Understanding the future of government cloud compliance
In 2018, nearly 79% of government IT spending was reserved for the maintenance of legacy systems, according to the IDC. But in the years since, more of those resources are being used to migrate workloads to the cloud.
Deloitte estimates that federal cloud spending has grown at a steady pace since 2016, breaking the $8 billion mark at the end of the fiscal year in 2021. At the same time, government agencies and their independent software vendors (ISV) are being held accountable for the sensitive data they handle — most notably, through programs like FedRAMP, StateRAMP, DoD and HITRUST.
Let’s look ahead at how these standards might evolve in the coming years and what you can do to future-proof compliance.
The continued push for cloud compliance
It’s no surprise to anyone that the cloud has emerged as one of the most significant innovations of the 21st century. Organizations far and wide have raced to the cloud to make use of its vast capabilities, and the public sector is no different.
However, agencies and ISVs alike face an uphill battle when it comes to keeping their deployments secure. Even though standards like FedRAMP, StateRAMP, and DoD IL 5 aim to implement a more rigorous security framework, compliance with these programs is easier said than done.
Take FedRAMP, for instance. A recent report from the Center for Cybersecurity Policy and Law identifies two significant challenges facing government agencies and their vendors:
- The FedRAMP system lacks the capacity to keep up with agency and ISV demand for review and authorization. In short, the sheer quantity of cloud services requesting authorization is straining the system.
- Vendors are required to take on an increasingly daunting workload related to certifying and maintaining a growing list of cloud services. FedRAMP alone has over 400 security controls that need continuous monitoring.
Consequently, several government agencies and their vendors have done business without FedRAMP authorization, according to a survey conducted by the Government Accountability Office. Responding agencies cited the time, cost, and significant workload required to implement the program’s requirements as contributing factors to non-compliance.
To make matters worse, a looming talent shortage in the public sector is leaving many of the government’s IT teams understaffed. In turn, it’s difficult to manage cloud security and compliance simultaneously without adequate resources.
Cloud compliance-as-a-service
There’s no stopping the accelerating push to the cloud. But to comply with increasingly stringent data security requirements and maximize the potential of cloud computing, governments and their vendors need to simplify the compliance process.
To do so, they’ll turn toward compliance-as-a-service solutions. Project Hosts, for instance, take the pain out of compliance. Using an already authorized cloud platform, ISVs and government agencies can streamline the process at a fraction of the cost.
By connecting your cloud application to Project Hosts’ General Support System (GSS) platform, you can outsource 80% of the controls. With only 20% of the application’s controls needing to be vetted, the GSS allows your application to be up and running in just 2-3 months with all the evidence necessary for compliance.
Our team makes it easy for you to get certified in the standard of your choice. Choose to do it yourself or let us do it for you using our turnkey DoD, FedRAMP, StateRAMP, and HITRUST certification services. Either way, we support your efforts by sharing our policies, and procedures and collecting evidence on your behalf.
And to make sure you achieve ongoing compliance, our teams will provide support for any application running on our platform by monitoring performance, preventing intrusion, and patching your environment.
Contact us to learn more about how Project Hosts can future-proof compliance for your organization.
