Compliance / FISMA and NIST 800-53
FISMA and NIST SP 800-53We support agencies and contractors operating federal information systems through the NIST Risk Management Framework: categorization, control implementation, documentation and assessment readiness.
FISMA requires federal information systems, including those run by contractors for agencies, to be secured and authorized.
Our FISMA self-assessment checks your readiness against the 800-53 control families.
Set roles, strategy and context.
Rate impact as Low, Moderate or High.
Choose and tailor the 800-53 baseline.
Put controls in place and document them.
Test that controls work as intended.
An official accepts the risk and grants the ATO.
Keep controls effective over time.
Based on NIST SP 800-37 Rev. 2 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5.
Define the system boundary and impact level.
Measure your controls against the selected baseline.
System security plan, policies and control implementation statements.
Evidence and walkthroughs ready for your assessors.
Ongoing evidence and POA&M management after authorization.
The Risk Management Framework steps from categorization to authorization.
Download →FedRAMP covers cloud services used by federal agencies. FISMA and the RMF cover federal information systems more broadly, including systems contractors operate.
NIST SP 800-171, the basis of CMMC Level 2, was derived from 800-53 for nonfederal systems that handle CUI.
An Authorization to Operate is a senior official’s formal acceptance of the risk of running the system.
It depends on the impact level, system complexity and how mature your controls are. A gap assessment gives you a realistic plan.
Book a 30-minute call. We’ll talk through your system, your agency’s expectations and the fastest realistic path.