stackArmor Helps Customers Achieve Regulatory Compliance 40% Faster with ATO on AWS

Organizations in highly regulated markets need a method for meeting FedRAMP, FISMA/RMF, and CMMC requirements that is fast and efficient without costing millions of dollars to implement. stackArmor’s ThreatAlert ATO Accelerator on AWS reduces the time and cost of meeting ATOs by 40 percent. stackArmor is also fueling growth and differentiating its business through the Authority to Operate (ATO) on AWS program.

Government and defense organizations turn to stackArmor when they need to achieve their government security and compliance objectives. stackArmor, an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner since 2015 and an Authority to Operate (ATO) on AWS Program launch partner, specializes in AWS Cloud migration, managed services, cybersecurity, and compliance-focused solutions.

stackArmor customers must comply with federal security requirements such as those aligned to the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). FedRAMP compliance culminates in the issuance of an ATO from the government sponsor once stackArmor’s customers have passed a rigorous and detailed security assessment. “Reducing the time and cost of FedRAMP, FISMA, and CMMC ATOs is a strategic requirement for enterprises in highly regulated markets such as government, public sector, defense, space, and healthcare, among others, especially given the sharp rise in cybersecurity threats,” says Gaurav “GP” Pal, Chief Executive Officer and Founder at stackArmor. “We are excited to partner with industry leaders like Splunk and Telos to power our ThreatAlert ATO Accelerator on AWS to provide world-class security information management, threat intelligence, as well as Telos Xacta 360’s ability to deliver machine readable compliance artifacts using National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) OSCAL.” 

To assist its customers in reducing the time required to achieve ATO, stackArmor chose to apply for the ATO on AWS Program. The ATO on AWS Program affords AWS partners access to technical support experts and security strategists, and most importantly, provides vetted security and compliance through technology partners such as Splunk and Telos. 

Prior to qualifying for the program, stackArmor completed a partner suitability evaluation involving technical reviews of the company’s ThreatAlert ATO Accelerator solution. This government security and compliance solution is designed to reduce the time and cost of FedRAMP compliance by delivering a pre-engineered AWS Landing Zone, NIST-compliant security services, and a pre-compiled documentation package delivered as a fully integrated and complete solution. “We went through a rigorous six-month process before we were accepted to the ATO on AWS program, and that included multiple rounds of technical and business reviews,” says Pal. During this process, key members of the ATO on AWS team evaluated the ThreatAlert ATO Accelerator and provided constructive feedback as well as partnering suggestions by leveraging the larger ATO on AWS partner ecosystem.

The ThreatAlert ATO Accelerator relies on AWS Landing Zone to create a secure AWS environment based on AWS best practices, and it uses FedRAMP-accredited AWS Cloud services to deliver a compliant environment for hosting sensitive data for regulated workloads. In addition to a preconfigured AWS environment, stackArmor also provides “pre-compiled security control implementation statements and associated plans and procedures associated with the ThreatAlert ATO Accelerator, such that we provide coverage for nearly 70 percent of the controls out of the box, greatly accelerating the compliance process,” says Pal.

By delivering a unified solution that combines advisory, engineering, and continuous monitoring services on AWS, stackArmor can help its customers greatly reduce the time and cost required to achieve a FedRAMP ATO. “Our customers are looking for ways to reduce the friction in adopting and deploying compliant solutions on AWS. The ThreatAlert ATO Accelerator helps overcome some of the common compliance obstacles and reduce the time and cost of an ATO by 40 percent,” says Pal. For example, stackArmor helped cybersecurity company Bitglass receive a FedRAMP Moderate ATO using the automation and standardization of its ThreatAlert ATO Accelerator in six months instead of the usual 12–18 months. “Because of the ATO on AWS Program, we were able to quickly establish a differentiated brand and rapidly communicate our value proposition to customers like Bitglass and Point Blue Conservation Science, a nonprofit wildlife conservation organization,” says Pal. 

Since joining ATO on AWS, stackArmor has successfully supported over 20 FedRAMP, FISMA, and Department of Defense Controlled Unclassified Information (DoD/CUI) ATOs. The company has also leveraged the larger ATO on AWS ecosystem by establishing strategic partnerships with Splunk and Telos. “We have nearly doubled our revenue since joining the ATO on AWS Program,” says Pal. “We continue to receive business and technical support from AWS, such as the launch of our FASTTR on AWS initiative which helps us further accelerate our growth.”

stackArmor gained a competitive advantage by joining the ATO on AWS Program. “ATO on AWS enables us to differentiate ourselves from the thousands of other AWS Partners because we can build our business in a specialized way,” says Pal. “The ATO on AWS Program helps us concentrate on our superpowers and connect rapidly with customers who need our solution This focus is going to continue to help us differentiate as we grow the business.”