GovForward: The ATO and Cloud Security Summit

On the heels of the FedRAMP Authorization Act, the Office of Management and Budget has been working to create more authorization pathways for cloud providers. OMB also replaced the Joint Authorization Board (with the FedRAMP Board). In this session, you’ll learn how diverse perspectives from the frontlines of cyber and IT modernization will make it easier for agencies to team up to review solutions in the fast-growing software-as-a-service category.

Join Matt Mandrgoc, Head of US Public Sector for Zoom, and Gary Washington, CIO for USDA, as they discuss how the USDA is viewing the approach to cloud as part of their overall customer and employee experience. And how the USDA is embracing this pivot to the cloud and the benefits and challenges seen along the way.

President Biden’s Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence, released in October 2023 has prompted many agencies to publish their first AI roadmaps. They need to walk a fine line – adopt AI in a transparent and responsible way, safeguard some of the Nation’s most sensitive data, and scale their operations in the cloud. It’s a lot to juggle simultaneously. In this session, you’ll learn how IT leaders are using automation to limit friction while deploying commercial applications for government use.

The FedRAMP Program Management Office released a new roadmap this year that included four primary goals, six specific initiatives, and 28 other things they’re working on too – like overhauling the SCR process and exploring reciprocity with external frameworks. In this session, you’ll get an update from FedRAMP and DoD on their efforts designed to include new security features faster and improve customer experience for everyone.

Back by popular demand! For Cloud Service Providers (CSPs), the most difficult step in the FedRAMP process involves finding sponsorship. It’s a road littered with misconceptions, competing interpretations, and unique roles & responsibilities – a perfect storm around this key element to authorization. In this session, we’ll bust some myths about sponsorship, mitigate roadblocks to collaboration, and offer best practices for quicker authorizations.

The most difficult part of cATO is implementing continuous monitoring across an environment. A cabinet-level agency is spending tens of millions of dollars and hasn't yet achieved cATO. Solving for this problem will save the agency nearly $20 million and accelerate ATO process timelines up to 75%.

Federal agencies are required to use FedRAMP-authorized services, but state & local governments do not have a similar StateRAMP mandate. Still, demand is up and the StateRAMP program is rolling out new elements designed to improve cloud security for their constituents. In this session, you’ll learn from State officials about StateRAMP’s new Security Snapshot, their effort to harmonize frameworks, and their new joint procurement task force.

The fourth strategic goal included in FedRAMP’s new roadmap reads “increase program effectiveness through automation and technology forward operations.” To accomplish it, the PMO list three benefits they plan to deliver first, including support for machine-readable digital authorization packages. In this session, we’ll discuss that pilot program and the potential benefits for key performance metrics tied to customer experience.

Contracting Officers have new guidance for purchasing cloud-based Software as a Service from the General Services Administration clarifying that – under specific conditions – “an upfront payment is not considered an advance payment.” It could make buying those services easier for agencies, lead to price savings, and help small businesses as a result. In this session, GWAC leaders will discuss the new criteria and the policy’s possible impact on competition in government acquisition.