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Advisory

Government Cybersecurity Advisory Services

Backed by 20+ years of government cybersecurity experience, Aprio helps organizations build and evolve security programs that support business across federal, state, and local government markets.

Credentials & Frameworks

SOC 1 AICPA
SOC 2 AICPA
SOC 3 AICPA
ISO 27001 Accredited CB
ISO 27701 Accredited CB
ISO 9001 Accredited CB
ISO 22301 Accredited CB
ISO 42001 Accredited CB
PCI DSS QSA
CMMC C3PAO
FedRAMP Independent Assessor
GovRAMP 3PAO
Death Master File Accredited
HIPAA Accredited
C5 Accredited
CCPA Accredited
CSA STAR Cloud Security Alliance
NIST Accredited
IRAP Advisory
DORA Accredited
NIS2 Advisory
ISMAP Advisory
NYDFS Accredited

Security gaps.
Shifting requirements.
Contract risk.

Account for Anything® with Aprio

If you do business with, or are positioning to enter, federal, state, or local government markets, cybersecurity requirements can shape what you sell, where you sell it, and how your environment must be designed.

Aprio brings both depth and breadth to that challenge. Our teams have supported organizations across nearly every federal agency and understand how different government requirements intersect. For companies balancing multiple obligations, such as cloud providers that also process CUI internally, that matters. Many public sector frameworks share common NIST foundations, creating opportunities to reuse controls, processes, and implementations without losing the nuance of each program.

Boundary decisions are equally critical. Scope too broadly and you add unnecessary cost and complexity. Scope too narrowly and you risk excluding systems, data, or processes that should be protected. Aprio helps define the right boundaries, identify where requirements overlap, and build a security program that supports compliance without creating more infrastructure, process, or spend than necessary.

How We Help

From defining scope through continuous compliance, Aprio helps organizations build security programs that meet public sector requirements without unnecessary cost, complexity, or rework.

  • Strategy, Scope & Architecture

    Define applicable requirements, system boundaries, data flows, and target architecture before implementation begins. Getting scope right early reduces unnecessary cost and complexity while avoiding gaps that can create compliance or contractual risk.

  • Gap & Readiness Assessment

    A structured review of your current cybersecurity program identifies implementation and operational gaps against applicable government requirements. The result is a prioritized view of what must change before independent assessment.

  • Secure Environment Implementation

    Secure cloud, on-premise, and hybrid environments should be designed around applicable government requirements from the start. Aprio helps build required controls into the architecture so security supports the business rather than constraining it.

  • Program & Artifact Development

    Technical requirements must translate into governance, policies, procedures, plans, and program artifacts that work in practice. We build documentation to reflect how security actually operates, not simply to satisfy an assessment checklist.

  • Remediation Planning & Tracking

    A structured remediation plan that tracks gap closure across controls, with advisory support to address findings before any formal assessment begins.

  • Remediation & Assessment Readiness

    Identified gaps are prioritized, corrected, and validated before assessment begins. Aprio helps teams demonstrate compliance through documentation, interviews, and system operation without relying on last-minute remediation.

  • Automation & Continuous Compliance

    Automation and AI can reduce manual compliance effort and improve visibility when applied appropriately. Aprio helps organizations use these capabilities to support continuous monitoring, validation, and compliance as environments and requirements evolve.

The Two Phases of Compliance

Aprio Supports This Phase

Requirements Implementation

Aprio brings deep subject matter expertise and hands-on support to translate government requirements into an operating security program, doing much of the heavy lifting across technology, governance, processes, documentation, and automation. We guide scope, close gaps, implement and validate controls, and prepare your people and environment to withstand independent assessment.

Assessor's Phase

Independent Assessment

Many government certification and authorization programs require independent assessment. Where independence rules prevent Aprio from assessing work we helped implement, we stay alongside your team by supporting assessor selection, mock assessments, interviews and demonstrations, remediation of findings, and discussions with assessors or authorizing officials through completion.

Not all government compliance advisory is created equal.

These are the reasons why organizations choose Aprio to turn complex government requirements into security programs that work for their business.

We Bring Audit Rigor

Our advisors understand what stands up to independent scrutiny because assessment is part of Aprio’s core business. We build security programs around how controls actually operate and will be tested, helping clients avoid documentation that looks compliant on paper but clearly hasn’t been operationalized.

We Use Technology to Do the Heavy Lifting

Good security programs should make compliance easier, not create a separate compliance exercise. Aprio uses automation and AI-enabled tools where appropriate to strengthen visibility, consistency, and operational discipline, turning modern security practices into more efficient, sustainable compliance while reserving human expertise for the decisions that require judgment.

We See Across Programs

Government requirements rarely exist in isolation. Aprio understands how frameworks, data types, system boundaries, and customer obligations intersect, helping clients reuse common controls and implementations where appropriate while preserving program-specific requirements. That reduces duplicative effort and helps prevent one compliance decision from creating unnecessary cost or complexity elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does CMMC readiness take?

Timelines vary depending on your current security posture, whether you have an existing environment or need to build from scratch, and how quickly your organization can define its CUI boundary and organize evidence. A readiness assessment is required before any timeline can be scoped accurately.

What does the CMMC Phase 2 pause mean for my program?

On July 13, 2026, the DoD suspended Phase 2 of CMMC, which would have required formal C3PAO assessments as a condition of contract award starting November 2026. The formal assessment requirement is paused. The underlying cybersecurity obligations are not. Contractors still need to protect CUI and implement all 110 NIST SP 800-171 controls. A 60-day review of the program is underway, but the security standard itself hasn’t changed.

