FedRAMP, the federal risk and authorization management program, is a comprehensive and structured way to develop a security – mostly cybersecurity – position when working with the federal government. It’s a framework meant for contractors and third-party businesses that handle information for the government and who need to keep it secure. The question is, if you’re a cloud service provider, what are the benefits of implementing FedRAMP?

In the world of security, there are many different frameworks that may be relevant or important to your plans. We’ve talked a lot about FedRAMP, the federal government’s security framework, but it’s only one of many options. Others, from HIPAA to FISMA to SOC2, can all have their role. One of the biggest and most direct equivalents to FedRAMP is ISO 27001. What is it, how does it compare to FedRAMP, and which one should you use? Let’s talk about it. Table of Contents 1.

Here at Ignyte, we’ve talked a lot about FedRAMP, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program. As you likely well know, FedRAMP is the federal government’s unified security standard, derived from NIST standardization documents and transformed into a framework to provide a cohesive idea of security across disparate government organizations and contractors. You might wonder, how does this work with state-level agencies and departments?

Whenever a government agency, contractor, or subcontractor wants to work with a cloud service provider, they have to find one that upholds the level of cybersecurity, physical security, and authentication that the government sets as standard. Usually, agencies have two options to do this. They can work with a cloud service provider that is FedRAMP authorized, or they can work with one that is FedRAMP Equivalent.

In the past, we’ve talked a lot about the various FedRAMP guidelines required to reach either a single Authority to Operate or a generalized Provisional Authority to Operate. One thing that can be said to be common to all of these is that, in general, you’re talking about FedRAMP Moderate Impact Levels when you discuss these kinds of standards and certification processes. This is because around 80% of cloud service providers and offerings are classified as Moderate impact.

FedRAMP, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, is a way for cloud service providers to undergo auditing, scrutiny, and testing to validate their security. This security encompasses primarily information security but also user authorization and authentication, physical security, and more.

Recently, the Department of Defense shook up the entire defense industrial base with the release of a memo titled “Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program Moderate Equivalency for Cloud Service Provider’s Cloud Service Offerings.” The memo, aimed at FedRAMP contractors and the CSPs they work with, clarifies the concept of equivalency and what it means to be equivalent to the FedRAMP/CMMC Moderate control standard.

What is the government if not an organization dedicated to the creation of paperwork? All of that paperwork means something, though, and it can range from trivial to vitally important. One of the more important forms, if it’s required for your business or institution to fill out, is the DD2345 form. What is it, what is it used for, do you need one, and how does it interact with CMMC?

The stereotype of the government as a slow-moving behemoth is not ill-fitting, but when it makes adjustments and changes, it does so with deliberation and intent. An excellent example is the ongoing development and evolution of things like security standards. Technology moves much, much faster than the government can respond to or that even most businesses could adjust to without a significant investment or a time delay.

The world advances based on innovation, and innovation can come from anywhere. The trouble is that the current capitalist economic system encourages large corporations to play conservatively with their products and their budgets while working to secure their own positions in their industries. It becomes quite difficult for a new small business to enter the field, especially if they’re trying to enter a field that requires substantial facilities, research, or resources to get established.