FISMA is the Federal Information Security Management Act. This act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 2002 and modified in 2014 as part of the Federal Information Security Modernization Act. This act requires all federal agencies to have robust security plans for protecting sensitive data. This means using FISMA compliant cloud services where data is stored off-site.

Why Was FISMA Introduced?

FISMA was introduced to ensure all federal agencies have good data security plans. FISMA is not a standalone act; it's part of a broader piece of legislation known as the E-Government Act, which covers information security in other settings.

Data security is vital for the security and prosperity of the country. As more and more services move online and the government processes increasing amounts of data, this means the potential for damage caused by data breaches increases.

How to Become a FISMA Compliant Company

As a part of the act, FISMA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have set out data security guidance that explains how to become FISMA compliant. The guidance from NIST covers several things:

  • Minimum requirements for information security plans and procedures
  • Recommendations for security systems and software
  • Approved vendors for FISMA compliant cloud services and software
  • Risk assessment processes

The rise of cloud services makes FISMA even more important because organizations are now storing increasing amounts of data with third-party services. Using FISMA compliant cloud services is the simplest way to ensure your company is more secure.

FISMA Compliant Cloud Services for Your Business

We offer a variety of compliance and security tools for your business. These tools meet the NIST 800-53 R4 compliance standards at the FISMA Moderate level and meet NIST/FIPS advanced encryption standards.

The tools are also HIPPA compliant, meet the GDPR standards for data processing in the UK and Europe, comply with FCC's requirements for the protection of Consumer Property Network Information, and are certified to ISO 27001 standards.

The 8x8 Privacy Shield Framework meets or exceeds international standards for handling general customer data, and we have been granted the authority to work with sensitive strategic agencies with full FISMA/NIST 800-53 compliance.

To earn this authority, our tools and services have been tested to ensure that they comply with the 2,500 areas that the regulations govern, including:

  • Maintaining accurate information systems inventory
  • Maintaining the highest level of security based on risk categorization
  • Developing a clear systems security plan
  • Implementing the 20 security controls outlined by NIST 800-53
  • Performing a three-tiered risk assessment using the Risk Management Framework
  • Conducting yearly security reviews and ongoing monitoring

If you're looking for a robust, reliable, and secure system for data security, use the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) to validate the compliance of your cloud computing systems and understand how you can manage risk when handling data within your organization.

Our cloud services can help you protect your data while empowering your agents to do their jobs more efficiently. All of our systems are verified by third-party security and certifications, so you can rest assured that your data is in safe hands. Call us today to request a no-obligation consultation to learn how 8x8 can improve your contact center services.