What is CMMC 2.0?

CMMC 2.0 is the current version of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification framework, simplified from the original model to three certification levels mapped directly to NIST SP 800-171 and NIST SP 800-172. It applies to defense contractors and subcontractors handling Federal Contract Information or Controlled Unclassified Information.

What is FedRAMP 20x, and how is it different from Rev 5?

Rev 5 asks a provider to narrate how it meets NIST SP 800-53 controls. 20x asks the provider to demonstrate outcomes against Key Security Indicators, with machine-readable evidence instead of narrative documentation. The terminology changed too: authorization became certification, impact levels became classes, and the SSP became a Security Decision Record.

I already hold a FedRAMP Rev 5 authorization. What happens to it?

Existing authorizations remain valid and you still must fulfill your continuous monitoring requirements including annual assessments. Work with your Agency(ies) to determine how to adopt the new Rules under CR26 in a manner that not only benefits you as a provider but that the agency is comfortable with relative to risk posture insight.  You do need to start planning your transition though as the new rules that govern the program are significantly different than those of the past.

Do I need an agency sponsor for FedRAMP 20x?

Depends on the path. A 20x Class A Program Certification does not require a sponsor. A Rev 5 Agency Certification does. Two temporary sponsor-free Rev 5 pipelines exist for Class B and C, but eligibility is narrow and both close with the Rev 5 cliff. Most providers without a sponsor should be looking at 20x.

Which FedRAMP class applies to my cloud service?

Classes A through D replaced the old impact levels, with B, C, and D corresponding roughly to Low, Moderate, and High. Class A is an entry point with its own eligibility rules. The class drives scope, evidence, and whether an independent assessment is optional or required.  Most CSPs without an Agency partner should likely target Class A initially.

Do I already qualify for FedRAMP Class A?

Class A entry requires a qualifying result from SOC 2 Type II, FedRAMP Rev 5, or GovRAMP within the prior 12 months. Nothing else substitutes. A provider without one of the three routes to Class B instead.

What goes inside my FedRAMP authorization boundary, and what stays out?

The Minimum Assessment Scope rules turn on whether a resource handles federal customer data or affects the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the offering. A GRC platform holding only compliance artifacts sits outside. The same platform holding privileged production credentials sits inside. Boundary decisions made early are cheap. Boundary decisions made late are re-architecture.

What is GovRAMP, and is it the same as FedRAMP or StateRAMP?

StateRAMP rebranded to GovRAMP in February 2025 because participation had grown past state agencies to local government, K-12, higher education, and tribal entities. Existing StateRAMP authorizations carry over. The market and some RFPs still use both names.  GovRAMP is different than FedRAMP, particularly with the release of CR26.

Does my FedRAMP authorization satisfy GovRAMP?

Partly. GovRAMP offers reciprocity for FedRAMP-authorized providers through a streamlined path, but membership, PMO review, and separate continuous monitoring still apply.  And we should note that this applies to existing Rev 5 certified providers.  Similar to Federal agencies adopting the new FedRAMP Rules, GovRAMP is not aligned 100% with 20x so care should be taken to plan appropriately upfront. Texas runs its own program, TX-RAMP, with its own reciprocity review through a separate submission. Assume one authorization gets you most of the way, not all of it.

Which states actually require GovRAMP?

Participation and mandate are different things. GovRAMP lists a large number of participating government organizations, but participation can mean exploration rather than a procurement requirement, and some listed states participate through a single office rather than the whole state. Nevada moved to a hard requirement across the state in 2026. Texas requires TX-RAMP. The practical answer is to check the specific agency you are selling to.

Which GovRAMP level do I need?

GovRAMP uses Low, Low+, Moderate, and High, mapped to data sensitivity. The level follows the data your service handles and what the buying agency requires in its contract.

What is the difference between FISMA and the Risk Management Framework (RMF)?

FISMA is the federal law that requires agencies to run a risk-based security program for federal systems and data. The NIST RMF is how agencies satisfy FISMA. FISMA requires an agency-wide security program and annual reporting to OMB. NIST SP 800-37 defines the seven-step process, and NIST SP 800-53 supplies the controls. A vendor who says they do FISMA compliance is describing RMF execution plus reporting.

My agency runs its process differently than FISMA guidance describes. Can you work inside our process?

Yes, and the question is the right one to ask. Agency implementations of the RMF differ in evidence expectations, artifact templates, tooling, and who signs what. Guidance describes the framework. It does not describe how your ISSO reviews a package. Both matter.

How long does an ATO last?

Three years is a habit, not a rule. OMB replaced the fixed reauthorization cycle with ongoing authorization driven by continuous monitoring, and an authorizing official sets both the duration and the conditions. Ongoing authorization requires an initial ATO plus a continuous monitoring program mature enough to support it, which is where most systems stall.

I am a contractor, not an agency. Does FISMA apply to me?

It reaches you through your contract. Contractors operating systems that process, store, or transmit federal information carry the same control obligations, and the agency remains accountable for the risk. The contract, not the statute, is where the specific requirements land, so read it before scoping anything.

More from Aprio

Two people discuss code while looking at a laptop. In the background, a large screen displays lines of programming code. The setting appears to be a modern office or classroom with plants and large windows.

Let’s talk readiness.

Tell us where your program stands and what your contracts require. We’ll map out what comes next. Talk to a GovCon Specialist