FedRAMP Meaning
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is a United States government-wide initiative that standardizes how cloud products and services are assessed, authorized, and continuously monitored for security.
FedRAMP was created in 2011 to solve a big problem: Every federal agency was running its own security reviews of cloud service providers (CSPs), leading to duplication, inefficiency, and inconsistent standards. By introducing a common framework, FedRAMP streamlined this process, reducing costs and ensuring security baselines are applied consistently across government.
FedRAMP is also closely tied to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Specifically, its security controls are based on NIST Special Publication 800-53, which outlines comprehensive security and privacy safeguards. By aligning with NIST standards, FedRAMP ensures CSPs meet a high bar of cybersecurity practices that are well-recognized both inside and outside of government.
Importance of FedRAMP compliance
FedRAMP is important because it creates a win-win for both federal agencies and the CSPs that serve them. Without it, every agency would need to run its own lengthy, resource-intensive security checks for every cloud service, a process that’s neither efficient nor scalable.
Benefits for federal agencies
- Stronger security: Agencies can adopt cloud services knowing they've already been rigorously vetted against a consistent set of security controls.
- Simplified compliance: FedRAMP aligns with NIST standards and federal requirements, making it easier for agencies to meet their compliance obligations.
- Efficiency and cost savings: Instead of duplicating work, agencies leverage a common authorization process, reducing the time and money it takes to onboard new cloud technologies.
Benefits for cloud providers
- Market access: Authorization opens the door to working with federal agencies, one of the largest buyers of cloud services in the world.
- Trust and creditability: A FedRAMP stamp of approval signals to agencies (and often private-sector customers) that a provider takes security seriously.
- Standardization: Providers no longer face a patchwork of agency-by-agency requirements. Instead, they can focus on one set of standards that applies across the federal government.
Protecting sensitive government data
Federal agencies deal with everything from personally identifiable information (PII) about citizens to national security-related data. FedRAMP ensures that, whether this data is stored, processed, or transmitted in a commercial cloud, it’s protected by a high, uniform bar of security.
Building a foundation for trust in the cloud
Beyond immediate security benefits, FedRAMP also plays a bigger role in accelerating cloud adoption across government. By giving agencies and providers a common foundation of trust, FedRAMP helps federal organizations modernize faster while keeping risks in check. It’s a model that’s often looked to by state governments and even private industry as they shape their own cloud security practices.
How does FedRAMP certification work?
FedRAMP works by setting up a standardized authorization process that CSPs must go through before they can work with federal agencies. Think of it as a rigorous security vetting system: a CSP demonstrates that its platform meets FedRAMP requirements, and once approved, federal agencies can trust that service without needing to conduct their own independent reviews.
The FedRAMP authorization process
There are two main paths to authorization:
- Agency authorization: A CSP partners with a specific federal agency, which sponsors its security review and grants an Authority to Operate (ATO).
- Joint Authorization Board (JAB) Authorization: The JAB – made up of CIOs from the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and General Services Administration – conducts its own review and grants what’s considered a provisional authorization.
Both paths require a CSP to undergo a detailed security assessment conducted by an accredited Third-Party Assessment Organization (3PAO). Once authorized, the provider is listed in the FedRAMP Marketplace, making it easier for other agencies to adopt their service.
Security baselines
Not all cloud systems handle the same level of risk. That's why FedRAMP defines three security baselines based on the potential impact of a breach:
- Low impact: Covers cloud services that store and process data with minimal risk to operations or individuals if compromised.
- Moderate impact: The most common baseline, for systems handling sensitive but not classified data (like PII).
- High impact: For systems where a breach could severely affect agency missions, finances, or national security.
Continuous monitoring
FedRAMP isn’t a one-and-done certification. Once a CSP is authorized, it must adhere to continuous monitoring requirements. This means providing monthly vulnerability scans, incident reports, and security updates to prove they are maintaining compliance over time. Continuous monitoring ensures cloud systems don’t just meet security standards once but sustain them in the face of evolving threats.
Types of FedRAMP authorization
With an agency authorization, a federal agency can sponsor a CSP through the FedRAMP process. The sponsoring agency works directly with the provider to complete the required security assessment and documentation. If the provider meets the requirements, the agency grants them an Agency ATO, which allows that CSP to deliver cloud services to the agency.
A JAB, on the other hand, is granted by the Joint Authorization Board, which is made up of the CIOs from the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the General Services Administration. This path is more selective. The JAB conducts its own rigorous review of a CSP and, if successful, issues a Provisional Authorization to Operate (P-ATO). Unlike an Agency ATO, a P-ATO doesn’t mandate adoption across the federal government, but it carries significant weight.
