Automation in FedRAMP 20x – Accelerating Low & Moderate Compliance
FedRAMP 20x is transforming federal cloud compliance. This latest evolution puts automation front and center, radically changing how Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) approach the Authority to Operate (ATO) process.
Gone are the days of tedious paperwork and drawn-out review cycles. FedRAMP 20x embraces automation to speed up compliance, reduce errors, and improve security. CSPs who adopt this model can deliver secure services faster—and gain a competitive edge in the federal market.
Why Automation is Critical
Historically, FedRAMP compliance was manual and resource-intensive. It involved drafting extensive documentation, conducting periodic checks, and manually validating security controls. This not only slowed down the process but also introduced the risk of errors and inconsistencies.
FedRAMP 20x addresses these issues by advocating for a fully automated, continuous compliance model. Automation accelerates the process by eliminating manual documentation, reducing human errors, and ensuring continuous compliance validation. By reducing human involvement, CSPs can achieve compliance faster and more reliably, all while strengthening their security posture.
Essential Automation Steps for CSPs
- Integrate DevSecOps Practices: Embed FedRAMP security controls directly into your CI/CD pipelines. This ensures deployments are compliant by default, reducing the need for manual oversight. Automating control enforcement across code, infrastructure, and deployments aligns with FedRAMP 20x’s push for continuous compliance.
- Continuous Security Testing: Implementing continuous security scanning tools enables CSPs to regularly assess their environments against FedRAMP standards automatically. Tools that detect vulnerabilities and compliance deviations in real-time dramatically reduce security risks by enabling immediate remediation.
- Automated Evidence Collection: Automating the collection of compliance evidence, such as system configurations, security logs, and vulnerability scan reports, streamlines the process of demonstrating ongoing compliance. This practice reduces the effort required during audits and periodic reviews, facilitating smoother interactions with authorizing officials.
- Leverage OSCAL and FedRAMP APIs: Leverage the Open Security Controls Assessment Language (OSCAL) and FedRAMP’s new APIs to programmatically submit your compliance documentation. This shift to machine-readable formats enables faster feedback and reduces long review cycles.
- Adopt Cloud-Agnostic Tools: Utilizing cloud-agnostic automation tools like Terraform, Ansible, and Chef ensures that compliance practices remain consistent across multiple cloud environments. This approach enhances portability and flexibility, ensuring that CSPs can seamlessly manage compliance irrespective of the underlying infrastructure provider.
From Rev. 5 to FedRAMP 20x – What’s Changing?
FedRAMP 20x marks a major departure from the traditional Rev. 5 model. Here’s how:
Manual to Automated Processes
Rev. 5 relied on manual documentation and reviews. CSPs often waited weeks for feedback after submitting long narratives. FedRAMP 20x replaces this with machine-readable submissions and automated validation tools. You can now detect issues and fix them in real time.
Fewer Bottlenecks
The older model used sequential approvals and rigid change control boards. This delays even minor service updates. FedRAMP 20x removes these blockers with continuous updates and automated risk checks, enabling faster innovation.
Focus on Real-Time Risk
Rev. 5 focused on compliance at a single point in time. FedRAMP 20x uses continuous monitoring and real-time risk insights. CSPs must now think beyond “passing the test”—and adopt a mindset of ongoing risk management.
UberEther’s Automation Advantage
Achieving FedRAMP 20x compliance can be daunting, but CSPs don’t have to do it alone. UberEther’s ATO Advantage platform is built to meet the new automation-driven requirements head-on. With pre-configured, automated compliance solutions, ATO Advantage dramatically reduces the time required to achieve initial authorization and ensures continuous compliance with minimal manual intervention.
By leveraging UberEther’s proven automation solutions, CSPs can significantly reduce the complexity, cost, and risk associated with achieving FedRAMP compliance. Our platform provides built-in security configurations, continuous monitoring, and automated evidence gathering, enabling CSPs to confidently and efficiently meet FedRAMP’s evolving automation standards.
Compliance at the Speed of Innovation
FedRAMP 20x proves that automation isn’t a bonus—it’s a necessity. The faster you adopt automated tools and workflows, the quicker you can secure your ATO and start serving federal customers.
Ready to accelerate your FedRAMP journey?
Discover how UberEther’s ATO Advantage platform can reduce your manual burden with fewer errors and less risk. We can cut FedRAMP ATO timelines by 60–75% for Low/Moderate offerings and help you reach compliance faster.
👉 Learn more about ATO Advantage
👉 Meet us at the Identity Management Symposium, April 9–10
