Organizations that offer cloud services to the federal government must do so through the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). But what is
FedRAMP? Why is it important? And most critically, how can you achieve FedRAMP compliance?
In this guide, we’ll share everything you need to know about listing your product on the FedRAMP Marketplace.
What is FedRAMP?
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program is a U.S. government-wide initiative that standardizes security assessment, authorization and continuous monitoring processes for cloud products and services. Its primary goal is to ensure federal agencies use cloud service offerings (CSOs) that meet stringent security requirements for protecting sensitive data.
In 2011, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) created FedRAMP to establish a unified approach to cloud security among federal agencies. The OMB also initiated the program to streamline the approval process for cloud service providers (CSPs) and independent software vendors (CSPs) by reducing duplicate effort and saving costs while ensuring consistent security authorizations.
As part of the Federal Cloud Computing Strategy, the FedRAMP program helps modernize the federal government with cutting-edge solutions. Security is a key barrier to cloud adoption, but with a unified framework, agencies can implement CSOs with the assurance that federal information is under lock and key.
Who must comply with FedRAMP requirements?
Generally, any CSP who offers cloud services to the U.S. federal government must comply with FedRAMP’s compliance requirements if they handle federal data. Likewise, all federal agencies may only procure CSOs through the FedRAMP Marketplace, as this ensures they’re vetted through a rigorous authorization process.
Legally, FedRAMP is rooted in several regulations and guidelines:
Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA): Establishes a comprehensive framework for ensuring the effectiveness of information security controls over federal information systems.
OMB Circular A-130: The OMB states that agencies implementing FISMA must use National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines.
NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-53: FedRAMP bases its cybersecurity framework on NIST SP 800-53, requiring all CSOs to be evaluated against this common standard, thus ensuring consistent security authorizations.
FedRAMP Authorization Act: In 2023, the FedRAMP Authorization Act officially codified the program into law, providing a legal foundation for its operations and requirements.
Why is FedRAMP important?
FedRAMP compliance is crucial for CSPs because it ensures their cloud services can protect federal information. Achieving compliance demonstrates a commitment to security, which can enhance credibility and trust with federal agencies. Moreover, without FedRAMP compliance, CSPs can’t offer their services to federal customers, limiting their market opportunities.
Thus, FedRAMP compliance can yield several advantages:
Market access: Allows CSPs to provide services to federal agencies, opening a significant and lucrative market.
Enhanced security: Ensures CSP services meet high-security standards, which can also appeal to non-federal customers.
Competitive advantage: Demonstrates a commitment to security and compliance, distinguishing the CSP from competitors.
Streamlined procurement: Simplifies the procurement process for federal agencies, making it easier for them to adopt the CSP's services.
Stronger business case: Compliance makes it easier for CSPs to compete for opportunities when submitting a request for proposal (RFP) or information (RFI).
How does FedRAMP work?
The FedRAMP program aims to achieve three security objectives:
Confidentiality: Protecting personal privacy and proprietary information from unauthorized access and disclosure.
Integrity: Guarding stored data against unauthorized modification or destruction.
Availability: Ensuring timely and reliable access to information.
To ensure these objectives are met, FedRAMP requires CSPs to implement baseline security controls. However, not all CSOs process the same type of government data. So, the FedRAMP Board authorizes them based on three impact levels, each requiring more security controls than the last:
FedRAMP Low: Suitable for systems where the loss of confidentiality, integrity and availability would have limited adverse effects.
FedRAMP Moderate: Appropriate for systems where the loss could cause serious adverse effects on operations, assets or individuals.
FedRAMP High: Required for systems where the loss could have severe or catastrophic effects.
There are cases when achieving impact levels can aid other compliance efforts. For instance, DoD contractors are legally required to implement security controls equivalent to the FedRAMP Moderate baseline, helping them comply with the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement.
FedRAMP compliance vs. FedRAMP authorization
Although often used interchangeably, compliance and authorization aren’t synonymous.
The term “compliance” merely indicates that an ISV has met all the security requirements and controls set forth by FedRAMP. “Authorization” means it’s been granted official approval by the FedRAMP Program Management Office (PMO) or a federal agency, indicating it’s gone through a rigorous assessment process.
Official FedRAMP designations
There are three official FedRAMP designations. Each describes a different state of compliance:
FedRAMP Ready: Indicates the CSO has been reviewed by a Third-Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) that has attested to a CSOs security capabilities confirming their readiness to work with the federal government.
FedRAMP In Process: Denotes that the CSO is actively working towards FedRAMP authorization with an agency sponsor or through the FedRAMP Board.
FedRAMP Authorized: Confirms the CSO has successfully met all FedRAMP compliance requirements and received official authorization.
What is the FedRAMP Marketplace?
The FedRAMP Marketplace is an online resource where federal agencies and other stakeholders can find information about CSPs and CSPs that are in the process of achieving or have achieved FedRAMP authorization. It includes listings of FedRAMP Ready, In Process and Authorized services.
A presence on the FedRAMP Marketplace can help secure an agency sponsor, provide an opportunity to respond to RFIs or RFPs and is the first place a government agency will look when sourcing new cloud applications.
