As government agencies at every level expand their use of cloud technologies, frameworks like FedRAMP and GovRAMP (formerly StateRAMP) have become the benchmarks for cloud security in the United States. Yet both are evolving — with FedRAMP’s 2025 modernization and GovRAMP’s rebrand marking a new era in public-sector cloud security.
This guide explains how each framework works, where they differ, and how recent changes impact cloud service providers, sharing insights on how Project Hosts simplifies security compliance across both.
What Is FedRAMP?
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is the U.S. government’s standardized framework for assessing and monitoring the security of cloud products and services used by federal agencies. It ensures that any cloud solution handling government data meets the same rigorous cybersecurity standards, regardless of vendor or federal agency.
In 2011, the General Services Administration (GSA), Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security collaborated to establish FedRAMP. The goal was to centralize and streamline security assessments for cloud providers following the Federal Cloud Computing Strategy, “Cloud First.”
Before FedRAMP, each agency conducted its own audits, often duplicating effort and delaying cloud adoption. Today, although the FedRAMP process takes time, it’s become increasingly streamlined by modernization and automation.
Why Pursue FedRAMP Authorization?
For vendors and agencies alike, the FedRAMP program delivers several key advantages:
- Unified standards: As a standardized framework, it ensures consistent application of security controls across all federal agencies. This supports the government’s broader cybersecurity goals while protecting sensitive federal information. Likewise, it increases efficiency by eliminating redundant audits.
- Market access: Authorized vendors can list their cloud solutions on the FedRAMP Marketplace, providing them with visibility to federal buyers. Critically, the FedRAMP Authorization Act codified the program into law, making it the only authorized source for federal agencies to procure cloud services.
- Risk reduction: Continuous monitoring reduces vulnerabilities and strengthens trust. An Authority to Operate (ATO) acts as a signal to federal agencies that a vendor’s security posture is safe, hardened, and dependable to secure federal information.
- Reciprocity: Vendors can reuse a single authorization to serve multiple agencies. That means less rework, faster growth, and fewer costs impacting the bottom line, allowing cloud service providers to scale across the public sector.
How Is FedRAMP Evolving?
In 2025, the General Services Administration introduced “FedRAMP 20x,” a major initiative to modernize the program. The goal: reduce authorization timelines from years to months by expanding automation, introducing sponsor-optional pathways, and simplifying documentation.
FedRAMP 20x replaces static templates with machine-readable controls, introduces new standards like the “Minimum Assessment Scope Standard,” and promotes an outcome-based approach to compliance. While the legacy sponsor model still exists, the 20x framework signals a shift toward faster, data-driven authorizations.
What Are the FedRAMP Requirements?
FedRAMP compliance requirements vary depending on system complexity. At a high level, cloud service providers must:
- Implement National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-53 security controls at the appropriate baseline (FedRAMP Low, FedRAMP Moderate, or FedRAMP High).
- Develop a System Security Plan (SSP) describing how each control is met.
- Undergo a security assessment by a third-party assessment organization (3PAO).
- Obtain a FedRAMP ATO from a sponsoring government agency or through the emerging 20x pathways.
- Maintain continuous monitoring with monthly scans and annual reassessments.
What Is GovRAMP?
GovRAMP stands for the Government Risk and Authorization Management Program. Formerly known as StateRAMP, it’s a nonprofit framework that standardizes cloud security for state, local, tribal, and education (SLED) entities. Modeled closely on FedRAMP, it provides a trusted, repeatable process for validating cloud providers that handle government data at the sub-federal level.
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and a coalition of public- and private-sector cybersecurity leaders launched StateRAMP in 2020. At the time, state and local agencies lacked a standardized framework for evaluating cloud vendors, resulting in inconsistent risk assessments and duplicated security efforts across jurisdictions.
StateRAMP was created to close that gap, providing a unified, NIST-based model that ensured vendors met the same baseline security controls wherever they stored or processed government data. In 2025, the program rebranded as GovRAMP to reflect its expanded mission — uniting all levels of government under one cybersecurity umbrella.
