FedRAMP Consulting Services

What is FedRAMP?

Over the last two decades, federal and military entities have rapidly migrated to utilizing secure cloud platforms and softwares, necessitating rigorous security standards for any federally utilized cloud-based tools. This shift saw the need for a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for products and services that process, store, and transmit federal information. In 2011, the Office of Management and Budget adopted the Cloud First Policy. A year later, the General Services Administration (GSA) founded FedRAMP. 

FedRAMP is a mandatory, formal approval that establishes requirements for CSPs offering services or products to federal agencies. It sets forth a risk-based and cost-effective approach to cloud adoption, ensuring that all federal data will be protected at the highest level of security.

Benefits of FedRAMP Certification

The main benefit of achieving FedRAMP security compliance is for the business opportunity it provides. If you are a cloud service provider, and you wish to sell your products and/or services to the United States government and its federal agencies, you must be authorized to do so through FedRAMP certification.

Other benefits of FedRAMP authorization include: 

• A Uniform Approach to Risk Management

FedRAMP establishes uniform security requirement baselines, categorizing Cloud Service Offerings (CSOs) by the level of potential impact that a data breach could have on a system, enabling organizations to allocate appropriate resources to mitigating the most relevant risks. 

• Re-use of Existing Security Assessments across Federal Agencies

FedRAMP offers a “do once, use many times” approach, meaning that a cloud service or CSP that undergoes a security assessment for one agency can be more easily authorized for use by other agencies. 

• Competitive Advantage 

While rigorous cybersecurity and risk management standards in the private sector are highly encouraged and offer a competitive advantage, FedRAMP certification is non-negotiable for CSPs in the public sector. Organizations that adhere to FedRAMP have a dual advantage in both sectors and can pursue a myriad of potential business opportunities as a result. Once a CSP’s offerings are FedRAMP authorized, they can be placed on the FedRAMP marketplace.

FedRAMP Baseline and Impact Levels

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 199 lays out the standards for categorizing information and information systems. CSPs must use this categorization process to ensure that their products and services fulfill the minimum security requirements regarding the federal data processed, stored, and transmitted on their systems. 

In order to develop an authorization strategy, CSPs must understand the impact levels of their CSOs,, which are categorized into either Low, Moderate, or High and across three objectives – confidentiality, integrity, and availability. These security categories are based on the impact that a security incident or breach of these CSOs would have on the organization’s ability to accomplish its core objectives, protect assets, fulfill legal obligations, maintain daily functions, and protect individuals.

Low Potential Impact

This level applies to CSOs where a compromised system would result in limited adverse effects to an agency’s operations, such as when the information compromised is publicly available.

Moderate Potential Impact

This category accounts for approximately 80% of CSP applications that receive FedRAMP authorization and applies to more sensitive but generally unclassified information. At this level, a breach could cause a serious disruption and adverse effects to operations, assets, or individuals.

High Potential Impact

Loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability of information in this category could have severe or catastrophic adverse effects for the government agency or nation at large. This type of date is usually found in agencies within law enforcement, emergency service systems, financial systems, health, etc.

This baseline accounts for the government’s most sensitive, unclassified data in cloud computing environments.

Work with a FedRAMP consultant at BD Emerson to determine your baseline impact level and the security infrastructure your organization needs to achieve FedRAMP compliance

Our Services

BD Emerson’s FedRAMP compliance solutions offer CSPs in various industries the tools necessary to achieve FedRAMP authorization. 

Advisory Services

BD Emerson’s FedRAMP Advisory Services assist CSPs in deciding on the optimal scope of your FedRAMP strategy. We take into consideration the resources your organization can allocate toward FedRAMP compliance and customize our services to fit your needs.

Comprehensive Gap Assessment

Our consultants will perform a gap assessment of your organization’s cloud products and services from encryption, access management and incident response to risk management practices, and weigh them against FedRAMP standards. After identifying areas where your security architecture needs to align more closely with FedRAMP requirements, our team will create a roadmap for addressing these gaps.

