Frameworks · FedRAMP · Rev 5 & 20x
Federal cloud is a $19.6B market.
FedRAMP is the gate.
The program just reinvented itself: FedRAMP 20x replaces phone-book SSPs with Key Security Indicators and machine-readable evidence, new Certification Classes open the door to smaller providers, and the deadlines to choose a path are already on the calendar. Lionfish runs your readiness in the Cyber Tackle Box™ — control implementation, KSI evidence, and the continuous monitoring that keeps the authorization alive.
The 20x transition, by the numbers
Sources: Deltek/GovWin federal cloud forecast; fedramp.gov 20x program materials and 2026 Consolidated Rules; industry authorization-cost surveys. KSI counts are still evolving through Phase 3 — we track every revision in the Intel Hub.
Who this is for
For cloud providers with federal ambitions
FedRAMP used to be an enterprise-only game. The 20x Certification Classes changed the math — a SOC 2 Type II is now literally the Class A entry ticket.
- ✓SaaS companies chasing their first federal deal — an agency sponsor or a federal RFP naming "FedRAMP Authorized" starts a clock you can't stop.
- ✓Rev 5 authorization holders facing the forced migration to 20x before Rev 5's end-of-life — every existing ATO has to move.
- ✓Startups with SOC 2 in hand who can now enter through Class A — the on-ramp built for companies the old program priced out.
Sound familiar?
The pain we hear on every first call
- !The cost of the old way. Rev 5 Moderate authorizations run $250K–$750K and 12–30 months — with continuous monitoring at $75K–$200K a year after that.
- !Machine-readable or bust. 20x expects automated, machine-readable evidence against the KSIs — a spreadsheet-and-Word-doc program physically can't comply.
- !ConMon never blinks. Monthly POA&M updates, vulnerability scans, and 30/90/180-day remediation SLAs — most failed authorizations die in year two, not year one.
The platform
How the Cyber Tackle Box™ runs your FedRAMP program
A NIST 800-53-native control backbone that serves FedRAMP, GovRAMP, and DoD flavors from one implementation — with the automation 20x demands.
Documentation Templates
SSP structure, policies, and procedures mapped to the Rev 5 baselines and the 20x KSIs — proven scaffolding instead of a blank page.
KSI & Control Objectives
Every control and Key Security Indicator tracked with an owner, status, and target date — your live answer to "how close are we?"
POA&M Discipline
The monthly POA&M grind, systematized: findings assigned, aged against the 30/90/180 SLAs, and driven to closure before ConMon flags them.
Evidence & the Intel Hub
Machine-exportable evidence organized by KSI — plus program intelligence so rule changes (and KSI count shifts) reach you before your 3PAO mentions them.
Authorization Playbooks
Step-by-step runbooks for readiness, 3PAO assessment, agency sponsorship, and the Rev 5 → 20x migration decision.
Personnel Training
Security awareness and role-based training your package has to evidence — delivered and tracked in the same platform.
Why Lionfish
A platform with humans attached
Practitioners, not just software
Checkbox tools leave you alone with the checklist. Our compliance advisors — the same team that trains certified CMMC assessors — work your program by, with, and through your people.
One system of record
Controls, policies, tasks, evidence, POA&Ms, and your workforce training in one platform — mapped across frameworks so one piece of evidence satisfies many requirements at once.
Veteran-owned & battle-tested
SDVOSB founded by a Green Beret, 4 IEEE-published papers, Purdue CERIAS partner, and multi-tenant for MSPs — trusted where security actually matters.
Straight answers
FedRAMP questions we answer every week
What is FedRAMP 20x and do the deadlines apply to me?
FedRAMP 20x is the program's overhaul: Key Security Indicators and machine-readable evidence instead of narrative documents, with new Certification Classes A through D replacing the Low/Moderate/High labels. The 2026 Consolidated Rules become mandatory January 1, 2027, and no new Rev 5 applications are accepted after June 11, 2027 — so both new entrants and existing authorization holders need a 20x plan now.
How much does FedRAMP cost?
Traditional Rev 5 Moderate authorizations typically run $250K–$750K all-in over 12–30 months, with 3PAO assessment fees of $150K+, and continuous monitoring costing $75K–$200K per year afterward. The 20x Classes are designed to cut that dramatically for lower-impact services — pilot authorizations were issued in weeks, not years. Which path is cheaper for you depends on your impact level and customers; that's the first thing we scope.
We have SOC 2 — does that help?
More than ever. Under the 2026 Consolidated Rules, Class A provides transitional entry via external frameworks including SOC 2 Type II — and as of July 2026, GovRAMP status is recognized too. Your existing control set and evidence carry real weight; the work is mapping and extending them to the federal requirements, which is exactly what the Tackle Box's cross-framework mapping does.
Do we need an agency sponsor?
For the traditional agency-authorization path, yes — and no sponsor is the most common reason FedRAMP journeys stall. The 20x program is reducing that dependency for lower classes. Either way, the winning sequence is the same: get demonstrably ready first, because sponsors and the PMO both prioritize providers who won't embarrass them.
Get in touch
Map your path to FedRAMP
Tell us what you sell, who your federal buyer is, and what you hold today (SOC 2? GovRAMP? nothing yet?). You'll get a straight path-and-price assessment within one business day.
- 1We reply within one business day — usually faster.
- 2A 30-minute call with someone who can actually answer your questions.
- 3A straight recommendation — even if it's that you don't need us yet.
Prefer to skip the form? Book a time directly or call 1-877-732-6772.