Streamlining RMF and ATO with Unified Compliance Automation

In a recent presentation at the National Labs Information Technology (NLIT) Summit, a smart approach was revealed that can dramatically improve the implementation of the government’s Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Authority to Operate (ATO) processes.

The NLIT Summit is where cybersecurity and IT professionals in the DoE go to exchange best practices and share ideas around operations, technology, policies and practices. While specifically addressing the cybersecurity needs of the National Laboratories, the information in this summit relates to other government and business organizations as well. What makes good practice in one organization whose systems attract the interest of international hackers, makes good practice for all.

The approach is called Unified Compliance Automation, a method that integrates automated tools and unified content to improve system-level control compliance throughout the software lifecycle across all levels of classification. The presenter was SteelCloud’s COO, Brian Hajost.

Unified Compliance Automation solves many challenges in the RMF process.

The focus of Unified Compliance Automation is to “crack the compliance code” and streamline the selection, implementation, and continuous monitoring of Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) controls to support agile compliance workflows. Many organizations are using STIG standards to support successful JCIP audits and CORA’s.

The challenges of traditional RMF/ATO workflows are well documented. Manual workflows are time consuming and inefficient, often leading to errors in policy implementation. There is commonly a disconnect between policy and production silos, leaving content disjointed and unaligned. And if you use disparate tools to drive efficiency, there can be integration issues or tool gaps that can add to your challenges.

Unified Compliance Automation solves these challenges with a single automation tool that’s purpose built for the entire lifecycle of the RMF/STIG/ATO process, addressing:

• Selection: Selecting controls then automating the hardening process to swiftly create operational and portable “compliance-as-code”—automating compliance checks and validations across systems and virtually eliminating the opportunity for human error.
• Implementation: Facilitating the development and use of unified content to quickly apply approved operational policies in production without manual translation or miscommunication.
• Monitoring: Leveraging tailored automation to ensure ongoing compliance and continuous remediation of systems.
• Reporting: Producing RMF artifacts and generating reports that can be used to prove compliance, show all the steps taken and support compliance audits.
• Continuous Compliance: A unified, full lifecycle automation solution enables a near “set it and forget it” process, keeping your system free from drift and vulnerability between STIG updates.

By unifying both your tools and your content, you can achieve the Holy Grail of cybersecurity with significantly less effort and at less cost than manual or hybrid methods.

Unified content and automation deliver a big bang for the buck.

Aside from simplifying the compliance process, unified content and automation offer a lot of benefits, including:

• Efficiency Gains: Reduces hardening and implementation timelines by up to 95%.
• Reduced Implementation Timelines: Automates the ingestion, testing and deployment of quarterly STIG updates so they are completed in days vs. months.
• Faster ATOs: Reduces the time to ATO so new technologies can be operationalized faster.
• Reliability: Eliminates policy translation errors and aligns monitoring results with approved ATO policies.
• Resource Optimization: Minimizes dependency on scarce technical resources.
• Cost Reduction: Avoids at least 70% of the costs that come with manual compliance.
• Readiness: Reduces preparation required for JCIP audit or CORA’s.
• Improved RMF Compliance: Supports 99%+ operational policy compliance approval on every system.

Reduce your risk in a world filled with security threats.

As you’ve probably already noticed, RMF compliance becomes more complicated with each passing year. The tools you use to assist and automate that process are as vital as your policy-creation process. Unified automation and content make you compliance- and policy-perfect, laying the foundation for nearly effortless, virtually impenetrable cybersecurity.

The automation solution most used in the federal government to establish STIG, RMF, NIST SP 800-53 and CIS Benchmarks compliance is SteelCloud’s ConfigOS. As you consider your RMF journey in the context of today’s increasing threats and diminishing resources, schedule a demo and see how much easier (and more effective) hardening can be.