When we talk about scans, tests, and authorization in the context of StateRAMP assessment, we tend to think that the process (and all its moving parts) are relatively stable and predictable. And, for the most part, this thinking is correct. However, it’s normal, and in some ways expected, to run into issues where scans and tests return problems that can halt a StateRAMP authorization process–even if there isn’t a clear and unmitigated system failure. These instances fall under the category of a vulnerability deviation, and cloud service providers have a path toward working around these issues and gaining their StateRAMP ATO.

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CMMC certification is rolling out in RFPs in the defense and federal security compliance space. This framework promotes a uniform approach to security to protect important, unclassified data that passes through third-party vendors working with federal agencies. To ensure that companies meet their compliance requirements, CMMC leverages outside certified assessors to serve as a third-party assessment organization (C3PAO).

This article will cover the basics of C3PAOs in CMMC certification. This discussion includes a breakdown of CMMC requirements and the importance of a C3PAO in providing objective evaluations of vendor security in the defense space. 

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Federal agencies are quickly adopting new and more advanced IT and security technologies to facilitate their work. This fact, in turn, means that they are turning to vendors that probably use the cloud in some way to provide those services. SaaS applications, cloud storage, and the demand for analytics and insight are making cloud real estate a hot commodity for these agencies. That’s why the federal government, coordinating through federal technical guidelines and laws, requires Cloud Service Providers to adhere to the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, or FedRAMP before providing services to partner agencies.

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