Federal systems demand federal rigor. Engineered for the agency relationship.

bladestack.io provides RMF advisory and engineering services for contractors operating federal information systems. We navigate agency-specific requirements, build authorization packages that satisfy Authorizing Officials, and support your team through the politics and process of federal cybersecurity.

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Why Choose bladestack.io for FISMA?

Your Agency Relationship Is Unique. Your Advisor Should Understand That.

FISMA is not FedRAMP. There is no marketplace. No standardized templates. No "do once, use many" authorization. Every agency interprets NIST 800-53 through its own lens, applies its own policies, and operates its own authorization process. The contractor who thrived at DHS may stumble at DoE. The package that sailed through HHS may stall at Treasury.

Most FISMA consultants treat agency variation as an inconvenience. They hand you generic documentation and leave you to navigate the politics alone. When the ISSO pushes back on your boundary definition, when the AO questions your inheritance claims, when the agency security team demands artifacts their RMF process never mentioned, you discover that generic advice produces generic failures.

We operate differently. Our team has built authorization packages across the federal landscape. We understand that VA wants to see things Treasury never asks for. We know which agencies run rigorous technical assessments and which rely heavily on documentation review. We anticipate the questions your AO will ask because we have answered them before, at that agency, for systems like yours.

FISMA authorization is a relationship, not a transaction. The agency grants your ATO, monitors your compliance, and decides whether to reauthorize you in three years. We help you build the relationship correctly from the start.

Differentiators

Same Regulation. Different Execution.

Advisory-only. Engineer-led. Custom documentation. These are not slogans at bladestack.io. They are operational rules that change the outcome of your FISMA compliance.

Advisory-Only. By Design.

We hold accreditation credentials and choose not to perform assessments. This separation matters. When your agency requires an independent security assessment, we are not competing interests. We prepare you for the assessor; we do not become the assessor. Our incentive is straightforward: get you authorized efficiently. No assessment revenue clouds our recommendations.

Engineers Who Speak Agency

FISMA compliance lives at the intersection of technical implementation and federal bureaucracy. Your team needs advisors who can discuss STIG configurations with your system administrators and navigate RMF semantics with your ISSO. We staff engagements with engineers who have operated inside federal environments, understand agency culture, and translate between technical reality and compliance documentation without losing fidelity in either direction.

Agency-Specific Artifacts

NIST provides the framework. Agencies provide the interpretation. DOI expects different evidence than DOJ. NASA structures authorization packages differently than USDA. We build artifacts that match your agency's expectations, formatted for their review process, structured for their tooling, written in their compliance dialect. Your ISSO should recognize the documentation, not learn a new format.

Complete Package Ownership

Your engineers are not technical writers. Neither are we. They should not become them. We develop your entire authorization package: System Security Plan, security assessment support documentation, POA&M structure, and the control implementation narratives that survive AO scrutiny. You validate technical accuracy. We handle the translation.

Assessor-Ready Construction

Agency security assessments follow patterns. Assessors ask predictable questions, dig into specific control families, and cross-reference documentation against interviews. We build packages that anticipate this scrutiny. When the assessor asks your system administrator about AU-6, the answer matches the SSP. When they review your CM-6 evidence, the configurations align with your narratives. Clean packages produce clean assessments.

Fixed Investment, Clear Scope

We price engagements against defined outcomes. No hourly accumulation. No scope expansion invoices. The tradeoff: you follow our methodology. It exists because we have navigated enough agency processes to know what triggers rework. For engagements with genuinely novel complexity, time-and-materials options exist, but most clients prefer knowing the investment upfront.

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FISMA · Advisory Service Components

For contractors with technical teams who need RMF expertise to navigate the agency authorization process

FISMA authorization requires more than documentation. It requires understanding your agency's specific interpretation of NIST controls, their assessment methodology, and the politics of their authorization process. We embed with your team, build the complete authorization package, and guide you through the RMF lifecycle from categorization through continuous monitoring.

