chose Virtru after finding PreVeil’s end-user experience too cumbersome.
Another customer, an aerospace software company, switched from PreVeil to Virtru: “Previously, we used PreVeil as an email encryption and document repository platform, but I'm not very fond of PreVeil—it's very clunky and basic. That's why we decided to go with Virtru for email encryption.”
Here is a video to show the Preveil vs Virtru user experience.
Virtru Collaborate integrates into users' natural workflows. It is a frictionless, browser-based solution that requires no software installations, no new apps, and absolutely no new accounts to create. Your internal teams can easily spin up designated CUI workspaces and share them instantly. When external primes or subcontractors receive a file, they simply authenticate using their existing credentials (e.g., Google or Microsoft). Because Virtru is so easy to use, users are far less likely to circumvent security to do their jobs. When the contract or engagement is over, admins simply spin down that environment and revoke all unnecessary access to the sensitive data in the workspaces or files.
There is a concerning trend in the compliance software space: Vendors playing the numbers game to sell an "Easy Button." PreVeil’s marketing materials frequently tout perfect "110/110 CMMC scores."
When a software vendor claims to solve 100+ of the 110 CMMC Level 2 controls, it’s time to read the fine print. Often, these vendors are relying on an "inheritance trap." For example, they will claim to satisfy Physical Protection controls (like escorting visitors through a facility) simply because their data is hosted in AWS data centers that have physical security guards.
When you undergo your CMMC assessment, telling a C3PAO that your software vendor handles your physical office security will not go over well, to say the least.
One Virtru customer in precision manufacturing chose Virtru over PreVeil because of Virtru’s transparency over “checking the box” for compliance theater. “We originally planned on choosing PreVeil, but I have full faith in Virtru because of your product explanations and honesty,” said their VP of IT. “One of the reasons we chose Virtru is that it's easier to use and has better future scalability.”
Virtru values transparency over checking the box for compliance theater. We take an honest, conservative approach: Virtru helps you meet 27 of the 110 CMMC controls in a material, high-impact way that safeguards what’s truly important while still enabling your teams to maintain velocity on government contracts. These are the controls directly applicable to our data-centric capabilities: encryption, auditing, access control, and secure sharing. We don't take credit for Amazon's security guards; we take credit for the FedRAMP-authorized, FIPS 140-2-validated data security and access control our software actually provides to you, our customer.
In the DoD contracting world, agility is key — and managing total cost of ownership (TCO) can be tricky, especially for small and midsize organizations. Setting up a secure enclave shouldn't require locking your data inside a rigid PreVeil portal or undertaking a complex IT migration (such as Microsoft GCC High). Both of these options can leave you with an outsize cost for the actual requirements and scope of your CUI storage and sharing.
Virtru Collaborate gives you the best of both worlds: robust CUI protection without the cost premium or cumbersome portal. Virtru allows you to spin up structured, secure collaboration folders in minutes for new projects or partner engagements. You maintain absolute control over the data you own. Users can leverage their existing credentials instead of creating new accounts (reducing the volume of IT tickets for your team by eliminating password resets). When clearances change or the contract expires, you can instantly stand down that workspace, automatically revoking access—even if the files have already been shared externally.
Choosing a CMMC enclave is about so much more than just checking the box to pass your assessment; it’s about choosing a partner that protects your business, reduces your risk, and empowers your supply chain to collaborate securely.
Don't fall for a vendor who claims the highest number of controls without context or nuance, or one that forces your external partners into a clunky portal experience. If you are looking for a true PreVeil alternative, choose the transparency, verified FedRAMP authorization, and effortless usability of Virtru.
Book a demo today to see Virtru Collaborate in action.
There is no single "Easy Button" or standalone software solution that will satisfy all 110 CMMC Level 2 controls. The best software solutions are those that are entirely transparent about the specific controls they actually solve, rather than playing a "numbers game" by taking credit for cloud provider infrastructure. For defense contractors, the best approach is to adopt FedRAMP Authorized, data-centric security tools, like Virtru Collaborate, that handle the encryption, auditing, and secure sharing of CUI without requiring a massive IT overhaul.
The best practice for protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is implementing strict, data-centric security combined with granular access controls. This means encrypting the data itself so that it remains protected no matter where it travels—even beyond your organization's perimeter. Best practices also require utilizing a secure CMMC enclave where you can easily spin up workspaces, track every file view or download, and instantly revoke access when a contract ends or a user's clearance changes.
The leading PreVeil alternative for DoD contractors is Virtru Collaborate. While PreVeil relies on a portal-heavy experience that forces external users to create new accounts or download software, Virtru integrates seamlessly into natural workflows. Virtru allows external primes, subcontractors, and partners to access a secure enclave via their web browser using their existing credentials. Furthermore, Virtru is officially FedRAMP Authorized, whereas a PreVeil enclave operates under a FedRAMP "Equivalent" status, which places the burden of risk and proof on the contractor during an assessment.
The easiest way to protect CUI is to implement security that users won't actively try to circumvent. If a CMMC solution is too difficult to use, employees and external partners will find non-compliant workarounds to get their jobs done. The easiest approach is to layer frictionless end-to-end encryption and secure file sharing directly into the apps your team already uses every day (like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace). Solutions like Virtru allow you to protect CUI and achieve CMMC compliance effortlessly, avoiding the massive expense and heavy IT lift of migrating to Microsoft GCC High.
No, PreVeil is not officially FedRAMP Authorized. Instead, PreVeil markets its platform as FedRAMP "Equivalent." While this terminology sounds similar, there is a massive difference for DoD contractors. With a FedRAMP "Equivalent" vendor, your organization assumes the risk and the burden of proving to a CMMC assessor that the vendor's environment actually meets the necessary DFARS security standards. In contrast, a PreVeil alternative like Virtru is officially FedRAMP Authorized and listed on the FedRAMP Marketplace. This means Virtru has been rigorously audited and sponsored by a federal agency, which significantly reduces your organizational risk and simplifies your assessment.
PreVeil states that its platform uses FIPS-validated encryption (specifically referencing FIPS 140-2 or 140-3 standards) to secure data. However, when evaluating a CMMC enclave, defense contractors must look at the complete compliance picture—not just the cryptographic module. While both PreVeil and Virtru utilize FIPS-validated encryption, Virtru pairs its FIPS 140-2 validation with an official FedRAMP Authorization and a frictionless user experience. This ensures your data meets strict federal standards without forcing your external partners into the clunky, account-creation workflows required by a PreVeil enclave.