Everything You Need to Know to Prepare for and Achieve FedRAMP Authorization
FedRAMP, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, is a framework your organization can use to build cloud security into your overall security program, including cloud security assessments, monitoring, and process implementation. FedRAMP is a requirement for all cloud services providers (CSPs) and cloud solutions used by federal government agencies that handle federal data.
The FedRAMP program has been in place for nearly a decade, following a 2011 memo from the U.S. Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) establishing guidelines for federal cloud security. Since then, an increasing number of federal agencies have adopted cloud technologies and cloud services providers, opening up new avenues for bad actors wanting to maliciously access, exfiltrate, or corrupt sensitive and important federal information.
In this FedRAMP compliance knowledgebase, we’ll help you better understand what FedRAMP is, who should be FedRAMP authorized, and establish a foundation to help set you on the course for a FedRAMP authorization. Here’s what you’ll learn:
From cost-savings to ease of scaling, cloud solutions provide organizations with a number of benefits, but moving protected and sensitive federal data from on-premises to the cloud also creates new challenges.
Among these challenges are increasingly complex methods needed to secure data, especially for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) that may lack the resources or available talent to add cloud security into existing cybersecurity practices.
Threat actors know many CSPs and other cloud solutions have access to a gamut of sensitive and valuable data and that puts them increasingly in these attackers’ crosshairs for nefarious actions. Oracle’s 2020 Cloud Threat Report, for example, reveals that 92% of respondents know they have a cloud-readiness gap and more than half—60%—say they’ve been victims of cloud credentials phishing.
The federal government established FedRAMP to help streamline best practices for cloud security for all federal agencies and the partners they work with. Before the General Services Administration (GSA) established the FedRAMP Program Management Office (PMO) in 2012, these federal agencies had their own security requirements for CSPs. Before FedRAMP, if one agency approved a cloud service provider, the CSP had to go through a repeat process before approval by another. As a result, there was little consistency and a lot of duplicate work, both for the government and their potential services partners.
Today, these cloud security best practices are aligned with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), which requires all agencies to protect federal data, and OMB Circular A-130, which dictates that agencies use National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards when implementing FISMA.
FedRAMP streamlines cloud security approaches into standardized security measures your organization can implement and measure with a common baseline.
There are 17 core FedRAMP domains your organization must master and demonstrate to obtain and retain for FedRAMP compliance. These controls align with NIST SP 800-53 standards, but have been adjusted to reflect the specific needs of cloud environments. If you’re like most organizations, you may already have some or all of these controls in place, but without a cybersecurity framework management platform like Apptega, it can be difficult to see all of your controls, which ones are working as designed, and where you may have security gaps. Apptega can help you streamline this process and approach your FedRAMP authorization journey with unprecedented confidence and reliability.
FedRAMP aligns with other industry recognized best practices for security such as FISMA and NIST. FISMA mandates that all agencies protect federal data, while NIST standards define requirements for cloud security including how to do assessments and what processes you should implement to successfully ensure FedRAMP compliance. If your organization has already implemented NIST SP 800-53 standards, you may be well on your way to earning your FedRAMP Authorized designation. That’s because FedRAMP controls are based on NIST 800-53 standards but they’ve been adjusted to meet cloud security needs.
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Each year the Joint Authorization Board (JAB) reviews CSPs on the government’s behalf to determine each CSPs risk posture. Each year, JAB generally selects about 12 large, multi-tenant CSPs for P-ATO consideration, usually three for each quarter.
During this process, the JAB will determine if the CSP meets all FedRAMP requirements and will determine if the CSPs capabilities are applicable to multiple federal agencies. If yes, the CSP can undergo the process to obtain P-ATO authorization, and once designated, will remain under JAB ongoing monitoring and will be subject to annual reviews to ensure sustained compliance.
Here’s a quick walkthrough of the P-ATO authorization process:
Most organizations will want to pursue an individual ATO. That means your capabilities aren’t as far-reaching or not likely to be as widely adopted as a larger cloud solution. This is generally applicable for organizations that want to work with just one or two federal agencies. Unlike P-ATO, which is overseen by a board, an ATO designation comes directly from the federal agency you want to work with. If you successfully earn an ATO authorization, it’s tied directly to that agency, but you can work with other federal agencies for authorization by using your initial ATO as a starting point; however, you may be asked to meet additional requirements or address other security requirements for each new agency you want to work with.
Here’s a quick walkthrough of the Agency ATO authorization process:
Whether you’re preparing for a readiness assessment or you’re prepping your security package for FedRAMP authorization review, some best practices can help you streamline your processes, improve documentation, and approach your assessments with confidence.
Here are a few general recommendations to help you prepare for your FedRAMP assessments:
With more than 20 major cybersecurity frameworks on the market, how do you know which one is right for you? Do you need more than one framework to meet all of your compliance and regulatory obligations? Do you have controls from one framework that meet the requirements of another? Not sure what to do or where to begin? In this webinar, you’ll learn more about::
• Common cybersecurity frameworks
• How organizations use these frameworks
• Where there are commonalities between frameworks
• What differentiates each framework from others
• How to manage the frameworks you implement
Whether you’re preparing for an internal review or you’re getting ready for a formal 3PAO assessment, you’ll want to approach your FedRAMP authorization reviews with confidence, while ensuring you have all the documentation you need to demonstrate compliance and make your assessments as painless as possible. In this webinar, listen in on guidance from a panel of experts who have successfully participated—and passed—audits across a range of industries and compliance requirements, including:
• Best practices for audit preparation
• Tips from industry pros
• Common failures in the audit process
• How to mitigate risk for audit success
• How to gather you need to support auditor requests
The FedRAMP Marketplace in CyberXchange is a great place to find resources for FedRAMP compliance. It’s mapped to FedRAMP controls and for each gap or compliance issue, you can find solutions that meet your specific needs. Join thousands of CISOs, CIOs and other cyber professionals in finding perfect-fit solutions for all your FedRAMP needs.
Managing cloud security controls can be tricky even for skilled cybersecurity teams. That’s because many common IT security practices for on-premises solutions don’t work well for the cloud. But adding another layer of security to your already busy cybersecurity teams doesn’t have to overwhelm them. A cybersecurity framework management solution like Apptega can help you implement, streamline, and manage all of your controls across all your frameworks, regardless of environment.