The rebrand also clarified alignment with the federal FedRAMP 20x model, expanding reciprocity and promoting consistent cybersecurity expectations across agencies. While the name changed, the program’s assessment structure, membership model, and control baselines remain in place.
What Are the Benefits of GovRAMP?
A GovRAMP authorization is valuable for several reasons. It can:
- Align with FedRAMP: GovRAMP follows the same NIST SP 800-53 security baseline and documentation model as FedRAMP. This alignment creates consistency between federal and state security requirements, allowing vendors to reuse much of their existing work when expanding into new markets.
- Expand accessibility: The program gives smaller vendors a practical, structured pathway to demonstrate compliance. By offering readiness tiers and flexible documentation options, GovRAMP lowers the barriers to entry for organizations that may not have the resources to pursue full federal authorization.
- Be achieved through reciprocity: GovRAMP recognizes FedRAMP authorizations for provisional listings, reducing duplication and accelerating approval timelines. Vendors that are already FedRAMP authorized can leverage that standing to meet GovRAMP security requirements faster and with fewer additional assessments. Requiring just a small administration fee, the GovRAMP PMO can review a vendor’s FedRAMP package, reducing costs in the long run.
- Improve transparency: Through its public Authorized Product List, GovRAMP makes it easy for state and local government agencies to identify pre-vetted, secure cloud providers. This visibility helps agencies make confident purchasing decisions and increases vendor credibility across the public sector.
- Support scalability: The tiered structure of GovRAMP allows organizations to advance through readiness levels — from “Ready” to “Provisional” to “Authorized” — as their security posture improves. This scalable approach gives vendors a clear roadmap for achieving and maintaining compliance over time.
What Are the GovRAMP Compliance Requirements?
To achieve GovRAMP authorization, vendors must:
- Implement NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 security measures appropriate to their service level.
- Submit documentation and evidence to the GovRAMP PMO.
- Engage an approved third-party assessor or provide a valid FedRAMP authorization for equivalency.
- Undergo continuous monitoring to maintain an Authorized or Provisional status.
- Renew annually to demonstrate ongoing adherence to control requirements.
How Do GovRAMP and FedRAMP Compare?
Let’s take a closer look at how each program overlaps and where they differ:
1. Scope
FedRAMP governs cloud security for federal agencies and contractors, while GovRAMP serves state, local, tribal, and educational institutions. Together, they create a consistent security baseline across all levels of government.
2. Governance
FedRAMP is managed by the GSA and its PMO, now operating under the FedRAMP 20x modernization roadmap. GovRAMP is guided by an independent PMO and Steering Committee representing SLED agencies.
3. Control Mapping
FedRAMP and GovRAMP both draw from the same core standard — the NIST 800-53 Rev 5 security control baseline. However, they apply it differently based on their target audiences.
FedRAMP defines three distinct impact levels (FedRAMP Low, Moderate, and High) that determine the number and rigor of required security measures for federal systems. GovRAMP mirrors these control families and documentation requirements but applies them within the SLED context.
4. Cost and Timeline Considerations
While both frameworks emphasize rigorous assessment, the cost and timeline to authorization can vary significantly depending on scope and sponsorship requirements.
FedRAMP authorizations have traditionally required longer timelines — often multiple years — and higher upfront investment due to sponsor coordination, 3PAO assessments, and PMO reviews. Under the FedRAMP 20x modernization, new automation and machine-readable submissions are expected to shorten those timelines considerably, particularly for CSPs that participate in pilot pathways.
GovRAMP, on the other hand, is generally faster and more affordable to achieve, especially at the “Ready” or “Provisional” tiers. Many vendors also leverage reciprocity by submitting an existing FedRAMP package for GovRAMP recognition, cutting costs and eliminating redundant audits. In both cases, partnering with an experienced compliance provider such as Project Hosts can reduce internal lift and control long-term spend.