In practice, the difference comes down to scope and influence. Agency ATOs reflect the needs of a single agency but can grow into broader adoption over time. JAB P-ATOs represent a government-wide endorsement and are designed for cloud systems that serve multiple agencies at scale. Together, these two types of authorization strike a balance: They enable smaller or specialized providers to start building credibility through agency partnerships, while also giving large, widely used providers a path to broad recognition across the federal landscape.
FedRAMP compliance requirements
Earning a FedRAMP authorization isn’t just about passing an initial security check – it’s about meeting a well-defined set of requirements and demonstrating the ability to maintain them over time.
At the heart of FedRAMP compliance are the core security controls. These controls are drawn from NIST’s Special Publication 800-53, which lays out hundreds of safeguards covering areas like access control, incident response, data protection, and system integrity.
Security documentation
CSPs must produce detailed evidence of how they meet the FedRAMP requirements, including a system security plan (SSP), risk assessments, test results from an accredited 3PAO, and a plan of action and milestones (POA&M) that documents how they will address any identified gaps.
Ongoing compliance
Once authorized, CSPs can’t simply rest on their approval. They’re required to submit monthly vulnerability scans, regular security assessments, and continuous monitoring reports. These ongoing checks make sure that security controls remain effective in the face of software updates, configuration changes, and new threats.
Culture of accountability
Providers must be prepared to engage with sponsoring agencies or the JAB on an ongoing basis, respond quickly to incidents, and demonstrate transparency about their security posture. In that sense, FedRAMP compliance is not a box to check, rather an ongoing partnership between cloud providers and the federal government to protect sensitive data and maintain trust.
FedRAMP vs. other compliance frameworks
FedRAMP vs. FISMA
The Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) is the law that governs how federal agencies protect information systems. While FISMA applies broadly to all federal systems, FedRAMP is essentially the cloud-specific implementation of FISMA. In other words, FedRAMP takes FISMA’s high-level requirements and translates them into a standardized process for cloud services.
FedRAMP vs. NIST RMF
The NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) provides a step-by-step process for assessing and managing risk across federal systems. FedRAMP builds on the RMF by applying it specifically to cloud environments and layering in additional requirements, such as the use of accredited 3PAOs and the centralized FedRAMP Marketplace for reuse of authorizations.
FedRAMP vs. StateRAMP
StateRAMP is modeled directly after FedRAMP but applies at the state and local government level. Like FedRAMP, it uses NIST 800-53 as its foundation, requires independent assessments, and provides a centralized marketplace. The key difference is its scope: StateRAMP enables consistency and trust for state and municipal agencies, many of which handle sensitive data such as health records or voter information.
Managing multiple compliance requirements
For organizations that operate across different jurisdictions and industries, these frameworks often overlap but rarely align perfectly. The common denominator is the reliance on NIST security controls, which means investments in one framework (such as FedRAMP) often support compliance with others (like FISMA or StateRAMP).
The challenge lies in managing the differences; FedRAMP’s cloud focus, StateRAMP’s state-level processes, and the broader risk management principles of RMF. Successful providers typically adopt a “build once, comply many” strategy, mapping their security controls across multiple frameworks to reduce duplication and streamline audits.
Who needs to comply with FedRAMP?
FedRAMP compliance isn’t optional for organizations that want to do cloud business with the federal government – it’s the gatekeeper standard. Any company that provides cloud services to U.S. federal agencies must meet FedRAMP requirements before their product can be authorized for use.
CSPs working with federal agencies
At the core, cloud service providers offering services to federal agencies are required to comply. This includes providers that host, process, or transmit federal data of any kind. The requirement ensures that federal agencies aren’t left to negotiate security standards on their own and that all CSPs operate on a level playing field of protections.
Types of cloud services
FedRAMP applies broadly across the major models of cloud computing:
- Software-as-a-service (SaaS): Applications delivered over the internet, such as collaboration tools, data analytics platforms, or case management systems.
- Platform-as-a-service (PaaS): Cloud environments that provide a foundation for developers to build and deploy applications, such as managed databases or application hosting platforms.
- Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS): Core cloud infrastructure like virtual machines, storage, and networking. Providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud all maintain FedRAMP authorizations to support agency adoption.
Read more about FedRAMP compliance
Government and compliance: Latest Rapid7 Blog Posts
Rapid7's FedRAMP Compliance Solution
Rapid7 for Government Agencies