DOD guide looks beyond FedRAMP protections
The guide follows up on a memo that defined responsibilities for Pentagon components that acquire commercial cloud services.
What: Department of Defense Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide, Version 1, Release 1.
Why: The unclassified guide, posted on the open-source Public Intelligence website, follows up on a Dec. 15 memo from the DOD CIO's office that defines component agencies' responsibilities when they acquire commercial cloud services, which include complying with the security requirements in the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program and the new Cloud Computing SRG. The Defense Information Systems Agency had previously published guidelines for using commercial cloud products under the Cloud Security Model.
The SRG states that because of its warfighting mission, DOD has unique information protection requirements that extend beyond the capabilities assessed via FedRAMP. The new document outlines those security controls and additional requirements necessary for using cloud-based solutions within DOD.
The Cloud Computing SRG serves several purposes, including:
- Providing security requirements and guidance for non-DOD cloud providers that want to have their services included in the DOD's catalog of cloud services.
- Establishing a basis that DOD will use to assess the security posture of a non-DOD provider's cloud services.
- Defining the policies, requirements and architectures for using commercial cloud services within DOD.
Verbatim: "Cloud computing enables the department to consolidate infrastructure, leverage commodity IT functions and eliminate functional redundancies while improving continuity of operations. The overall success of these initiatives depends upon well-executed security requirements, defined and understood by both DOD components and industry."
Guide: info.publicintelligence.net