Federal government agencies and contractors sometimes have access to sensitive data or confidential government information. In such cases, they must adhere to the cybersecurity regulations established by FISMA audits. It stands for the Federal Information Security Modernization Act. Moreover, CISA, NIST, and other federal agencies have also published cybersecurity guidelines earlier.
To be precise, establishing and maintaining FISMA obedience is a resource-intensive and time-consuming process. Federal contractors must ensure that all the compliances are taken care of regularly. To make this process easier, they need to conduct internal FISMA audits to ensure everything is in place and well on time.
What is a FISMA Audit?
It is a comprehensive assessment of a federal contractor’s efforts to comply with the FISMA compliance requirements. It is a simple process that examines the contractor’s IT systems, government business, and data storage facilities.
Who Should Conduct FISMA Audits?
FISMA applies to all federal contractors who have access to confidential government databases. It requires them to furnish information on security protection measures taken to prevent unauthorized access, modification, disruption, and destruction of data.
Federal contractors should trust outside agencies to oversee and manage the audit process. These agencies will evaluate contractors’ FISMA compliance programs and detect compliance failures.
When should Contractors conduct FISMA Audits?
As per the experts from the biggest government contracting companies in the USA, federal contractors should conduct FISMA audits annually. It should be done to analyze the effectiveness of their compliance programs and consider the steps taken to maintain compliance. Contractors should conduct this audit when:
- They need to modify their data storage facilities, operating environments, and information systems.
- Contractors execute significant deployments of new software and hardware through which the workers will access sensitive federal data.
- To gain access to the latest controlled information.
- NIST, CISA, or other federal authorities have issued relevant updates to FISMA guidance.
Where should Contractors Conduct FISMA Audits?
Ideally, contractors must audit their security controls, information systems, and operating environments. But they should also examine all the third-party data storage platforms and information systems like cloud servers and managed services platforms.
Moreover, they should also check all the relevant software and hardware in the field, offices, or third-party facilities.
Why is FISMA Audit Essential for Contractors?
First of all, it helps safeguard sensitive government information. Here is everything you need to know about ransomware and malware which are the biggest threats to sensitive information. Federal contractors who can access sensitive government data must arrange the same level of data protection as given in FISMA.
Moreover, contractors who fail to comply with these regulations can also lose their government contracts. They have to face penalties and are subject to investigations as well. By conducting this compliance, contractors ensure that all federal contractors remain in compliance.
Bottom Line
So, this was all about what is FISMA audits and what federal contractors need to know about them. If you are also a contractor and need more information on it, you can consult an expert at the earliest. Timely FISMA audits can save your business from losing its federal business contract.
