Question 1

What is FedRAMP?

Accepted Answer

FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program) is a US government program standardizing the security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring of cloud services. Three impact levels: Low (basic services), Moderate (most federal workloads), High (sensitive financial + healthcare + law enforcement data). All cloud services used by federal agencies must achieve FedRAMP authorization at the appropriate level.

Question 2

What does this readiness score measure?

Accepted Answer

The score covers 20 control areas aligned to NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 + FedRAMP baseline requirements: access controls, encryption, audit logging, incident response, configuration management, contingency planning, identification + authentication, system + information integrity. Score interpretation: 0-40 = significant gaps (12-18 month roadmap), 41-70 = moderate gaps (6-12 month roadmap), 71-90 = near-ready (3-6 month roadmap), 91-100 = audit-ready.

Question 3

Does this guarantee FedRAMP authorization?

Accepted Answer

No. This is a self-assessment readiness indicator. Actual FedRAMP authorization requires: (a) 3PAO (Third Party Assessment Organization) audit, (b) Agency sponsor or JAB authorization, (c) Continuous monitoring, (d) Annual reassessment. EPC Group has supported FedRAMP Moderate + High readiness engagements through 3PAO audit prep, but does NOT serve as a 3PAO.

Question 4

How does Microsoft 365 GCC High help with FedRAMP?

Accepted Answer

Microsoft 365 GCC High is FedRAMP High authorized + ITAR + DoD IL4 + IL5 (partial). Deploying federal workloads to GCC High inherits Microsoft's FedRAMP High authorization for the platform layer. Customer responsibility: identity, data classification, configuration, customizations. EPC Group has shipped GCC High deployments for DIB contractors + federal agencies.

Question 5

What about CMMC 2.0?

Accepted Answer

CMMC 2.0 (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) maps to NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2 for DIB contractors handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Different framework from FedRAMP but overlaps. Level 2 = 110 controls (most DIB). Level 3 = 110 controls + additional requirements + DIBCAC assessment. See /industries/government for CMMC implementation pattern.

Question 6

Why EPC Group?

Accepted Answer

29 years Microsoft consulting with federal practice. Errin O'Connor previously held Lead Architect role at Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Microsoft Solutions Partner all six designations under the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program. References from federal + DIB contractor engagements under NDA.

FedRAMP Readiness Score

Questions

Your Score

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FedRAMP Readiness Score

Questions

Your Score

Recommendation

Schedule Your FedRAMP Discovery