Control Implementation

FedRAMP’s security controls are based on NIST 800-53 Rev. 5 and are grouped into 18 control families. Our consultants will provide direct, hands-on assistance in the design and implementation of required security controls based on your organization’s impact level. 

Documentation Preparation

FedRAMP compliance requires thorough documentation including a System Security Plan (SSP) that describes how your organization meets all of FedRAMPs security requirements, all controls that have been implemented, and details about how they have been implemented, along with a Plan of Action and Milestones (PO&M). This second document addresses the gaps that exist between required FedRAMP controls and existing security programs. It lists out the known vulnerabilities in the system and lays out a plan for responding to them. BD Emerson’s experts will assist your team throughout the document preparation process and ensure your document set is complete.

FedRAMP Compliance Process

Pursuing compliance with FedRAMP is not dissimilar to fulfilling the compliance requirements of other regulatory frameworks. Generally, a compliance roadmap for FedRAMP will follow these steps:

1. Organize and Compile Documentation 

Fortunately, the required documentation and templates for FedRAMP certification are available for free on FedRAMP’s website. Not all of the documents available will apply to your organization, which is why BD Emerson’s experts will work with you to complete the FIPPS 199 Assessment in order to determine which documents are relevant. 

2. Complete the FIPS 199 Assessment 

As previously mentioned, FIPS 199 refers to the Federal Information Processing Standard that was developed by NIST and categorizes the data stored and transmitted by cloud computing services as low, moderate, or high-impact. The impact level of your CSO determines which controls your company is required to implement to become FedRAMP compliant. FedRAMP's Program Management Office (PMO) provides templates listing security controls based on impact level.

3. Perform a 3PAO Readiness Assessment

A 3PAO Assessment is a readiness assessment of your organization performed by a third-party authorized organization. BD Emerson’s team will help you prepare for this assessment by conducting an internal readiness assessment ahead of time and performing vulnerability scans and penetration tests. This 3PAO assessment produces a Readiness Assessment Report (RAR), also called a Security Assessment Report (SAR) (required if attaining FedRAMP authorization without a federal agency sponsor).

4. Create and Execute a Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M)

Originating in NIST SP 800-53, the POA&M address gaps that exist between required controls and existing security programs. It lists out the known vulnerabilities in the CSP’s system and lays out a plan for responding to them. The plan must include prioritization, required resources, along with milestones for remediation. Our team will help your organization create the POA&M and continuously update it, so that it remains compliant with FedRAMP standards.

5. Maintain Continuous Monitoring of CSO Systems

Once your organization has achieved formal FedRAMP authorization, it must undergo continuous monitoring both internally and externally, usually from the federal agencies who are using your products/services. BD Emerson can support your company in maintaining FedRAMP compliance by providing evidence that your core controls are operating efficiently. 

Why Choose BD Emerson for FedRAMP Consulting

Expertise and Automated Support for Ongoing Compliance

BD Emerson’s FedRAMP compliance services are tailored to the needs of your organization and provide efficient and knowledgeable support. By partnering with Vanta and Archon, BD Emerson offers an automated solution for tracking FedRAMP compliance requirements, controls, documentation, and third-party risk management, bolstered by the expertise of our consultants.

Technical and Security Expertise

‍As leaders in cybersecurity and compliance, we understand the complexities of building a security infrastructure that aligns with multiple security frameworks and regulations, including FedRAMP. Our consultants are knowledgeable advisors that will assist your team in creating and implementing the necessary controls for FedRAMP compliance.

Compliance as a Service

‍BD Emerson offers ongoing guidance and support for organizations that must remain FedRAMP compliant. Our consultants assist your team with the day-to-day tasks required for compliance. By working with Vanta and Archon’s automated platforms, our team keeps your organization’s essential FedRAMP documentation and information all in one place, where it can be easily revisited, updated, and accessed.