  • RMF Readiness Assessment For contractors evaluating FISMA authorization requirements. We analyze your current security posture against NIST 800-53 baselines, identify control gaps, map inheritance opportunities, and produce a realistic authorization roadmap. You receive a technical assessment of what authorization will require, how long it will take, and where the hard problems live.
  • Phase 0: Categorization and Scoping For contractors committed to authorization. We work with your team and agency stakeholders to establish system categorization per FIPS 199, define authorization boundaries, document data flows, and build the Control Ownership Matrix that determines who implements what. The artifacts from Phase 0 flow directly into SSP development. No interim report gathering dust.
  • Advisory The core engagement. We create your complete System Security Plan with control-level implementation detail, inheritance documentation that agencies actually accept, and security architecture diagrams that answer assessor questions before they surface. We do not disappear after delivery. We work through implementation challenges, coordinate with your agency ISSO, and ensure the package represents your actual environment.
  • Bastion: Assessment Support We remain engaged through security assessment and AO review. Evidence coordination, interview preparation, finding response, and agency communication from assessment kickoff through ATO signature. The engagement ends when you have authorization, not when documentation is complete.

Every deliverable reflects your agency's expectations. We match their documentation format, their evidence requirements, their review process. When your ISSO reviews the package, it should feel familiar. When assessors dig in, evidence traces cleanly. When the AO makes the risk decision, the package supports approval.

Includes:

  • RMF Readiness Assessment
  • FIPS 199 Categorization Support
  • Authorization Boundary Definition
  • System Security Plan (SSP)
  • Control Ownership Matrix
  • Inheritance Documentation
  • Agency ISSO Coordination
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FISMA · Enjinia Blade Division

For organizations that need technical firepower, architecture, implementation, and remediation.

Authorization requires implemented controls, not documented intentions. When your team lacks bandwidth for STIG hardening, logging pipeline configuration, or encryption implementation, our Enjinia Blade Division provides the engineering capacity. Bitstream Merc engagements deliver technical resources who understand FISMA at the implementation layer.

  • Architecture & Design FISMA-aligned infrastructure design. We help you define authorization boundaries that make sense technically and satisfy agency requirements, design network segmentation that supports control implementation, and architect environments where security controls are inherent rather than bolted on.
  • Control Implementation Hands-on technical work to implement NIST 800-53 controls. Identity and access management configurations, audit logging pipelines, encryption at rest and in transit, session management, and the dozens of technical controls that must exist in your environment for authorization. We implement while your team focuses on mission systems.
  • STIG Hardening Security Technical Implementation Guides are not optional in federal environments. We apply STIG configurations to your operating systems, databases, network devices, and applications. Automated where possible, documented everywhere, and validated against agency expectations.
  • Assessment Remediation Findings require fixes. When security assessments surface gaps, we provide engineering resources to close them quickly. Remediation sprints that address findings before they become authorization blockers, documented so the fix is as auditable as the finding.

Bitstream Merc resources are engineers who have built and operated federal systems. They understand STIG baselines, agency scanning requirements, and the difference between a control that exists on paper and one that functions in production. Engagements scope to the work required.

Includes:

  • Architecture and Boundary Design
  • Control Implementation Engineering
  • STIG Hardening and Validation
  • Assessment Remediation Support
  • Logging and Monitoring Deployment
  • Encryption Implementation
  • Access Control Configuration
  • Vulnerability Remediation
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FISMA · bladeRAMP Managed Services

For contractors who need FISMA compliance operated continuously, not just achieved once

ATO is a milestone on a continuous journey. Reauthorization comes in three years. Continuous monitoring never stops. POA&Ms accumulate. Agencies expect monthly deliverables, quarterly vulnerability data, and annual assessments. bladeRAMP provides managed FISMA compliance operations for contractors who achieved authorization and need to maintain it without building a permanent compliance team.

  • bladeRAMP The complete managed compliance platform. Includes Platform Build (security stack, architecture, and management layer), HANZO SecOps, GENJI ConMon, and SRE infrastructure capability. Full-stack compliance operations from the team that built your package.
  • GENJI · FedRAMP Continuous Monitoring (ConMon) Continuous monitoring operational capability for organizations that manage their own security operations but need ConMon expertise. POA&M lifecycle management, scan analysis, evidence generation, agency deliverables, and annual assessment preparation.
  • HANZO · 24/7 Security Operations (SecOps) Security Operations, threat detection, incident response, vulnerability management, and infrastructure protection. Full SIEM integration, host-based IDS/IPS, container security, and FIPS-validated hardening.
  • Bastion: Assessment Support We stay until you're authorized. Evidence coordination, interview preparation, real-time finding response, and agency communication from 3PAO kickoff through ATO. The engagement ends when you have your authorization, not when our hours run out.

