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What Does it Mean to be FISMA Compliant?

The Federal Information Security Act, or FISMA, is a comprehensive cybersecurity law that has a widespread impact on federal agencies, state agencies handling federal programs and contractors and service providers working with these agencies. As such, its effect is wide-ranging, and FISMA requirements often overlap or inform other, more specific compliance frameworks.

However, at its core, FISMA dictates some of the basic and most fundamental cybersecurity practices that governed organizations must adhere to. Learn more about what it means to meet FISMA compliance. 

 

What is FISMA?

FISMA is a smaller part of the larger E-Government Act of 2002. Congress passed this law to modernize U.S. cybersecurity and push government agencies into digital systems to improve data privacy, integrity, and efficiency. As part of this law, Congress rightly included FISMA to define security requirements, critical for maintaining IT systems containing sensitive data. 

In 2014, Congress extended and amended FISMA with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (also FISMA) to modify the original laws to meet modern security challenges. 

Under FISMA, security guidelines and requirements are drafted and updated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an organization that publishes policies and best practices covering diverse topics like IT security controls, risk management practices, encryption requirements and more. 

The central tenets of FISMA are laid out in the “CIA triad”:

Penalties for noncompliance with FISMA can vary from agency to agency, depending on the situation:

These penalties come with the risk of a data breach, should noncompliance lead to a successful attack. 

 

What Documents Define FISMA Compliance Requirements?

Several documents outline the core requirements of FISMA compliance. These documents include: 

 

What Basics Does My Company Have to Meet for FISMA Compliance?

While regulations, documents and agencies all play a role in FISMA compliance, at the end of the day, agencies and contractors must follow some basic best practices. 

Some of these steps include:

The best approach that most organizations undertake is to plan for these general requirements, understand the NIST and FIPS documents, and work with professionals that can help guide them through FISMA certification. 

 

Work With FISMA Compliance Experts

FISMA compliance isn’t and doesn’t have to be a solo effort. While it always suits an organization to understand cybersecurity requirements, modern cybersecurity challenges are better addressed with expert help. Continuum GRC conducts regular, automated audits for compliance with NIST standards like NIST 800-53 and 800-171 and the overarching Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) and Risk Management Framework. 

 

Ready to Start Automating Security Audits?

Call Continuum GRC at 1-888-896-6207 or complete the form below.

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