Federal Cloud Authorization at Scale
How Cloud Service Providers Achieve FedRAMP Authorization and Unlock the Federal Market
The federal government is the world's largest cloud customer, but access requires FedRAMP authorization. The process is notoriously complex: 325+ NIST controls, continuous monitoring, monthly reporting, and multi-year timelines. See what Hubz can do to accelerate FedRAMP authorization and maintain continuous monitoring and compliance readiness.
The Opportunity: $50B Federal Cloud Market
Federal agencies spend over $50 billion annually on cloud services. But without FedRAMP authorization, your cloud offering is invisible to this market.
FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program) standardizes security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud services used by federal agencies. It's based on NIST SP 800-53 security controls, with three impact levels: Low (~125 controls), Moderate (~325 controls), and High (~420 controls).
But FedRAMP authorization is brutal. Traditional approaches take 18-24 months and cost $1-2M+. Cloud service providers face: comprehensive security assessments by Third-Party Assessment Organizations (3PAOs), System Security Plan (SSP) documentation exceeding 1,000 pages, continuous monitoring (ConMon) with monthly reporting to the Joint Authorization Board (JAB) or agency sponsors, and perpetual Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) management.
Hubz enables continuous authorization readiness by maintaining real-time evidence and ConMon data that compresses FedRAMP timelines and automates ongoing monitoring.
A Common Scenario
Picture a 150-person SaaS company with strong commercial traction. Multiple federal agencies have expressed interest in the platform, representing potential $10M+ annual revenue. But every Request for Proposal (RFP) requires FedRAMP Moderate authorization.
FedRAMP Moderate means implementing and documenting 325+ NIST SP 800-53 controls. Producing a System Security Plan (SSP) exceeding 1,000 pages. Passing a Third-Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) audit. Establishing continuous monitoring with monthly reporting to the Joint Authorization Board (JAB) or agency sponsors. What they need most is a structured path from zero to authorized without multi-year delays.
How do we document 325+ NIST 800-53 controls and produce a 1,000+ page System Security Plan without hiring a dedicated compliance team?
Can we compress the 18-24 month FedRAMP authorization timeline without cutting corners or risking audit failure?
How do we collect and manage evidence for every control continuously, so we're ready for 3PAO assessment and monthly ConMon reporting?
We're losing federal deals every quarter. How do we maintain authorization indefinitely without scaling our compliance headcount?
The Solution: AI-Powered Continuous Authorization
Automated SSP Generation & NIST 800-53 Mapping
System Security Plans are the foundation of FedRAMP authorization—but typically require 6+ months of manual documentation. Hubz automatically generates SSP content by mapping your infrastructure to all 325+ NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline controls. Control implementation descriptions, system boundaries, data flows, and security architecture documented automatically.
Continuous Control Monitoring & Evidence Collection
3PAO assessments require evidence for every control. Hubz continuously monitors applicable technical controls and maintains evidence for all controls, collecting cryptographically-signed evidence automatically. Access controls validated in real time. Configuration management tracked continuously. Audit logs analyzed automatically. When the 3PAO assessment begins, evidence packages are ready instantly.
Automated ConMon Reporting & POA&M Management
FedRAMP requires monthly Continuous Monitoring (ConMon) reports to your authorizing official. Hubz generates these reports automatically: vulnerability scans, configuration changes, incident reports, POA&M updates. Plans of Action & Milestones are tracked in real time with automated remediation workflows and risk-based prioritization.
Dynamic Authorization Boundary Visualization
FedRAMP requires precise authorization boundaries showing what's in-scope vs. out-of-scope. Hubz maintains real-time network diagrams, data flow diagrams, and system interconnection diagrams. As your infrastructure evolves, boundary documentation updates automatically—ensuring your authorization package always reflects reality.
3PAO Assessment Readiness & Annual Reassessment
Third-Party Assessment Organizations conduct rigorous testing of all controls. Hubz provides readiness dashboards showing which controls are assessment-ready. During the assessment, evidence is delivered instantly. Annual reassessments require zero additional prep—continuous monitoring means you're always ready.
Inherited Controls from Cloud Infrastructure
FedRAMP allows inheriting controls from underlying infrastructure (AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, etc.). Hubz automatically maps inherited controls, validates provider attestations, and documents responsibility matrices. This dramatically reduces your implementation burden—focus only on controls you must implement.
A Typical Journey: Up to 12 Months
Month 0-2: Readiness Assessment & SSP Development
Hubz performs comprehensive readiness assessment against NIST 800-53 Moderate baseline. Authorization boundary defined. Inherited controls documented. SSP auto-generated with 85% completion. Gap analysis identifies 52 control deficiencies requiring remediation. 3PAO and agency sponsor identified.
