Everything You Need to Know About FedRamp 3PAOs

Are you confused about what a FedRamp 3PAO is? The acronym stands for “Third Party Assessment Organization”, and it is an important part of the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). In this blog post, we’ll provide you with everything you need to know about FedRamp 3PAOs, including what they are, what their role is in the FedRamp program, and how to find one. So read on to learn more about FedRamp 3PAOs!

What Is a 3PAO?

A Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) is a specialized organization that provides independent assessments of FedRAMP compliance requirements. The 3PAO plays an important role in helping organizations achieve and maintain FedRAMP authorization. The 3PAO conducts assessments to determine whether the organization meets all of the required FedRAMP compliance requirements and processes. Once the assessment is complete, the 3PAO can issue an Authorization to Operate (ATO) or provide guidance on any necessary corrective actions to ensure compliance.

The Benefits of Using a 3PAO

A 3rd Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) is an independent, accredited organization that assesses a cloud service provider (CSP)’s FedRamp compliance requirements. With the help of a 3PAO, organizations can save time and money when seeking FedRamp authorization for their services. Here are some of the key benefits of using a 3PAO: Using a 3PAO is a cost-effective way to ensure that your organization meets all FedRamp compliance requirements. By leveraging their expertise and resources, you can save time, money, and resources while ensuring that your CSP meets all of the necessary compliance standards.

The Different Types of 3PAOs

When it comes to achieving FedRAMP compliance requirements, you need the help of a 3rd Party Assessor Organization (3PAO). 3PAOs are external assessment organizations certified by the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) to assess and validate an organization’s security posture.

There are two types of 3PAOs – full scope and limited scope. 

A full scope 3PAO will assess the entire scope of the cloud environment, which includes any applications, cloud services. This type of 3PAO must provide all of the required documentation, attestations, and assessments related to the cloud service provider’s FedRAMP compliance requirements.

A limited scope 3PAO is used when a partial assessment is needed.

 For example, if an organization is already compliant but requires a specific subset of its cloud environment to be assessed for additional controls or functionality, a limited scope 3PAO can be used to review and validate those specific areas. The scope of the assessment can be tailored to meet the needs of the organization, so it is important to determine exactly what needs to be assessed prior to engaging with a limited scope 3PAO.