Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP)

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is a U.S. government framework for cloud security assessment, authorization and continuous monitoring. It creates uniform security standards that cloud providers must meet to work with government agencies. 

If you’re a cloud service provider (CSP) and want to work with federal agencies, you must get FedRAMP authorization. This ensures your service meets strict security standards that align with government compliance frameworks like NIST SP 800-53.

The goal is simple: protect sensitive government data in the cloud.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) launched FedRAMP in 2011 to standardize cybersecurity standards for federal cloud adoption. Previously, each agency assessed vendors individually, resulting in delays, inconsistencies and duplicated work.

With FedRAMP, CSPs go through a unified security review. Once authorized, other agencies can use their services, reducing the burden on everyone.

It’s built on NIST 800-53, with additional controls and documentation requirements for cloud environments.

Today’s federal IT ecosystem is more cloud-reliant than ever. From hybrid environments to distributed teams and mission-critical SaaS, government agencies need to trust the tools they use.

FedRAMP ensures trust and serves as a security baseline, even in the most sensitive environments.

But FedRAMP is not just for federal agencies. State and local governments and commercial enterprises working with public sector contracts now reference FedRAMP standards as proof of maturity.

FedRAMP isn’t just for large cloud providers or SaaS vendors directly serving agencies. 

If you’re a federal contractor, subcontractor or system integrator that delivers solutions and interacts with government data — even indirectly — FedRAMP likely applies to you.

This often surprises midsize or commercial-first vendors. 

Maybe your platform plugs into a larger federal system, or your managed services support a mission-critical cloud deployment. That can still trigger FedRAMP requirements, especially if you store, transmit or process controlled unclassified information (CUI).

The same is true for DevSecOps shops, platform enablers, analytics providers and cloud-native toolchains that support government workflows.

The good news? You can often inherit controls from your IaaS provider (like AWS or Azure) and use containerized architectures to isolate sensitive functions. However, you’ll still need to manage your own shared responsibility, document your controls and prove you’re FedRAMP-aligned.

Tenable makes this easier. You get visibility into identity risk, misconfigurations and workload vulnerabilities across your stack, whether working in a classified enclave or supporting a civilian agency’s project.

See how Tenable can help you align with FedRAMP.

To remain compliant with FedRAMP, cloud service providers must demonstrate they can maintain a continuous security posture, not just at a single point in time.

This includes monthly vulnerability scans, real-time alerting, control effectiveness checks, incident response drills and routine plan of action and milestones (POA&M) updates, which are more than just documentation. They require enforcement and proof of remediation.

A well-structured FedRAMP lifecycle includes:

• Real-time asset tracking across multi-cloud environments
• Alerting for unauthorized configuration changes or access events
• Scheduled vulnerability scans and patch validations
• Dashboards and reporting that map results to FedRAMP controls
• Annual security assessments supported by system-of-record evidence

Without the right tools, this ongoing cadence can overwhelm your team. Solutions like Tenable One streamline reporting, map findings to FedRAMP baselines and provide the visibility needed to meet monthly and annual requirements. This also makes it easier to pass audits and respond quickly when a risk emerges, whether internal or external.

FedRAMP compliance ensures that CSPs meet and maintain high federal security standards over time.

To begin, you need to create a comprehensive security authorization package. This includes:

• A system security plan (SSP) outlining how your system addresses each required NIST 800-53 control
• A readiness assessment report
• Results from your vulnerability scans
• POA&M
• Your security assessment plan (SAP) and the final security assessment report (SAR)

These documents work together to demonstrate how you built your system, tested it, managed gaps and handled risk.

Then, an accredited third-party assessment organization (3PAO) independently evaluates your environment. They verify your controls match the FedRAMP baseline and that your documentation reflects reality.

The FedRAMP Board (which replaced the JAB) does not accept authorization packages directly from CSPs. Only sponsoring federal agencies do.

The primary outcome is earning an agency ATO.

But the work doesn’t stop there. To maintain FedRAMP compliance, you must implement a continuous monitoring program that includes:

• Monthly vulnerability scans
• Regular access reviews and log analysis
• Annual assessments of your full control set
• Updated POA&Ms that track findings and remediation status
• Reporting and alerting for unauthorized changes or incidents

Automation plays a key role. Manual tracking simply won’t scale. Many CSPs rely on tools like Tenable One to automate scanning, align results to NIST controls and streamline reporting workflows.

