Rackspace and Telos Team Up to Accelerate FedRAMP Journey

PRESS RELEASE

SAN ANTONIO, May 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rackspace today announced a new program that provides affordable FedRAMP compliance for SaaS providers, Rackspace Inheritable Security Controls (RISC), powered by Telos® Corporation’s Xacta. Leveraging the power of FedRAMP inheritance and Rackspace’s existing Joint Authorization Board (JAB)-authorized platform-as-a-service, RISC significantly shortens the time and reduces the cost required to achieve Authorization to Operate (ATO) for independent software vendors (ISVs) selling software-as-a-service (SaaS) to the federal government.

The standard process of hiring hourly consultants to obtain a new SaaS ATO can take more than two years and cost over two million dollars. This high-risk journey can make it virtually impossible for ISVs to make the internal business case for working with the government. This prevents the government from receiving the same cloud-enabled innovations that are easily accessible to the private sector.

RISC has achieved federal ATOs in a fraction of the time, with cost savings of up to 70 percent.

“Our joint approach to the FedRAMP process represents a significant departure from traditional, consultant-led engagements typically required to provide federally compliant solutions,” said Raymond Kalustyan, vice president and general manager of Rackspace Government Solutions. “Through enhanced automation and cyber risk management capabilities, RISC helps ISVs bring cloud solutions to the government quickly and with a much lower investment than previously required. Think of it as FedRAMP-as-a-Service.”

Aligning efforts with Telos, provider of continuous security solutions for the world’s most security-conscious organizations, RISC is leveraging Telos’ Xacta, a first-of-its-kind cyber risk management solution that automates the necessary FedRAMP authorization package, including documentation, registration of projects, assessments, authorizations and continuous monitoring. Also participating in the RISC program are SecureIT, an accredited Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO), delivering full lifecycle FedRAMP assessment and advisory solutions, and Carahsoft, a public sector distributor for Rackspace.

Rackspace, Telos, SecureIT and Carahsoft offer ISV customers a simplified path through FedRAMP via an affordable three-step program that includes:

1. An interactive workshop with subject matter experts from Rackspace, Telos and SecureIT, including 30-day access to Xacta 360, designed to create a plan of action and uncover major impediments before making serious time and resource commitments. 2. A 3PAO led gap assessment by SecureIT that quickly identifies showstopper remediations necessary for an ISV to pursue FedRAMP authorization. 3. A FedRAMP Ready/In-Process SaaS environment, leveraging the JAB-authorized RISC platform and an Xacta-powered Body of Evidence and System Security Plan.

“Navigating the FedRAMP process can be a daunting task for ISVs,” said Steve Horvath, vice president of strategy and vision for Telos. “Using our proven cyber risk management solution, Xacta, Rackspace has made it easier for organizations to tackle the FedRAMP process, fast-tracking their ability to sell to the federal government.”

Rackspace provides 24x7x365 hybrid-cloud management, operational support and security services as a packaged, on-demand, audited and pay-as-you-go service. Whether organizations are looking for assistance with FedRAMP, FISMA, DFARS or other security and compliance needs, Rackspace offers a team of unbiased experts across a range of leading cloud and infrastructure technologies — built on a compliance-ready framework and backed by ongoing managed operations, continuous monitoring, security services, living compliance documentation and audit assistance. Rackspace is a trusted government solutions partner, from business case through ATO.

For additional information on the new RISC, powered by Xacta offering, please visit www2.telos.com/risc-fedramp-workshop.