FISMA

FISMA requirements vary by agency—making compliance a moving target without the right guidance or assessment strategy.

Fortreum’s FISMA Gap Assessment provides a fast and structured way to evaluate your current implementation status. We clarify control requirements and readiness against your system’s categorization.

  • Overview of FISMA control requirements
  • Categorization-based implementation review
  • Interview-based control evaluation
  • Evidence guidance and expectations, Readiness indicator for FISMA

Fortreum supports FISMA preparation by helping your team build agency-specific documentation and validate categorization levels. Our experts ensure your package meets all federal requirements.

  • Acquire agency-specific templates
  • Validate FIPS 199 categorization, Develop full FISMA documentation set
  • Perform boundary validation
  • Program buildout for assessment readiness

Fortreum delivers independent third-party assessments that include full testing of in-scope controls and vulnerabilities. We produce a comprehensive SAR to guide authorization decisions.

  • Review of NIST SP 800-53 controls
  • Vulnerability scanning of OS and databases
  • Penetration testing for FISMA High, SAR creation with risk levels
  • Recommendations to the authorizing official

After FISMA authorization, Fortreum helps ensure your security posture is maintained through automation, retesting, and oversight aligned to your agency’s ConMon expectations.

  • Agency-defined periodic spot checks
  • Security posture assurance over time, Retesting every 1 to 3 years
  • Support for automation and validation tools

Business Considerations

FISMA is not just a paperwork exercise

FISMA sets the stage for establishing a strong security program, one centered around ensuring your baseline inventory, configuration management, patch management and vulnerability management regularly. Once the program is established, it is then validated by an independent assessment and authorized by the government authorizing official.

Agencies have different processes

Unlike FedRAMP, there is no standard process for FISMA compliance. Yes, the requirements are set forth in NIST SP 800-53, but each federal agency can tailor the baseline set of security controls and develop its own templates and process for testing. Fortreum recommends obtaining these process updates and templates upfront to further support a successful authorization journey.

Vulnerability Management is Key

Through its many engagements, Fortreum has that the vast majority of findings are from missing patches or improper configurations. Many of these findings are uncovered during a credentialed vulnerability scans. Fortreum always recommends one be performed to provide both the vendor and government confidence that the IT service is protected from known vulnerabilities.

Assessment re-use is not common

Each federal agency is unique and each IT service that is leveraged must be assessed and carried under that agency’s FISMA authorization boundary. This means for every federal customer you do business with, your organization will undergo an assessment, even if it’s the same offering in a different federal agency.

Why Choose Fortreum?

We simplify cloud and cybersecurity for our customers

Fortreum has enterprise grade experience with the right blend of technical and analytical experience to support your cybersecurity and cloud needs.

Talk With An Expert

Contact us to discuss your cyber and cloud business needs. We’re happy to share our insights and work with you as your business evolves.

    Why is FISMA important?

    FISMA applies to all government agencies – no exception. If a federal agency leverages an information system, that information system must maintain a security posture commensurate with the type of data it stores, processes, or transmits. Since the impact of a breach to a federal agency is so extreme, the US taxpayers deserve a sense of assurance that data in these information systems is properly protected. If an agency does not properly align to FISMA requirements, they have the potential to risk losing federal funding.

    Why should my organization care?

    Similar to how federal agencies can lose funding for failing to align to FISMA requirements, federal contractors may be stripped of its federal contracts and be prohibited from bidding on future opportunities. Since FISMA is a law, it is mandatory. There is no way around it and something that must be performed if you want to sell IT services to the federal government. Proper planning around implementing security into the early lifecycle of the IT service will alleviate concerns from the government and allow for proper authorizations.

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