FedRAMP also expects traceability for every control, vulnerability and misconfiguration. They should tie back to a clear owner, documented evidence and a defined resolution path. Without strong processes and tooling, teams can easily fall behind.

To learn more about the full set of expectations, refer to the FedRAMP Security Assessment Framework (SAF), which outlines the documents, milestones and assessments needed at every stage of the compliance journey.

FedRAMP categorizes systems into three levels: low, moderate and high, each tied to the severity of harm a data breach could cause. 

These levels help agencies choose providers based on their data sensitivity and risk tolerance. 

By meeting FedRAMP requirements, cloud providers also support compliance with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), which directs federal agencies to implement risk-based cybersecurity programs.

• Low: Public or non-sensitive data. This level is for systems where data loss would minimally impact an agency's operations or assets.
• Moderate: Data where loss would cause serious harm to an agency’s operations or finances. This is the most common level.
• High: Data where loss would have catastrophic effects, such as national security or healthcare information. FedRAMP High is the most stringent security baseline.

Agency ATO

This is the most common path for cloud providers. You work directly with a federal agency that agrees to sponsor your product through the FedRAMP process. After a thorough security assessment and review, the agency issues an ATO. Other agencies can then reuse your authorization, which saves time and effort.

Joint Authorization Board (JAB) P-ATO (Provisional Authority to Operate) and the role of the FedRAMP Board

Previously, there was a distinct authorization known as the Joint Authorization Board (JAB) P-ATO (Provisional Authority to Operate). The JAB, composed of CIOs from DoD, DHS and GSA, issued these P-ATOs as a government-wide baseline.

However, the FedRAMP Board replaced the Joint Authorization Board (JAB) due to the FedRAMP Authorization Act 2022. As of this change, the “JAB P-ATO” is no longer an active authorization type that CSPs can pursue.

The FedRAMP Board now serves as the official governing body for the FedRAMP program. Its role is to provide strategic guidance and policy oversight for the overall program, ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of the agency-driven ATO process. 

The FedRAMP Board doesn’t issue authorizations to CSPs. Instead, it shapes the authorization ecosystem and accelerates cloud adoption across the federal government.

Another designation to know is FedRAMP Ready status. It’s a preliminary step that shows that your organization has the foundational security posture and documentation to pursue full authorization. It can also help attract agency sponsors.

The FedRAMP Marketplace lists Ready, In Process and Authorized cloud products, allowing you to explore which providers completed which steps.

Getting through FedRAMP takes time, documentation and coordination, but knowing the major steps helps you plan for what’s ahead.

Here’s how the process typically works:

1. Preparation

You start by selecting your authorization path (Agency ATO) and working with an experienced third-party assessment organization (3PAO). You’ll complete a Readiness Assessment Report (RAR) and draft an SSP that maps to NIST 800-53 controls.

2. Initial assessment

Your 3PAO conducts vulnerability scans, penetration testing and a formal review of your system design, implementation and controls. This leads to two key documents: your SAP and your Security Assessment Report SAR.

3. Authorization package submission

Once you complete the assessment, you submit your full FedRAMP package to your sponsoring agency. This includes the SSP, POA&M, SAR and all other required materials.

4. Review and decision

Your sponsor reviews your complete submission. They may request clarifications, updates or additional testing. If approved, you get your ATO.

5. Continuous monitoring

Even after authorization, you’re responsible for ongoing compliance. That means regular scans, access reviews, log analysis, configuration management and incident response. You’ll also submit monthly and annual updates as part of FedRAMP’s continuous monitoring expectations.

Tenable supports this phase by automating scanning, monitoring compliance drift and helping you prioritize remediation efforts based on risk.

For CSPs, FedRAMP compliance opens doors to working with federal agencies and gives you an edge in commercial industries that need federal-grade security.

For agencies, it reduces procurement delays, ensures a consistent risk posture and allows reuse of previously authorized services.

FedRAMP also improves overall cloud security hygiene. It enforces a continuous monitoring model that aligns with zero trust principles.

The FedRAMP Marketplace lists all authorized cloud services and their impact levels. It’s where agencies find approved vendors and CSPs showcase their ATO status.