Month 2-6: Control Implementation & Remediation
Technical controls deployed: enhanced logging, encryption validated, configuration management automated, incident response tested. Administrative controls implemented: policies updated, security awareness training delivered, personnel screening completed. Physical controls documented. ConMon infrastructure established. SSP finalized.
Month 6-8: 3PAO Security Assessment Testing (SAT)
3PAO conducts Security Assessment Testing. All 325+ controls tested through interviews, documentation review, and technical validation. Evidence provided via Hubz instantly. Initial findings documented in draft Security Assessment Report (SAR). POA&Ms created for identified deficiencies. Hubz compliance score: 96%.
Month 8-9: Remediation & Final SAR
POA&M items remediated. 3PAO validates fixes. Final Security Assessment Report (SAR) issued. Authorization package submitted to agency sponsor: SSP, SAR, POA&M, plus all required attachments and appendices. Agency security team reviews package.
Month 9-10: Authorization Decision & FedRAMP Marketplace
Agency Authorizing Official (AO) reviews authorization package and risk posture. Agency AO issues an Authority to Operate (ATO). FedRAMP Marketplace listing follows AO approval. Federal deals unblocked. $18M agency contract signed.
Ongoing: Continuous Monitoring & Annual Reassessment
Hubz continuously monitors FedRAMP controls and maintains evidence for ongoing ConMon submissions. Monthly ConMon reports auto-generated and submitted. POA&Ms tracked and remediated continuously. Annual 3PAO reassessment requires minimal additional prep. Federal customer base grows from 1 to 12 agencies over 2 years.
What Success Looks Like
The federal market is a $50 billion opportunity, but without FedRAMP authorization we're invisible. Traditional approaches take 18-24 months and cost millions. We can't wait that long—we're losing deals every quarter to competitors who are already authorized. We need a faster path that doesn't compromise on security.
- VP of Product, Cloud Service Provider
Why Hubz Makes Sense for FedRAMP
Automated NIST 800-53 Control Mapping
FedRAMP Moderate requires 325+ NIST SP 800-53 controls. Hubz automatically maps your infrastructure, policies, and procedures to every control family—from Access Control (AC) to System and Information Integrity (SI). Infrastructure-as-code analysis, cloud configuration scanning, and policy document parsing produce implementation descriptions automatically, compressing 6+ months of manual SSP writing into weeks.
Real-Time Evidence Collection & Cryptographic Verification
3PAO assessments demand evidence for every control—access logs, configuration screenshots, policy attestations, vulnerability scan results. Hubz continuously monitors applicable technical controls and maintains evidence for all controls, capturing cryptographically-signed evidence with blockchain-anchored timestamps via Hubz-VCE. When 3PAO testing begins, evidence packages are instantly available. Annual reassessments require minimal additional preparation thanks to continuous monitoring.
Continuous Monitoring (ConMon) Automation
FedRAMP's most painful ongoing burden is monthly Continuous Monitoring reporting to your Authorizing Official (AO). Hubz auto-generates complete ConMon packages: monthly vulnerability scans (authenticated and unauthenticated), configuration change summaries, incident reports, and POA&M status updates. What traditionally consumes 40+ hours monthly becomes a zero-effort automated workflow, eliminating compliance team burnout.
Intelligent POA&M Management & Risk Prioritization
Plans of Action & Milestones (POA&Ms) track every finding from 3PAO assessments and ongoing scans. Hubz maintains a living POA&M register with AI-driven risk scoring, automated remediation workflows, and real-time status tracking. Risk scores factor CVSS severity, exploitability, system criticality, and federal impact—ensuring you remediate what matters first. Authorizing Officials see transparent, real-time risk posture.
Authorization Boundary & System Interconnection Visualization
FedRAMP demands precise authorization boundaries showing what's in-scope (your platform) vs. out-of-scope (corporate networks, inherited cloud controls). Hubz auto-generates network diagrams, data flow diagrams, and system interconnection diagrams by scanning your cloud infrastructure. As your platform evolves—new microservices, database migrations, third-party integrations—boundary documentation updates automatically, ensuring audit readiness at all times.
Inherited Controls & Cloud Service Provider (CSP) Integration
If you're running on AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, or Google Cloud (all FedRAMP authorized), you can inherit physical security, environmental controls, and infrastructure controls. Hubz automatically identifies which controls you can inherit, validates CSP attestations, and documents customer responsibility matrices. This dramatically reduces your implementation burden—focus only on application-layer and organizational controls you must implement yourself.
Ready to Unlock the Federal Cloud Market?
See what Hubz can do to accelerate FedRAMP authorization, automate continuous monitoring, and help cloud service providers win federal customers.