FedRAMP Readiness Checklist: Is Your Organization Ready?

Before You Start

FedRAMP authorization is a significant undertaking. Use this checklist to determine if your organization is ready.

Business Readiness ✓

Market Validation

• ☐ Identified specific federal agencies interested in your service
• ☐ Confirmed contract opportunities worth the investment ($500K+ potential)
• ☐ Received written interest or RFP from federal prospects
• ☐ Understanding of federal procurement processes

Financial Readiness

• ☐ Budget allocated: $250K-$500K for authorization
• ☐ Budget for ongoing continuous monitoring: $50K-$100K/year
• ☐ 12-18 month runway (traditional) or 3-6 months (with automation)
• ☐ Executive buy-in and commitment

Technical Readiness ✓

Infrastructure

• ☐ Cloud-based infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
• ☐ Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation)
• ☐ Centralized logging (CloudWatch, Splunk, Datadog)
• ☐ Monitoring and alerting in place
• ☐ Encryption at rest and in transit
• ☐ Network segmentation and firewalls
• ☐ Automated backups with tested recovery

Security Controls

• ☐ Multi-factor authentication (MFA) enforced
• ☐ Role-based access control (RBAC)
• ☐ Vulnerability scanning (weekly minimum)
• ☐ Patch management process
• ☐ Incident response plan documented and tested
• ☐ Business continuity/disaster recovery plan
• ☐ Change management process

Compliance Foundation

• ☐ SOC 2 Type II completed (highly recommended)
• ☐ Existing security policies and procedures
• ☐ Previous security audits or assessments
• ☐ Information security program in place
• ☐ Dedicated security team or CISO

Documentation Readiness ✓

Required Documentation

• ☐ System architecture diagrams
• ☐ Data flow diagrams
• ☐ Network topology diagrams
• ☐ Security policies (20+ required)
• ☐ Procedures for key controls
• ☐ Asset inventory
• ☐ User documentation

Evidence Collection

• ☐ Process for collecting evidence
• ☐ Evidence retention system
• ☐ Regular evidence reviews
• ☐ Evidence mapping to controls

Organizational Readiness ✓

Staffing

• ☐ 2-3 FTEs dedicated to FedRAMP (traditional)
• ☐ Or 0.5 FTE with automation tools like FedRampGPT
• ☐ Security engineer(s)
• ☐ Compliance specialist
• ☐ Technical writer
• ☐ Project manager

Key Roles Identified

• ☐ Information System Owner (ISO)
• ☐ Information System Security Officer (ISSO)
• ☐ Authorizing Official (AO)
• ☐ Third-Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) selected

Timeline Readiness ✓

Traditional Timeline

• Months 1-3: Readiness assessment and gap analysis
• Months 4-9: SSP development and remediation
• Months 10-12: 3PAO assessment
• Months 13-15: Remediation of findings
• Months 16-18: Authorization and ATO

Accelerated Timeline (with FedRampGPT)

• Weeks 1-2: Readiness assessment (automated)
• Weeks 3-6: SSP generation and review
• Weeks 7-8: 3PAO assessment
• Weeks 9-10: Remediation
• Weeks 11-12: Authorization and ATO

Scoring Your Readiness

Count your checkmarks:

• 40+: You're ready to start!
• 30-39: Close - address gaps first
• 20-29: 3-6 months of prep needed
• <20: Start with SOC 2 or foundational security

Not Ready Yet?

That's OK! Use this roadmap:

1. Implement baseline security controls (MFA, encryption, logging)
2. Pursue SOC 2 to build compliance muscle
3. Adopt Infrastructure as Code for better control
4. Centralize evidence collection with FedRampGPT
5. Document processes as you build them

Ready to Start?

Run a free automated readiness assessment with FedRampGPT. We'll analyze your infrastructure and give you a detailed readiness score.

Resources

• Complete FedRAMP Guide
• SSP Writing Guide
• Talk to FedRAMP Experts