The listing includes service models, impact level, authorization dates and sponsoring agencies. If your product is listed, you’ve passed the FedRAMP bar.

FedRAMP doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Most agencies and contractors must also comply with additional cybersecurity frameworks, including NIST SP 800-53, FISMA, CMMC, SOC 2 and ISO 27001, among others. But FedRAMP’s requirements are uniquely prescriptive.

Here’s a side-by-side breakdown of how FedRAMP aligns (or differs) from other major frameworks:

FedRAMP requires monthly monitoring, vulnerability scans, change control documentation and proactive risk remediation, all mapped to specific controls.

If pursuing multiple certifications, prioritize tools that map findings across frameworks and support shared evidence workflows. 

Tenable helps you crosswalk exposure findings to FedRAMP, CMMC, NIST and more, all from a single source of truth.

Many organizations underestimate the time and effort involved. FedRAMP is a continuous commitment.

One common misstep is assuming that existing security controls will map perfectly to FedRAMP without significant adjustment. Another is neglecting the time and cost required to write and maintain an SSP, which often exceeds 300 pages.

Best practices include:

• Start with a gap assessment. 
  • Compare your current controls against the FedRAMP baseline.
• Treat documentation as a product. 
  • Assign owners, use templates and build in review cycles.
• Use continuous integration tools to validate compliance when infrastructure or code changes occur.

Picking the right tools and partners can save you months or cost you them. Here’s what to look for:

• Proven FedRAMP experience. 
  • Ask about previous ATOs, working with 3PAOs and agency sponsors.
• Cloud-native architecture. 
  • Your tool should support the speed and complexity of modern cloud environments.
• Automated reporting and monitoring. 
  • Manual processes won’t scale to FedRAMP’s continuous expectations.
• Cross-framework support.
  • Bonus points if the platform supports NIST Cybersecurity Framework, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Program and ISO mappings.

Tenable has a FedRAMP Moderate authorization for Tenable One Exposure Management Platform, Tenable Cloud Security, Tenable Vulnerability Management and Tenable Web App Scanning. 

Tenable One FedRAMP and Tenable Cloud Security FedRAMP enable U.S. federal agencies to unify security visibility, insight and action from IT to the cloud to OT and everywhere in between.

These authorizations mean Tenable passed an extensive third-party assessment and met hundreds of NIST 800-53 controls across access control, auditing, incident response, encryption and more. It also includes continuous monitoring requirements, which Tenable fulfills through active scanning, automated reporting and secure system updates.

You can find the official authorization listings in the FedRAMP Marketplace, which includes Tenable Cloud Security for U.S. Government and Tenable Government Solutions, and contact information for agencies seeking to reuse the ATO.

Federal agencies, state governments, contractors and educational institutions can all benefit from using platforms already FedRAMP authorized to fast-track procurement and ensure security maturity that aligns with national expectations.

FedRAMP is a continuous cycle of controls, documentation and monitoring, and Tenable can support every part of that process.

With Tenable One, you get centralized visibility into all cloud, on-prem and hybrid assets. This platform integrates vulnerability, identity and misconfiguration data into a single view so you can monitor exposures that map directly to NIST 800-53 requirements.

For example, Tenable continuously assesses vulnerabilities and system configurations to help you meet controls like AC-2 (account management), SI-2 (flaw remediation) and RA-5 (vulnerability scanning). It also provides built-in reporting to help you generate evidence for audits and prepare for annual control assessments.

Tenable has dynamic dashboards that align directly to FedRAMP baselines. It supports automated discovery, prioritized remediation, and compliance tracking from a FedRAMP-authorized platform.

Beyond detection, Tenable helps reduce operational burden. Teams can use guided workflows, exposure scoring and remediation intelligence to respond faster and track progress over time. These tools are especially valuable when managing hybrid environments or coordinating across multiple business units or agency partners.

If you’re working toward a new ATO or maintaining one through ongoing assessments, Tenable provides the capabilities you need to stay ready.

FedRAMP compliance is also about knowing where you’re exposed and what that risk means in practice. That’s why exposure management is critical in maintaining ongoing FedRAMP compliance and reducing cyber risk.

FedRAMP requires continuous monitoring and reporting, but exposure management takes that further. It helps you uncover misconfigurations, vulnerable assets and risky identities before auditors or attackers do. 