Platform Components:

  • Platform Build The foundational deployment, landing zone architecture, security stack enablement, network segmentation, zero-trust remote access, and environment hardening. FedRAMP-ready infrastructure from day one.
  • HANZO · 24/7 Security Operations (SecOps) 24/7 threat detection, incident response, vulnerability management, and infrastructure protection. U.S.-based Security Operations Center staffed exclusively by U.S. citizens.
  • GENJI · FedRAMP Continuous Monitoring (ConMon) POA&M lifecycle management, scan analysis, evidence generation, monthly and annual deliverables, and agency reporting. Continuous monitoring on autopilot.
  • SRE Infrastructure Site reliability engineering capability for your authorization boundary. Infrastructure operations, patching, availability management, and operational support.

You achieved authorization. bladeRAMP ensures you keep it. Your team focuses on mission delivery while we handle the continuous compliance burden. When reauthorization arrives, we already know your environment because we have been operating it.

Includes:

  • Platform Build & Deployment
  • HANZO (24/7 Security Operations)
  • GENJI (Continuous Monitoring)
  • Annual Assessment Support
  • Agency Reporting & Communication
  • POA&M Lifecycle Management
  • SRE Infrastructure Operations
  • Reauthorization Preparation
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FISMA · Ongoing Authorization Services

For contractors transitioning from periodic reauthorization to continuous compliance validation

Traditional FISMA operates on a three-year authorization cycle with continuous monitoring between assessments. Ongoing Authorization (OA) collapses that cycle into continuous security validation. Agencies increasingly push contractors toward OA programs where control effectiveness is validated continuously rather than periodically. We help contractors design and implement OA programs that satisfy agency requirements while reducing authorization maintenance burden.

  • OA Readiness Assessment We evaluate your current monitoring capabilities, automation maturity, and agency OA requirements. You receive a gap analysis showing what continuous validation infrastructure you need and a roadmap to achieve ongoing authorization status.
  • Continuous Validation Architecture Design and implementation of automated control validation. Security tooling integration, evidence automation pipelines, and the infrastructure that demonstrates control effectiveness continuously rather than through periodic assessment.
  • Agency OA Program Alignment Each agency implements ongoing authorization differently. We map your continuous monitoring capabilities to your specific agency's OA program requirements, ensuring your automation satisfies their validation expectations.
  • OA Transition Support Migration from traditional three-year authorization to ongoing authorization. We manage the transition documentation, coordinate with agency stakeholders, and support the assessment that establishes your OA status.

Ongoing Authorization represents the future of federal security compliance. Agencies want real-time visibility into contractor security posture, not point-in-time assessment snapshots. We help you build the continuous validation capability that OA requires.

Includes:

  • OA Readiness Assessment
  • Continuous Validation Design
  • Evidence Automation Engineering
  • Agency OA Program Mapping
  • Transition Documentation
  • Control Automation Implementation
  • Real-Time Monitoring Integration
  • OA Assessment Support
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FISMA · Multi-Agency Services

For contractors operating federal systems across multiple agencies

Most firms hand you templates and expect your team to figure it out. We build the entire authorization package, SSP, policies, procedures, plans, diagrams, while your engineers focus on implementation. From initial assessment through ATO, we own the documentation so you can own the remediation.

  • Multi-Agency Strategy We analyze your agency portfolio and design an authorization strategy that minimizes duplication. Common control documentation that satisfies multiple agencies, evidence repositories that serve parallel monitoring requirements, and staffing models that scale across authorizations.
  • Documentation Rationalization Different agencies require different formats, but the underlying security content overlaps significantly. We build core documentation that can be tailored per agency with minimal rework, reducing the burden of maintaining parallel SSPs.
  • Unified Continuous Monitoring One security operations program feeding multiple agency reporting streams. We design monitoring architectures where a single evidence collection infrastructure supports continuous monitoring deliverables for all your agency relationships.
  • Parallel Reauthorization Management Three-year cycles rarely align across agencies. We manage reauthorization timelines, coordinate assessment schedules, and ensure no authorization lapses while others undergo renewal.

Multi-agency contractors face unique challenges. We help you operate efficiently across the federal landscape without building separate compliance programs for each agency relationship.

Includes:

  • Multi-Agency Authorization Strategy
  • Documentation Rationalization
  • Common Control Optimization
  • Unified Monitoring Architecture
  • Parallel Assessment Coordination
  • Reauthorization Timeline Management
  • Cross-Agency Evidence Repository
  • Agency Liaison Services
Our Approach

How We Get You Authorized.

FISMA authorization is a seven-step process defined by NIST RMF. Most contractors stumble because they treat these steps as sequential checkboxes rather than an integrated system. We approach the RMF as engineers: each step informs the next, decisions compound, and shortcuts in early phases create problems in later ones.

