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The transition to cloud computing continues to be a strategic priority for the U.S. government. Increased collaboration, greater efficiencies, scalable data storage – all are tangible benefits of the shift to the cloud. But not all cloud solutions are created equal. Cloud computing encompasses a range of types and architecture models. Each is tailored for a specific use case, taking into consideration the inherent risk-tolerance for data loss or compromise. What’s the difference between public, private, hybrid, and community clouds? Let’s find out.

Will you be prepared when disaster strikes? In today’s rapidly evolving IT infrastructure and cloud landscape, where massive amounts of data are collected, transmitted, and stored, threats can emerge quickly and leave lasting (and costly) damage to your operations and reputation. Threats can be physical – like a fire or flood – or they can be technological, like a disrupted connection to the server. Threats can be external – like a hacker or malware – or they can be internal, like a disgruntled employee.

New cloud services and solutions are coming to market at a rapid pace – accelerating collaboration and productivity like never before – but that has left some Federal employees wondering: Can you use commercial cloud services with government devices? After all, the end user is typically the most vulnerable factor in securing IT infrastructure. Will commercial cloud access from a smartphone enable a wider data breach or cyberattack?

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, or FedRAMP, defines three distinct categorization levels to help government agencies and their supporting contractors implement the appropriate security controls required to protect U.S. government data. These levels – low, medium, and high – standardize an approach to the security of cloud products and cloud services across the federal sphere.

FISMA is one of the most crucial data security regulations to impact the U.S. government and its supporting contractors. Compliance ensures the federal systems that collect, circulate, and store data adhere to a set of standard safety and security controls. But if you’re an agency or organization subject to FISMA, how do you maintain compliance or check for non-compliance? It’s a meticulous process that can be broken down into seven component parts.

Government agencies and the organizations that service federal clients are bound by a set of compliance controls. Especially as it relates to the storage and transmission of sensitive data in a rapidly-expanding cloud environment, these standardized controls make it easier to evaluate the security posture of contractors and authorize their use within the federal sphere.