The General Services Administration’s Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program has awarded 20x authorizations to cloud service offerings from InfusionPoints, Meridian Knowledge Solutions, Vanta and Flock Safety. A LinkedIn post from Pete Waterman, director of FedRAMP, also revealed that more companies, including Anitian and Secureframe, are on track to receive authorization under the 20x process.
What Is FedRAMP 20x?
Introduced in March, 20x automates the application and validation of program security requirements to accelerate approval. The process is designed to cut red tape, reduce paperwork and empower agencies to more quickly but securely adopt new technologies.
So, instead of several months or even years, FedRAMP can grant authorization to most cloud services within weeks through 20x, GSA said.
FedRAMP Modernization
Waterman, in his post on LinkedIn, noted that the first 20x authorizations were awarded on the anniversary of the Office of Management and Budget’s M-24-15 memorandum for modernizing FedRAMP.
The memorandum, issued in July 2024, acknowledged the role FedRAMP plays in providing federal agencies with secure cloud technologies that meet mission needs. However, it noted that the program must evolve to better support government operations.
“The FedRAMP Marketplace must scale dramatically to enable Federal agencies to work with many thousands of different cloud-based services that accelerate key agency operations while allowing agencies to reduce the footprint of the information technology infrastructure that they directly manage,” OMB shared in its vision for the program.
