Given its standardized approach to assessing, authorizing, and continuously monitoring cloud services used by federal agencies, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) has been a critical component of the U.S. government's cloud security strategy since its inception in 2011.

If you’ve ever signed up for a race, you may have had a few options to choose from. Sometimes, there’s a 15k, a 10k, an 8k, and, of course, a 5k, which is generally the starting standard for amateur runners and/or walkers. Each option has a certain degree of difficulty, and all of them require intentional steps for completing the race successfully.

Ever watched Jeopardy? Even if you haven’t, you’re likely familiar with the iconic theme music that plays every time contestants deliberate over their answers—it’s such an iconic tune that it’s become synonymous with waiting for a conclusion that takes quite a while.

You’ve heard of the Bermuda Triangle, right? It’s that mysterious region in North Atlantic Ocean where it’s said that more than 50 ships and 20 airplanes have disappeared without a trace. Fascinating and discomforting as that may be, the real trouble with the Triangle is that its boundaries are only loosely defined, which no doubt leads to uncertain pilots steering into a bad situation.

Ever watched a personal trainer conduct a workout on social media? Throwing up weights like they’re nothing or repping for what seems like hours before a water break—they make it look so easy. So much so that many people watching leap up to join them, only to realize that, no it’s not that easy, and these trainers operate at the level they do thanks to their dedication and massive, invested effort.

Ever seen those jugglers that manage to balance multiple spinning plates at the same time? As impressive as it is, you figure you’d be happy to spin just the one plate successfully. For cloud service providers (CSPs), you have lots of different proverbial compliance “plates” to choose to channel your effort into—the trick is knowing the differences and which is best for you.

Do you enjoy pizza? Maybe you prefer it plain with cheese, or maybe you need that pepperoni spike of flavor. Perhaps you’re more adventurous and order ham and pineapple—some folks even like it with SPAM.

For the first time since 2017, the FedRAMP Project Management Office (PMO) has updated the Penetration Testing Guidance document.