With thousands of controls to track — and dozens of systems in play — you need a way to focus your efforts on the risks that matter most.

That’s where Tenable One comes in. It consolidates asset data, vulnerability findings and misconfiguration alerts into one unified view. This lets you identify exposures across hybrid infrastructure and prioritize remediation based on impact to systems governed by FedRAMP controls.

Need to align with NIST 800-53 controls? Exposure management shows which misconfigurations could put you out of compliance. 

Want to catch drift in privileged access? It surfaces unused or excessive permissions tied to sensitive cloud resources.

The result: you build a proactive strategy that reduces your exposure, improves FedRAMP audit readiness and accelerates time-to-remediation, all while giving your team a real-time understanding of where and why risk is increasing.

Exposure management reduces duplication and inconsistency for agencies and vendors who manage multiple authorizations or systems under a shared control model. 

Instead of manually revalidating every control, you can apply findings across environments, tie risks to business impact and document those decisions as part of your FedRAMP monitoring package. 

Exposure management is especially critical during audits, when you must prove you’ve identified risks, prioritized them, assigned them and tracked them to resolution.

Tenable helps automate this with shared dashboards, scoped POA&M tracking and centralized views across hybrid environments. That means fewer surprises, faster remediation and more confidence that your controls stay compliant over time, even as your cloud posture shifts.

To learn more about exposure management in practice, visit Tenable’s government solutions page.

Strong vulnerability management is a FedRAMP requirement. Monthly scanning, documented remediation plans and clear traceability are all core expectations under continuous monitoring.

But here’s the challenge: scanning every asset and reviewing every CVE isn’t enough. You need a smarter approach to decide what matters — and what doesn’t — based on how likely an exploit is and how much it would impact your system.

Tenable’s tools go beyond static CVSS ratings. They combine threat intelligence, asset criticality and exploitability likelihood to assign risk-based scores that reflect your real-world environment.

For example, if a CVE has a high severity but no active exploit and it’s not connected to a sensitive system, it might drop on your priority list. But a medium-severity flaw on a mission-critical endpoint with internet exposure? That one gets elevated — and fast.

This kind of risk-based prioritization helps security and compliance teams align remediation timelines with actual business impact. It also makes POA&Ms easier to manage, since you can show that you’re acting quickly on what matters most.

Vulnerability management also helps demonstrate FedRAMP control coverage. You can map scan findings and patch statuses to NIST 800-53 controls, automate reporting for monthly scan reviews and alert teams when overdue findings might put your ATO at risk.

With Tenable, vulnerability management becomes a strategic control that reduces cyber risk and simplifies audits.

What is FedRAMP compliance?

FedRAMP compliance means your cloud service meets standardized security controls for working with the U.S. federal government.

What is FedRAMP certification?

FedRAMP doesn’t issue certificates. FedRAMP doesn’t issue certificates. Instead, you receive an ATO. Once you have received an ATO, you are FedRAMP authorized.

What is FedRAMP High?

FedRAMP High is the most stringent FedRAMP level, and is a requirement for systems handling national security, law enforcement or data that impacts lives.

What is the FedRAMP Marketplace?

The FedRAMP Marketplace is a public listing of authorized cloud services. Agencies use it to find approved vendors.

What are FedRAMP requirements?

FedRAMP requirements include technical controls (from NIST 800-53), documentation like the SSP and POA&M and continuous monitoring.

Is there a FedRAMP certification for individuals?

No official certification exists, but training is available through the PMO and 3PAO employees often receive FedRAMP-specific training.

What are the FedRAMP levels?

Low, moderate and high, each tied to the severity of harm a data breach could cause.

What is FedRAMP ATO?

FedRAMP Authorization to Operate (ATO) is the official approval that your service meets FedRAMP standards.

How does FedRAMP relate to exposure management?

Exposure management gives you visibility into risks across cloud assets, misconfigurations and identity issues. This supports the continuous monitoring requirement in FedRAMP.

What’s the role of vulnerability management in FedRAMP?

It ensures you’re scanning systems, prioritizing real threats and remediating based on risk, all core FedRAMP expectations.

Want help accelerating your path to FedRAMP compliance? Connect with Tenable.