As more states are taking advantage of StateRAMP, officials from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) say that state CIOs no longer view cloud as a priority, but as an expectation.

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program – better known as FedRAMP – is a Federal government-wide program that standardizes security assessment authorization and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. StateRAMP – established a decade or so later – shares a similar vision to enable state and local governments (SLG) to find solutions to cybersecurity hurdles and standardize the procurement approach to secure cloud services.

Following on the successes of the FedRAMP program that certifies cloud services as secure to use for Federal government agencies, the home-grown StateRAMP program is forging ahead with similarly vital services to state and local governments and institutions of higher learning, state, and industry leaders explained on October 5 during MeriTalk’s StateRAMP: Taking the On-Ramp to Secure SLED Cloud Solutions online event.

StateRAMP, the nonprofit formed earlier this year by leaders from state and local governments and the private sector to help state and local governments manage their third party supplier cybersecurity risks, has released the initial roster of its Authorized Vendor List (AVL).

With the increased adoption of cloud services by governments and organizations of all sizes, there’s a new kid on the block for the state and local government market that is looking for consistent approaches on cybersecurity standards from cloud providers that they want to do business with.