Workshop on operating a FedRAMP-authorized cloud service in production. Covers monthly POA&M reporting, vulnerability scanning cadence, significant change requests, annual assessment preparation, and the FedRAMP PMO escalation process. Designed for CSPs and 3PAOs maintaining authorizations.
Holding a FedRAMP Authorization to Operate is not the finish line — it is the starting point for a disciplined, ongoing operational commitment. This four-hour workshop taught by Carl B. Johnson, President and CISO of Cleared Systems, translates the FedRAMP Continuous Monitoring (ConMon) framework into concrete, repeatable operational practice for Cloud Service Providers and Third Party Assessment Organizations actively maintaining authorizations.
The Plan of Action and Milestones is the living record of your authorization's health. We work through the full monthly POA&M lifecycle: identifying and categorizing findings, assigning realistic remediation milestones, writing FedRAMP-acceptable risk adjustments and false-positive justifications, and submitting a package that satisfies your Authorizing Official and the FedRAMP PMO without triggering unnecessary escalations. Participants will understand how POA&M entries age, when items become reportable risks, and how chronic open items can threaten authorization status.
FedRAMP prescribes specific scanning frequencies for operating system, web application, and database layers. This session maps those requirements to an operational calendar, covers what must appear in each scan deliverable, and addresses common deficiencies that draw PMO scrutiny — including incomplete asset inventory coverage and inconsistent scan-to-POA&M reconciliation. We discuss how NIST 800-53 controls underpin your scanning obligations and how to demonstrate continuous compliance rather than point-in-time compliance.
Uncontrolled changes are among the most common causes of authorization jeopardy. The workshop walks through the Significant Change Request (SCR) process end to end: how to determine whether a change is significant under FedRAMP criteria, how to prepare the required documentation and impact analysis, and how to coordinate with your 3PAO and Authorizing Official before implementation. Participants will practice applying a consistent significance determination methodology to realistic change scenarios.
The annual assessment is a scheduled, high-stakes review of your entire control baseline. We break down how to maintain assessment-ready evidence continuously rather than scrambling in the weeks before your 3PAO arrives. Topics include control evidence organization, selecting and preparing system components for testing, managing the Security Assessment Report (SAR) feedback cycle, and closing findings under timeline pressure — all mapped to NIST 800-53 control families relevant to cloud environments.
When continuous monitoring metrics slip, the PMO escalation process activates quickly. This session demystifies the escalation ladder: what triggers a warning, what triggers a corrective action plan requirement, and what actions can lead to authorization revocation. Participants learn how to communicate proactively with the PMO to preserve trust and maintain authorization continuity even when remediation timelines are under pressure.
This workshop is designed for the people doing the work and the leaders responsible for it. Compliance managers, information system security officers (ISSOs), and security engineers at Cloud Service Providers will gain the operational depth to run a ConMon program that satisfies FedRAMP requirements month over month. 3PAO assessment leads and consultants supporting CSP clients will sharpen their ability to evaluate ConMon programs against current PMO expectations. Program managers and security directors who own authorization continuity for a product line will leave with clear visibility into the operational demands their teams face and the risk exposure that under-resourced ConMon programs carry.
If your organization is preparing to pursue or expand a FedRAMP authorization, pairing this workshop with Cleared Systems' Compliance Program Development services or ongoing Regulatory vCISO Services creates a direct path from training to sustained operational capability.
Carl B. Johnson brings direct practitioner experience supporting federal and defense-adjacent cloud environments to every session. Cleared Systems works with organizations across the federal contractor ecosystem on the full range of compliance challenges — from initial authorization strategy through long-term continuous monitoring operations. This workshop reflects what actually happens in production FedRAMP environments, not just what the documentation says should happen. Explore the full Cleared Systems events calendar for additional training aligned to your team's compliance roadmap.
Ask about group rates, private delivery of this curriculum for your team, or whether this session fits your compliance roadmap.
Contact Us
