FedRAMP authorisation, scoped, remediated, and audit-ready.
FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program) is the US government's standardised cybersecurity authorisation programme for cloud services sold to federal agencies. GR IT Services runs FedRAMP-readiness assessments against NIST 800-53 Moderate or High baselines, closes the 325+ control gaps, authors the System Security Plan, and prepares your 3PAO-ready evidence package.
- Low/Mod/HighImpact levels
- 325+NIST 800-53 controls
- 3PAOAudit-ready
- JAB / ATOBoth paths
Nine capabilities for a FedRAMP-readiness programme.
Scoping & boundary definition
Define the FedRAMP authorisation boundary, map your service offering against the impact level (Low / Moderate / High), and identify which underlying CSP services inherit which controls. Output: a written scoping memo.
Readiness gap assessment
Map current state against the relevant NIST 800-53 baseline (125 controls for Low, 325 for Moderate, 421 for High) plus FedRAMP-specific tailoring. Output: gap report, remediation plan, cost-to-close estimate.
System Security Plan (SSP)
Author the SSP with all control narratives, boundary diagrams, data-flow diagrams, and inherited-control mappings. Maintained through the authorisation process and after.
POAM & continuous monitoring
Plan of Action & Milestones tracking, monthly continuous-monitoring reports, vulnerability-scan cadence, annual assessment preparation. ConMon is the discipline that keeps authorisation alive.
Technical control remediation
FIPS 140-validated cryptography, multi-factor authentication, audit logging, vulnerability management (Nessus / Tenable), configuration management, encryption at rest and in transit.
Cloud platform alignment
Most FedRAMP authorisations build on a pre-authorised cloud (AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, GCP Assured Workloads). We map the inherited controls and the customer responsibility matrix.
Incident-response programme
Written IR plan aligned to NIST SP 800-61 plus FedRAMP IR requirements, mandatory US-CERT reporting workflow, tabletop exercises, monthly continuous-monitoring incidents review.
Continuous-monitoring stack
SIEM (Splunk / Sentinel / Elastic), vulnerability scanning (Nessus authenticated scans), configuration-management, log retention beyond default cloud baselines. ConMon report packs ready for monthly submission.
3PAO assessment support
Full-scope assessment dress rehearsal before the 3PAO walks in. Closes residual findings; we sit alongside your team during the actual 3PAO engagement and handle evidence presentation.
Four reasons SaaS vendors pick us for the FedRAMP journey.
NIST 800-53 fluency
Our consultants have implemented 800-53 Moderate and High baselines on real CSP platforms. We know which controls 3PAOs probe and which evidence formats they accept on the first review.
Azure Government + AWS GovCloud
Verified Azure Government and AWS GovCloud delivery experience. We handle eligibility validation, tenant or account provisioning, and the migration of workloads from commercial cloud.
US delivery, cleared bench available
On-site engagements across the FedRAMP customer corridor (DC metro, Northern Virginia, Atlanta, Austin, San Diego). Cleared personnel available for classified-adjacent scope.
Evidence pack is the deliverable
We do not stop at "controls implemented". We deliver the FedRAMP package: SSP, SAP, SAR, POAM, IR plan, training records, configuration baselines, vulnerability-scan history. Hand it to the 3PAO unedited.
FedRAMP engagements across the US public-sector cloud market.
SaaS vendors selling to federal agencies
B2B SaaS companies (HR, ERP, collaboration, analytics) where FedRAMP authorisation is a contracting prerequisite for federal customers. Typically pursuing Moderate via agency sponsor.
Managed-cloud service providers
IaaS / PaaS / managed-services providers building offerings on Azure Government or AWS GovCloud. Pursuing JAB Provisional ATO for marketplace visibility.
Federal healthcare and life-sciences platforms
EHR, claims-processing, public-health, and clinical-trials platforms selling to HHS, VA, CDC, NIH. Often paired with HIPAA / HITECH baselines.
Federal financial-services platforms
Payment, audit, anti-fraud, and grant-management platforms selling to Treasury, IRS, SBA, and state-financial agencies.
Higher-ed research platforms
Research-collaboration, grant-management, and data-sharing platforms selling to DOE, NSF, USAID, and federally funded R&D centres (FFRDCs).
State and local cloud platforms (StateRAMP)
Platforms selling to state and local governments via the StateRAMP programme — which inherits FedRAMP's authorisation model. We deliver both.
JAB Provisional ATO vs Agency ATO — which path is right?
| Feature | Agency ATO Sponsored by federal agency | JAB Provisional ATO Joint Authorization Board |
|---|---|---|
Sponsor required | Yes (single federal agency) | No (FedRAMP PMO) |
Typical timeline | 12-18 months | 18-30 months |
Typical cost (consulting + 3PAO) | $500k-$1.5m | $1.5m-$3m |
Reusability across agencies | Each agency re-authorises | Pre-authorised across all agencies |
Best for | SaaS with a specific agency contract | Broad federal market reach |
Impact-level support | Low / Moderate / High | Low / Moderate / High |
Most common path (today) | ~85% of CSPs | ~15% of CSPs |
Continuous monitoring required |
Readiness to ATO in five phases.
- 1
Scoping & sponsor strategy
4-6 weeks
Define authorisation boundary, impact level, and path (agency ATO vs JAB). Identify or vet agency sponsors. Output: scoping memo, sponsor-engagement plan, FedRAMP-readiness Assessment Report (RAR) plan.
- 2
Gap assessment & RAR
8-12 weeks
Map current state against NIST 800-53 baseline plus FedRAMP tailoring. Author the FedRAMP RAR. Output: written gap report, prioritised remediation backlog, RAR ready for submission.
- 3
Remediation
6-18 months
Close technical gaps (encryption, MFA, audit logging, vulnerability management, SIEM), policy gaps (SSP, IR plan, training programme), and organisational gaps (governance, vendor risk, ConMon stand-up).
- 4
Pre-3PAO dry run
4-6 weeks
Full-scope mock assessment against the FedRAMP Security Assessment Plan template. Close residual findings, finalise evidence pack (SSP / SAP / SAR), brief the leadership team on 3PAO expectations.
- 5
3PAO assessment & ATO
8-16 weeks
On-site or remote support during the 3PAO assessment. Generate Security Assessment Report (SAR). Submit package to sponsor agency or JAB. Address findings, achieve ATO.
“Our biggest federal contract had a FedRAMP Moderate clause and we had 14 months to authorisation. GR IT scoped the boundary, ran the gap assessment in 9 weeks, and stayed engaged through remediation, RAR submission, and the 3PAO. We got our P-ATO from the sponsoring agency two weeks ahead of the contract deadline.”
FedRAMP, frequently asked.
FedRAMP and federal-compliance resources.
CMMC 2.0 compliance services
The DoD-Industrial-Base equivalent of FedRAMP — NIST 800-171 Level 2 + Level 3 for defense contractors.
Learn moreCloud migration services (Azure / AWS / GCP)
Migration to Azure Government, AWS GovCloud, or GCP Assured Workloads as the FedRAMP foundation.
Learn moreCybersecurity audit & compliance services
General-purpose audit pillar covering HIPAA, SOC 2, NYDFS, NIST CSF, ISO 27001, and PCI.
Learn moreBook a FedRAMP readiness review.
Sixty-minute discovery call with a senior consultant. Output: a written first-cut gap estimate, path recommendation (Agency vs JAB), and engagement scope. No obligation.