FedRAMPThe federal government is one of the largest buyers of SaaS solutions, but every cloud service must be FedRAMP authorized before agencies can use it. For SaaS companies, FedRAMP is the investment that unlocks the most lucrative and sticky market in the world.
SaaS products may require architectural modifications to meet FedRAMP requirements — dedicated government infrastructure, data residency, and boundary isolation.
Supporting federal identity providers (PIV, CAC), SAML/OIDC integration with agency IdPs, and meeting federal authentication requirements.
Federal data must reside in the U.S. in FedRAMP-authorized infrastructure — this may require dedicated GovCloud deployments.
Keeping your government environment at feature parity with your commercial product while maintaining separate security boundaries.
Running on commercial cloud rather than GovCloud or FedRAMP-authorized infrastructure with proper boundary controls.
Not supporting MFA methods required by federal agencies including PIV/CAC smart cards and phishing-resistant authenticators.
Not meeting FedRAMP's log retention requirements (typically 1 year online, 3 years total) across all system components.
Including preparation, tooling, and assessment fees
Depending on current maturity and scope
SaaS companies often face additional costs for building and maintaining separate government infrastructure (GovCloud), which can double your operational costs for the federal deployment. However, federal contract values typically justify this investment. Many SaaS companies start with a limited product scope to manage initial FedRAMP costs.
Illumen specializes in helping saas companies companies achieve FedRAMP compliance — from initial assessment through certification.
Know exactly where you stand against requirements
A clear, prioritized path to certification
Hands-on support from seasoned compliance advisors
Common questions about FedRAMP compliance in the saas companies industry.
