Cybersecurity company specializing in cyber deception technology; headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, with a focus on advanced threat defense and red teaming services, leveraging deception for early threat detection and attack simulation.
FedRAMP Certification
Origin
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) was created by the U.S. federal government in 2011 through a collaborative effort between the General Services Administration (GSA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Defense (DoD). It was established to provide a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services used by federal agencies. The program emerged from the need to ensure consistent security standards across government cloud deployments while eliminating redundant agency-by-agency security reviews, which were costly and time-consuming.
Industry Value
FedRAMP certification is highly valued in the industry because it represents one of the most rigorous security standards available for cloud service providers. Achieving FedRAMP authorization demonstrates that a vendor has met stringent security requirements based on NIST guidelines and has undergone thorough third-party assessment, making it a trusted benchmark not only for government contracts but also for private sector organizations seeking high-security cloud solutions. The certification significantly expands market opportunities for cloud providers, as it is mandatory for companies wanting to sell cloud services to U.S. federal agencies, and it streamlines the procurement process by allowing multiple agencies to leverage existing authorizations rather than conducting separate reviews.
SOC 2 Certification Overview
Origin
SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2) was developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) in 2011 as part of their Service Organization Control reporting framework. It was created to address the growing need for standardized security evaluations as businesses increasingly moved to cloud-based services and outsourced IT operations. The AICPA developed SOC 2 to provide a framework that service providers could use to demonstrate their commitment to protecting customer data across five "Trust Service Criteria": security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
Industry Value
SOC 2 certification has become a critical trust signal in the technology and service provider industry, particularly for SaaS companies, cloud hosting providers, and data centers. Organizations value SOC 2 compliance because it provides third-party validation that a vendor has implemented appropriate controls to protect sensitive data, reducing the risk and liability associated with outsourcing. For service providers, achieving SOC 2 compliance is often a competitive necessity, as many enterprise customers and partners require it before entering into business relationships. The certification helps streamline vendor security assessments, as clients can rely on the audited report rather than conducting their own lengthy security reviews.
NIST 800-171: Origin and Importance
Origin
NIST Special Publication 800-171 was created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a non-regulatory agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. First published in June 2015 and subsequently revised, it was developed in response to Executive Order 13556, which aimed to establish standards for protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). The framework was specifically designed to help non-federal organizations that handle, store, or process CUI on behalf of the federal government implement appropriate security controls to protect sensitive government information outside of federal systems.
Industry Importance
NIST 800-171 has become critically important in the defense industrial base and federal contracting sectors, as compliance is now mandatory for organizations working with the Department of Defense and other federal agencies that handle CUI. The certification demonstrates that an organization has implemented 110 security requirements across 14 control families, covering areas such as access control, incident response, and system integrity. Beyond contractual requirements, achieving NIST 800-171 compliance has become a competitive differentiator and trust signal in the marketplace, showing clients and partners that an organization takes cybersecurity seriously and follows recognized best practices for protecting sensitive information.
- Honeywell
- Honeywell Quantum Solutions