Are You Ready for FedRAMP? It’s Time to Get Authorized

Attaining FedRAMP authorization is not simple. The authorization process can realistically take two years or more and cost between $1 to $3 million, but it is imperative if you want to continue to succeed in the federal space.

Why Should You Care?
Becoming FedRAMP Authorized adds credibility to – and strengthens the reputation of – your company in the eyes of government customers. FedRAMP authorizations are now officially required for all federal agency cloud deployments at the Low, Moderate and High Impact levels. Only private cloud deployments intended for single agencies and implemented fully within federal facilities are currently exempt from this requirement.

What is FedRAMP Ready vs. FedRAMP Authorized?
The FedRAMP process benefits government agencies by verifying the security of cloud-hosted offerings through a rigorous authorization process. As they undertake this process, companies are granted a designation and subsequently listed on the FedRAMP Marketplace. Three designation levels – Ready, In Process, and Authorized – indicate organizations’ progress in getting their products and services fully authorized for government use. Achieving the “FedRAMP Authorized” classification is essential for selling to government agencies.

Earning a “FedRAMP Ready” designation indicates that an independent software vendor (ISV) has the potential security infrastructure needed to achieve FedRAMP authorization for their software. This potential is identified through a risk assessment and readiness assessment report where a third-party assessment organization (3PAO) attests to the readiness of the SaaS offering. ISVs who have a signed letter of intent from an authorizing agency can skip this step and begin working toward the “FedRAMP In Process” designation.

“FedRAMP In Process” signifies that a sponsoring agency is engaged with the vendor and has provided written confirmation of the agency’s intent to authorize the SaaS offering. If an ISV completes the entire process, the company earns the “FedRAMP Authorized” designation and gets its SaaS product listed on the FedRAMP Marketplace where the software package becomes available for use by all federal agencies.

How to Expedite FedRAMP Authorization
immixGroup recognizes the struggle software vendors are facing. Together with ORock Technologies, a FedRAMP-authorized Cloud Service Provider (CSP), we have developed the OnRAMP program: the all-inclusive turnkey solution to FedRAMP authorization. This program streamlines the process to help vendors expedite it at a considerably lower cost with less hassle. ISVs no longer need to build and certify their own hosting environment or hire third party consultants to manage the process. Upon successful completion of the program, the SaaS offering will have progressed through the designations, and will officially be available to government customers as “FedRAMP Authorized.”

Acquiring this authorization is how you can get ahead of the competition. While you could slowly drain your resources working independently, OnRAMP provides a solution to expedite your authorization process for less so you can get to market faster and stay competitive.

As the government deals with mandates to cut costs and move to the cloud, FedRAMP authorizations have become critical. The OnRAMP program provides a quick, low-cost avenue for earning FedRAMP authorization. It’s an opportunity that software vendors cannot afford to overlook.

Learn how to navigate the FedRAMP authorization process faster and with less hassle. Download our Roadmap to FedRAMP eBook today.