The leaders behind two cloud certification programs designed to help government agencies do business with cloud providers authorized to offer secure services said they are both looking for ways to “open the aperture” to allow more small businesses to participate.

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) and the State Risk and Authorization Management Program (StateRAMP) both authorize cloud services federal and state governments, respectively, can use, ensuring they satisfy standardized security requirements…

In a bid to encourage broader provider participation beyond the traditional cloud services giants, the leaders of both programs said they are determined to get more companies and technologies certified, while still maintaining a commitment to robust cybersecurity practices.

“Our challenge is lowering the barriers to entry, without lowering the cybersecurity bar,” Brian Conrad, acting FedRAMP director and program manager for cybersecurity at the General Services Administration, said at GCN and Nextgov’s Emerging Technology and Modernization Summit. “Protecting federal information is a team sport, and everybody has to play their part. But we can still look at ways to lower those barriers to entry into the marketplace.” … Read the full article here.