Many cloud vendors quickly learn there’s no such thing as a FedRAMP certificate. The Federal Authorization and Risk Management Program (FedRAMP) isn’t a one-time credential — it’s an ongoing authorization process designed to verify that your cloud environment meets the federal government’s most rigorous security standards.
That process looks different from how it used to. The Joint Authorization Board (JAB) path — once a primary route — has been phased out in favor of Agency Authorization. Simultaneously, a modernization initiative called FedRAMP 20x is introducing automation and sponsor-optional pathways to make compliance faster and less burdensome.
This guide walks through every step of that journey, from assessing readiness to maintaining FedRAMP compliance.
Understanding the FedRAMP Program
What Is FedRAMP?
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program standardizes security assessments for cloud products used by U.S. federal agencies. It ensures that every cloud service offering (CSO) handling federal information adheres to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-53 Rev. 5. That way, agencies can leverage cloud solutions with the assurance that their data is in safe hands.
How Does FedRAMP Work?
In short, an independent software vendor (ISV) or cloud service provider (CSP) implements a standardized set of security controls, documents them in a System Security Plan (SSP), and verifies their implementation in a third-party security assessment. Throughout the authorization process, they partner with a sponsoring federal agency to earn an Authority to Operate (ATO) — not a certification.
Obtaining an agency ATO means cloud service providers can list their solution on the FedRAMP Marketplace. Here, federal agencies can procure CSOs safely, as they’ve all been vetted against the FedRAMP standard.
What Is FedRAMP 20x?
In 2025, the General Services Administration launched FedRAMP 20x to shorten timelines and streamline validation through automation, machine-readable controls, and sponsor-optional pilot programs. While the legacy Agency Authorization path remains, 20x marks a major shift toward faster, data-driven authorizations.
Key Logistics: Time, Cost, and Effort
Before outlining the authorization steps in detail, it’s important to understand the practical considerations that shape every FedRAMP initiative.
Timeline
The path to FedRAMP authorization can take up to 19 months under the traditional model, depending on a CSO’s impact level, and the approach you decide to employ to become authorized. For instance, FedRAMP requirements are much more rigorous for solutions that must reach the FedRAMP High baseline. Additionally, the choice you make on how to achieve your authorization can have dramatic impacts on the timing.
FedRAMP 20x aims to reduce the process significantly through automation and real-time reviews. Pilot participants may see shorter timelines once 20x pathways are fully operational.
That said, hiccups — such as a failed FedRAMP assessment or poor documentation — can still delay the process. Early decisions around scoping, documentation quality, and remediation planning often determine whether timelines compress or extend.
Cost Considerations
FedRAMP authorization costs vary based on environment complexity, control baseline, and assessment scope. Direct expenses — including third-party audits, documentation, and tooling — exceed six figures, not including internal staffing.
Indirect costs can also accumulate over time, particularly if authorization drags or remediation cycles repeat. Strategies that reduce scope and rework can have a meaningful impact on total spend.
Using a pre-authorized environment, such as Project Hosts’ GSSOne, can lower those costs by enabling CSOs to inherit 75% of the required controls. Effectively, this means third-party assessors don’t need to evaluate as many themselves, thus accelerating the FedRAMP process and saving resources.
Internal Lift
Federal security requirements demand continuous cross-functional involvement — from engineering and IT security to legal, procurement, and executive leadership. For most vendors, a dedicated compliance lead or managed service partner is essential to maintain progress and documentation quality.
Without clear ownership and coordination, internal teams can quickly become overextended, leading to missed deadlines, inconsistent evidence, and stalled authorization efforts. Also, this can distract teams from focusing on core business objectives and long-term growth.
For example, Wellspring ultimately determined that managing FedRAMP compliance entirely in-house was not sustainable as the program scaled. After evaluating the ongoing demands on internal teams — including documentation upkeep, audit coordination, and continuous monitoring — the company chose to partner with Project Hosts to offload the compliance burden while maintaining a strong security posture.
Step 1: Assess Readiness and Define Your Path
Before a formal audit begins, organizations must establish a clear understanding of their security posture, authorization scope, and overall path to FedRAMP approval. This foundational step sets expectations for effort, timeline, and resource requirements across the rest of the authorization lifecycle.
