FedRAMP
Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program for cloud services
Overview
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is a government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services.
FedRAMP was established to support the U.S. government's 'Cloud First' policy by providing a cost-effective, risk-based approach for the adoption and use of cloud services by federal agencies.
The program is designed to increase agencies' confidence in the security of cloud solutions and to achieve consistent security authorizations using a baseline set of agreed-upon standards.
Key Requirements
- Implementation of NIST 800-53 security controls
- Development of a comprehensive System Security Plan (SSP)
- Security Assessment by a Third-Party Assessment Organization (3PAO)
- Continuous monitoring and annual assessments
- Incident response capabilities
- Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) management
- Supply chain risk management
- Configuration management
Frequently Asked Questions
- Governing Body:
- FedRAMP Program Management Office (PMO)
- Impact Levels:
- Low, Moderate, High
- Authorization Paths:
- Agency Authorization, Joint Authorization Board (JAB) Provisional Authorization
- Control Baseline:
- NIST SP 800-53 (Low: ~125 controls, Moderate: ~325 controls, High: ~420 controls)
- Assessment Frequency:
- Initial authorization followed by continuous monitoring
- Cloud Service Providers (CSPs)
- Software as a Service (SaaS) providers
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) providers
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) providers
- Organizations serving federal government clients
- Federal agencies adopting cloud services
- State and local governments adopting FedRAMP standards
FedRAMP Readiness Assessment
Comprehensive evaluation of your current security posture against FedRAMP requirements to identify gaps and develop a remediation plan.
System Security Plan Development
Creation of a comprehensive System Security Plan (SSP) and supporting documentation required for FedRAMP authorization.
Security Control Implementation
Hands-on assistance with implementing the necessary security controls to meet FedRAMP requirements.
3PAO Assessment Preparation
Thorough preparation for your FedRAMP assessment, including documentation review, evidence collection, and mock assessments.
Continuous Monitoring Support
Ongoing support to maintain FedRAMP compliance through continuous monitoring, vulnerability management, and annual assessments.
Related Resources
Tools, templates, and articles for FedRAMP compliance
Regulatory Update
FedRAMP 20x Reality Check: What CR26 Means for Cloud Providers
The FedRAMP 20x pilots wrapped, CR26 dropped May 4, and providers are live on the marketplace. Here is what actually shipped and what is still vapor.
Security Operations
Operationalizing Adversarial Control Validation
How to turn adversarial control validation into a continuous capability with metrics, POA&M integration, and a maturity model.
Security Framework
Adversarial Control Review Framework
A practical framework for testing whether your security controls actually work against real attack scenarios, not just audit checklists.