The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is the U.S. government's standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services used by federal agencies. FedRAMP authorization is required for any cloud service provider (CSP) that wants to sell to the federal government.
The framework is based on NIST SP 800-53 controls and involves a rigorous assessment process conducted by a Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO). FedRAMP authorization is one of the most demanding compliance certifications in existence — and one of the most valuable for unlocking federal revenue.
At ~325 controls, FedRAMP is where pure automation breaks down — it can flag findings but can't write your SSP or carry your 3PAO assessment. Agency's U.S.-based, forward-deployed engineers operate the entire program for you.
Any cloud service provider seeking to serve U.S. federal agencies must achieve FedRAMP authorization. Organizations selling to state and local governments increasingly accept FedRAMP as well.
Technology & Software — SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS providers pursuing federal contracts must achieve FedRAMP authorization at the appropriate impact level (Low, Moderate, or High).
Government — Government technology contractors and integrators providing cloud-based services to federal agencies.
Aerospace & Aviation — Defense technology companies and aerospace contractors providing cloud services to DoD and civilian agencies.
Critical Infrastructure — Providers of cloud-based infrastructure management, monitoring, and security tools serving federal networks.
Health & Life Sciences — Healthtech companies serving federal healthcare agencies (VA, HHS, DoD health systems) that require FedRAMP-authorized cloud services.
Financial Services — Fintech companies serving Treasury, IRS, or other federal financial agencies.
Audited Compliance — FedRAMP Moderate requires approximately 325 controls with extensive documentation, including a System Security Plan (SSP), Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M), and continuous monitoring deliverables. Manual documentation and evidence management at this scale is prohibitive.
Cross-Framework Complexity — FedRAMP's NIST 800-53 controls overlap with SOC 2, ISO 27001, CMMC, and HIPAA. Organizations pursuing multiple federal and commercial certifications face massive duplication without cross-mapping.
Fragmented Governance — FedRAMP touches every layer of the organization: infrastructure, application, identity, physical security, personnel, and incident response. Coordinating governance across all of these domains requires centralized oversight.
Risk Visibility — FedRAMP requires continuous monitoring with monthly vulnerability scans, annual assessments, and real-time incident reporting. Risk must be tracked, scored, and communicated to the authorizing agency on an ongoing basis.
Vendor Risk — FedRAMP requires that all third-party services used by the CSP also meet FedRAMP or equivalent security requirements. Supply chain risk management is a critical control area.
Remote Workers — Federal systems require strict access controls and monitoring for remote access, including multi-factor authentication, encrypted connections, and session management.
Agency operates your FedRAMP compliance program from initial readiness through 3PAO assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring — managing the most demanding compliance framework in the market so your team can focus on building for federal customers.
NIST 800-53 Control Implementation — Agency's U.S.-based forward-deployed engineers, supercharged by proprietary AI, implement and enforce NIST 800-53 controls across your cloud infrastructure, identity systems, and application layer. Every control is validated continuously, with drift detected and remediated in real time.
System Security Plan Generation — M79 generates and maintains your SSP, including system descriptions, control implementation statements, and supporting documentation — all formatted to 3PAO and FedRAMP PMO expectations.
Continuous Monitoring Operations — Agency operates your continuous monitoring program: monthly vulnerability scan management, POA&M tracking, annual assessment preparation, and real-time incident reporting. Every deliverable is generated and maintained automatically.
3PAO Assessment Readiness — Agency ensures that when your 3PAO walks in, every control is implemented, every piece of evidence is collected, and every artifact is documented and traceable. Ringwraith monitors assessment progress in real time.
Supply Chain Risk Management — Agency assesses and monitors every third-party service in your FedRAMP boundary, ensuring supply chain controls meet NIST 800-53 requirements and documenting vendor compliance continuously.
Cross-Framework Mapping — Armada PSCO maps FedRAMP's NIST 800-53 controls to SOC 2, ISO 27001, CMMC, and HIPAA. Work done for FedRAMP authorization carries forward to every additional certification.