5. Authorization Pathways
Under the legacy FedRAMP model, an agency sponsor (or the now defunct Joint Authorization Board) was required to begin an authorization; with FedRAMP 20x, pilot programs are introducing alternate submission and validation pathways that may reduce standard sponsorship dependencies.
In contrast, GovRAMP uses a tiered model — from self-attestation through provisional to full Authorized — and includes reciprocity for many FedRAMP-authorized vendors to accelerate their SLED listing.
6. Continuous Monitoring
Both FedRAMP and GovRAMP require ongoing oversight to maintain authorization, ensuring that cloud environments remain secure after initial approval. For FedRAMP, this involves monthly vulnerability scanning, annual assessments, and submission of continuous monitoring (ConMon) reports to the PMO and sponsoring agency.
GovRAMP follows a similar model but provides more flexibility: authorized vendors submit regular performance and compliance updates to the GovRAMP PMO, with continuous monitoring scaled to their readiness tier. Both programs prioritize transparency and rapid incident reporting, helping agencies identify and mitigate risks before they escalate.
7. Assessment and Oversight
FedRAMP continues to rely on 3PAOs for controls validation and continuous monitoring, but FedRAMP 20x is shifting toward automation, machine-readable controls, real-time dashboards, and streamlined review by the FedRAMP PMO. Likewise, GovRAMP uses third-party assessments (via its Approved 3PAOs) and readiness tiers, and accepts FedRAMP authorizations for certain listings, thereby reducing duplication of effort for vendors.
Which Framework Is Right for Your Organization?
There are several factors to consider when choosing whether to pursue either (or both) authorization:
- Customer base: If your customers include federal agencies or contractors, FedRAMP authorization is non-negotiable. It’s the key that unlocks eligibility for most federal procurements. If you’re serving a state agency or local government — or plan to — GovRAMP compliance will be required for many contracts and strongly preferred for others.
- Dual advantage: For many SaaS providers, pursuing both authorizations offers the greatest return. Reciprocation and alignment between compliance standards delivers economies for those serving both state and federal. FedRAMP authorization can fast-track GovRAMP recognition, allowing broader reach without duplicating effort.
- Internal resources: Both authorizations require extensive documentation, control implementation, and ongoing monitoring. Organizations with limited internal compliance teams may find GovRAMP a more achievable first step, especially at the “Ready” or “Provisional” tier. FedRAMP 20x aims to reduce administrative burden, but the process still demands mature governance and technical capacity.
- Ongoing effort: FedRAMP and GovRAMP both require continuous monitoring and regular reassessment. Choosing the right framework depends on how much ongoing compliance oversight your organization can sustain. Companies seeking to offload that responsibility can benefit from managed compliance partnerships like Project Hosts’ Compliance-as-a-Service model, which handles day-to-day control management and audit coordination.
- Expert support: Before investing in either path, it’s critical to build a solid business case. Project Hosts helps vendors model the ROI, assess sponsorship options, and align compliance strategy with growth objectives.
This decision process is illustrated in the experience of JAMIS, which evaluated its federal market goals and determined that pursuing a FedRAMP ATO was essential to long-term growth. By working with Project Hosts, JAMIS was able to navigate authorization requirements more efficiently while offloading much of the operational compliance burden.
How to Simplify GovRAMP and FedRAMP Compliance
Whether you’re pursuing a FedRAMP ATO to serve federal agencies in the United States or aligning with GovRAMP for state and local opportunities, success depends on applying consistent security policies and proven best practices across your environment.
For many organizations, working with an experienced managed service provider can significantly reduce complexity, internal lift, and long-term risk while maintaining rigorous security standards. Project Hosts supports this approach by providing end-to-end compliance services, including SSP authorship, evidence collection, and coordination with assessors and agencies. By handling the operational details of FedRAMP and GovRAMP compliance, Project Hosts helps organizations stay aligned with requirements while minimizing disruption to internal teams.
To better understand the costs, timelines, and strategic considerations involved in authorization, download the FedRAMP Business Case whitepaper for a practical framework to evaluate your investment and expected return.