If you are a company with a cloud service, there are likely quite a few questions you are asking yourself about your pursuits in the Federal market. When will the upward trajectory of cloud adoption begin? What agency will be the next to migrate to the cloud? What technologies will be migrated? As you move forward with your business development strategy you will also question whether FedRAMP compliance is something you should pursue?
The answer to the last question is simple: Yes. If you want the Federal Government to purchase your cloud service offering you will, sooner or later, have to successfully navigate the FedRAMP process.
With the Cloud First policy, the Federal Government is spending more time, money and effort on procuring cloud services. Spending on cloud initiatives is projected to grow to $6.4B by 2019[1]. This significant investment on behalf of the government, coupled with the projected inclusion of High impact-level systems in the near future has led to additional oversight and need for qualified service providers. Enter the FedRAMP certification process.
The influx of service providers and the green field created by the projected cloud market growth has many positing that the FedRAMP certification process will surge starting in FY2017. Designating your product or service as FedRAMP compliant isn’t just good business practice, it’s a requirement for future contract acquisition and a strong marketing tool that could save your clients money in the long run.So is FedRAMP compliance worth it? Without a doubt, but navigating the FedRAMP process can be challenging.
For more information regarding the paths to FedRAMP compliance download our White Paper, “FedRAMP Compliance, PART ONE: The Path to Success”(PDF).
[1]Federal Update – Cloud, Data Center, Big Data and Mobility, 2014- 2019, GovWinIQ from Deltek, October 2014, p.22