Rather than treating readiness as a standalone exercise, many organizations evaluate control maturity, documentation gaps, and architectural alignment as part of a broader, end-to-end authorization initiative. This early readiness assessment helps surface gaps and dependencies while ensuring that decisions around impact level, authorization boundary, and remediation priorities are made in context — not in isolation.
At this stage, organizations typically determine their authorization path. With the FedRAMP JAB no longer active, Agency Authorization remains the primary route to an ATO, requiring alignment with a sponsoring federal agency. Early coordination with a sponsor helps clarify expectations, review timelines, and risk tolerance before assessment begins.
FedRAMP 20x is modernizing this phase by introducing automation, machine-readable security artifacts, and pilot pathways that may reduce friction over time. While these changes aim to streamline validation, the core remains the same: organizations must demonstrate that their environment meets federal security requirements through documented, verifiable controls.
Approaching readiness — including readiness assessment activities — as part of a structured, supported authorization program rather than a disconnected preliminary step helps reduce rework, prevent scope creep, and minimize delays later in the FedRAMP process.
Step 2: Prepare Documentation and Implement Controls
Your System Security Plan is the foundation of your FedRAMP authorization package. It documents how every applicable control is implemented within your environment.
Supporting materials include the:
- Security Assessment Plan (SAP): Defines the scope, methodology, and testing approach a third-party assessment organization (3PAO) will use to evaluate the system’s security controls during the formal FedRAMP assessment.
- Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M): Tracks known security weaknesses, remediation actions, ownership, and timelines, serving as the primary mechanism for managing risk both during preparation and after authorization.
- Continuous Monitoring Plan: Outlines how the organization will maintain compliance after authorization, including vulnerability scanning, reporting cadence, control updates, and ongoing risk management activities.
FedRAMP 20x introduces machine-readable templates for these documents, improving consistency and enabling automated validation by the FedRAMP PMO. Many cloud service providers accelerate this stage by leveraging pre-authorized environments or templates provided through managed service partners like Project Hosts.
Step 3: Engage a 3PAO and Conduct Your Assessment
A third-party assessment organization performs a detailed audit of your controls to verify that they’re implemented and effective. This results in a Security Assessment Report, which identifies any deficiencies or gaps. Post-assessment, vendors must remediate findings and update the POA&M before submission to the sponsoring government agency or PMO.
As part of the FedRAMP 20x modernization effort, assessment processes are gradually incorporating more standardized reporting, automation, and continuous visibility — intending to reduce manual back-and-forth while maintaining rigorous security validation.
Step 4: Obtain Your ATO and Begin Continuous Monitoring
Once remediation is complete, the sponsoring agency reviews the package and issues an ATO if approved. FedRAMP 20x is introducing more centralized and automated submission and review mechanisms over time, while preserving the agency’s role in authorization decisions.
However, authorization is not the end; maintaining it requires continuous monitoring. Vendors must perform monthly vulnerability scans, submit updated POA&Ms, and undergo annual reassessments to ensure controls remain effective.
FedRAMP 20x introduces new “Key Security Indicators” designed to give agencies continuous insight into system health, reinforcing a shift toward real-time assurance without replacing formal FedRAMP compliance requirements.
How to Simplify FedRAMP Authorization
FedRAMP authorization is not a one-time milestone — it’s an ongoing operational commitment that requires careful planning, disciplined execution, and sustained oversight. From readiness assessment and documentation through audit, authorization, and continuous monitoring, each phase introduces complexity that can strain internal teams if not managed strategically.
That’s why organizations trust Project Hosts. We help reduce both the cost and complexity of FedRAMP by combining a pre-authorized environment with a fully managed Compliance-as-a-Service model. Through our GSSOnesystem environment, vendors can inherit up to 75% of FedRAMP controls. The result? Lower authorization scope, documentation effort, and assessment burden from the outset.
Beyond infrastructure, Project Hosts supports the entire FedRAMP lifecycle — including all coordination, readiness and early planning, SSP development, 3PAO coordination, agency support, and ongoing monitoring. This end-to-end approach allows cloud service providers to offload compliance execution while maintaining a strong security posture and predictable authorization timelines.
Learn how Project Hosts helps organizations accelerate authorization and maintain compliance. Explore our FedRAMP solutions or download our whitepaper on building your FedRAMP business case today.