What is the FedRAMP authorization process?
An individual federal agency sponsors and authorizes a cloud service. This involves an assessment by the sponsoring agency to determine whether the service is suitable for specific use cases.
Agency sponsorship: A federal agency agrees to sponsor the cloud service provider for FedRAMP authorization.
Readiness assessment: The CSP conducts a readiness assessment, typically with the help of a 3PAO, to prepare for the full evaluation.
Documentation: The CSP prepares and submits all required documentation, including the SSP, SAP and SAR, to the sponsoring agency.
Agency review: The sponsoring agency reviews the documentation and conducts its assessment, which may involve the assistance of a 3PAO.
Authorization: If the service meets the agency’s requirements, the agency grants an Authority to Operate (ATO).
Continuous monitoring: The CSP must conduct ongoing monitoring, report on the security posture and address any emerging issues.
FedRAMP compliance and authorization challenges
FedRAMP is essential for ISVs interested in selling to the public sector. Yet, achieving compliance isn’t simple. The most common roadblocks include:
Cost
The authorization process can be lengthy and expensive, requiring sustained investment in terms of time, money and human resources. Without skilled help, it often takes years and millions of dollars to complete. Any hiccup in the meantime can further delay the effort.
Complexity
Compliance also requires constant communication with the FedRAMP PMO, agency sponsor and 3PAO. FedRAMP's extensive security controls can be difficult to interpret and implement. In fact, incorporating them often requires significant technical expertise and resources some vendors simply don’t have. Plus, managing and remediating findings from the 3PAO’s security assessment can be time-consuming and technically demanding.
Ongoing effort
Keeping up with changes in FedRAMP requirements and evolving cybersecurity threats requires continuous learning and adaptation. This can distract vendors from focusing on core operations, possibly hindering growth and strategic decision-making.
Business Justification
CSPs are often between a rock and a hard place when considering entering the public sector. They must weigh business opportunity with costs, complexity and ongoing effort. There are no guarantees, many times RFIs and RFPs require FedRAMP Authorization or Compliance to compete for opportunities. This often requires CSPs to move forward with a FedRAMP initiative even before they commit to business.
A thorough examination of the market, competition and pipeline, and a realistic understanding of achieving FedRAMP are essential to justify moving forward. Three important questions need to be answered:
Do I have a business justification and a case to support an initiative?
What is our strategy for securing an Agency Sponsor to shepherd our offering through the FedRAMP process?
What level of expertise and services do I need to enlist to protect our staff's time as we work to achieve our compliance goals?
Securing an Agency Sponsor
The only path to authorization is leveraging an agency sponsor. Government agencies, departments, sub-agencies or other government organizations commonly serve as sponsors for CSPs. Agencies who agree to sponsor a solution for a FedRAMP authorization are agreeing to commit resources and time to take on the work and associated sponsorship.
Most of the time the agency has a vested interest in using the solution. Once an agency sponsor is secured, the CSP works with the agency to prepare the service or product for a full assessment. The agency uses the FedRAMP standards and baselines to evaluate the CSO. The agency will issue an Authority to Operate (ATO) and accept the risk after reviewing the security package to ensure FedRAMP compliance.
How to simplify FedRAMP compliance
Indeed, the FedRAMP process isn’t easy. The good news? It can be.
At Project Hosts, we ease the compliance burden by taking much of the weight off your shoulders. Our experts not only guide you through the journey from start to finish, but they also streamline and simplify the effort to save you time and money.
Project Hosts Authorized Platform Project Hosts leverages our FedRAMP Authorized General Support System© (GSS One) PaaS. This pre-authorized platform allows you to inherit many of the FedRAMP control requirements for any application deployed on Azure and AWS in weeks. The GSS One gives you peace of mind that your application is secure providing Authentication and Access Control, Vulnerability Scanning, Patching, Change Control, POA&M, Backup, Disaster Recovery, Contingency Planning, Logging, Intrusion Prevention, Incident Response. Project Hosts implements and manages 100% of the required security controls in your cloud deployment, allowing you to focus your time and energy on developing your core products.
Project Hosts is a Managed Security Service Provider We do the heavy lifting — our turn-key Compliance-as-a-Service includes creating a set of policies and procedures, writing your SSP, managing documentation and evidence collection and engaging with an assessor on your behalf to coordinate and represent you during the audit. Project Hosts takes full responsibility for managing the process from start to authorization and onto continuous monitoring, providing services to implement and fully manage compliance, ensuring the CSP’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution passes required security audits and obtains a certification (or authorization) of compliance.
Project Hosts Delivers Continuous Monitoring Once you’ve achieved compliance, our experts help you stay ahead of the curve. Our operations and security teams monitor performance, SIEM logs and alerts, prevent intrusions and provide the ongoing scanning and patching of your cloud environment. Our teams also track, test and approve any changes within the environment. We investigate and document incidents to alert the appropriate personnel to ensure compliance with government guidance and information security and regulatory standards.
Want to learn more about how we’re helping CSPs prepare for FedRAMP Rev. 5 compliance?
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