00.

PHASE 0: Discovery & Fast Track

For contractors establishing their FISMA footprint

Categorization determines everything. A Moderate impact system triggers different control requirements than a Low system. A broadly defined boundary includes more components than a tightly scoped one. Early decisions here echo through the entire authorization lifecycle.

We work with your team to categorize the system properly under FIPS 199, considering confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts independently. We define authorization boundaries that encompass required components without unnecessary scope expansion. We document data types, data flows, and the business context that justifies categorization decisions.

  • FIPS 199 Categorization Analysis
  • Authorization Boundary Definition
  • Data Flow Documentation
  • Control Baseline Selection Justification
  • System Characterization

Everything established here flows into control selection. No standalone categorization report that requires reinterpretation later.

01.

FISMA · RMF Readiness Assessment

For contractors evaluating the authorization journey

Not ready to commit fully? Start here. Our readiness assessment examines your current security posture against NIST 800-53 baselines appropriate to your categorization. We identify control gaps, inheritance opportunities, and the remediation work authorization will require.

We focus on the controls that determine authorization success: the federal mandates that cannot be waived, the technical implementations that agencies scrutinize, and the organizational controls that require policy and process changes.

  • Control Gap Analysis
  • Inheritance Opportunity Map
  • Remediation Effort Estimates
  • Authorization Timeline Projection
  • Architecture Recommendations with Implementation Guidance
  • Realistic Timeline and Resource Projections

02.

FISMA · Advisory & Package Engineering

Engineering your authorization package

Most advisors point at gaps and expect your team to write the documentation. We build the complete System Security Plan with control-level implementation narratives that reflect your actual environment. Not compliance boilerplate. Not template language hoping to pass muster. Precise documentation of how your systems implement each control.

We write SSPs that agency security teams recognize. Control implementations described at the technical level, with configuration specifics where relevant. Inheritance claims documented with the precision agencies require. Security architecture diagrams that show data flows, trust boundaries, and the integration points assessors will examine.

  • Complete System Security Plan
  • Control Implementation Narratives
  • Inheritance Documentation
  • Security Architecture Diagrams
  • Supporting Policies and Procedures
  • Evidence Cross-Reference Matrix

When assessors review the package, the documentation matches reality. When they interview your team, the answers align with the SSP. When the AO weighs the risk decision, the package supports authorization.

03.

FISMA · Bastion · Assessment Validation Support

We stay until authorization

Documentation submission is not the finish line. The agency security assessment is where FISMA journeys stall. Assessors request evidence that seems obvious in retrospect. Agency reviewers question boundary decisions made months earlier. The AO raises concerns the documentation did not anticipate.

BASTION is your assessment support engagement. We sit on your side of the table from assessment kickoff through ATO signature. Evidence coordination, interview preparation, real-time finding response, and agency communication throughout the assessment process.

When findings surface, we triage immediately. Technical findings get routed to your engineering team with clear remediation guidance. Documentation gaps get closed by our team. POA&M items get drafted with remediation plans assessors accept.

What We Provide:

  • Evidence Package Management
  • Interview Preparation and Support
  • POA&M Development
  • AO Briefing Support
  • Authorization Decision Coordination

Authorization is the outcome, not documentation delivery. We remain engaged through the complete assessment cycle.

Authorized.

ATO is the starting line, not the finish

Your agency granted authorization. Federal work can begin. The documentation, engineering, and assessment effort paid off.

But FISMA does not stop at ATO. Continuous monitoring begins immediately. POA&Ms require remediation and closure. Monthly and quarterly deliverables arrive on schedule. In three years, reauthorization starts the cycle again.

Whether you operate continuous monitoring internally or need a team that already understands your system, the path forward belongs to you.

  • FISMA · ConMon Advisory Services Continuous monitoring guidance, vulnerability reporting workflow support, and recertification readiness without handing off operations.
  • FISMA · bladeRAMP Managed Services Full-stack compliance operations. Security monitoring, continuous compliance support, and a team that already knows your boundary.
  • FISMA · Bitstream Merc Engineering Ad-hoc technical resources when you need hands-on remediation, architecture changes, or implementation work.
  • FISMA · Reauthorization Preparation Structured engagement for the next three-year cycle.
Forge Your Certification

Ready to Discuss Your Agency Requirements?

Skip the generic pitch. Schedule a consultation with advisors who have navigated your agency's authorization process. We will discuss your system, your timeline, your agency relationship, and whether we are the right fit. No obligation. No pressure.