Why did your organization become a StateRAMP member? 

At Orca Security, our mission is to help our public sector clients thrive in the cloud. Our organization became a StateRAMP member to enhance our security posture and demonstrate our commitment to meeting rigorous compliance standards. StateRAMP allows us to streamline our security certification process, ensuring our services meet the high standards of state and local governments. It also provides a standardized, recognized approach to cloud security across multiple jurisdictions. Our StateRAMP membership supports our goal of working seamlessly with public sector clients, aligning with our strategic growth focus.  

Whether adhering to NIST 800-53 standards, moving to a cloud ecosystem, maintaining continuous compliance, or beginning the zero-trust journey, public sector clients rely on Orca to secure their missions in the cloud. 

The Orca Cloud Security Platform covers all assets across an organization’s cloud estate, delivers prioritized alerts in context, and helps them meet their compliance mandates. Using our patented SideScanning™ Technology, the Orca Platform addresses all cloud security needs in a single, unified platform, allowing users to easily query, investigate, and understand cloud risks and their context. 

Additionally, the Orca Platform helps state, local, and education (SLED) institutions maintain continuous compliance with key government security and data privacy frameworks such as NIST CSF, NIST SP 800-53, and ISO 27001. The Orca Platform offers more than 180 built-in compliance frameworks, including a wide range of CIS benchmarks, such as Apache CIS, AWS CIS, Azure CIS, Docker CIS, GCP CIS, Linux CIS, and Windows CIS.  

To learn more and see the Orca Cloud Security Platform in action, visit: https://orca.security/demo/.

 

What advice do you have for other providers progressing through the StateRAMP process? 

 For providers working through the StateRAMP process, our advice is to focus on proactive planning, transparency, and collaboration. Here are a few key tips based on our experience: 

• Prepare for Thorough Assessments: The StateRAMP process is comprehensive, so ensure that your security controls, documentation, and compliance frameworks are solidly in place. Conduct internal audits to identify any gaps and address them proactively to avoid delays. 

• Engage with Your 3PAO Early: Partnering with an experienced Third-Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) is crucial. Involve them early in the process to guide you through the audit requirements and ensure you’re fully prepared for the technical assessments. 

• Leverage Automation and Continuous Monitoring: StateRAMP requires ongoing compliance and security monitoring. Implement tools that automate the monitoring of your cloud environment to ensure continuous compliance and quickly identify and address potential vulnerabilities. 

• Emphasize Documentation and Communication: The documentation process can be extensive, so keeping clear and updated records is essential. Ensure your security policies and procedures are well-documented and accessible to meet StateRAMP’s rigorous standards. 

• Stay Flexible and Open to Feedback: Be open to feedback from assessors and willing to adapt your practices to meet the high standards of StateRAMP. 

 

By approaching the process strategically and focusing on collaboration, automation, and continuous improvement, providers can navigate StateRAMP successfully and strengthen their overall security posture. 

 

How do you stay up to date with the evolving cybersecurity landscape? 

At Orca Security, staying ahead of the evolving cybersecurity landscape is a core part of our mission. We adopt a multifaceted approach that combines continuous learning, leveraging advanced technology, and fostering strong industry partnerships. Here’s how we do it: 

• Continuous Innovation in Cloud Security: As a cloud-native security provider, we invest heavily in research and development to ensure our platform is equipped to address the latest threats. Our SideScanning™ technology provides real-time insights, allowing us to detect new and evolving vulnerabilities in cloud environments.

• Threat Intelligence and Automation: We integrate cutting-edge threat intelligence into our platform to protect our users from the latest cyber threats. Our automated systems help us quickly identify vulnerabilities across a wide range of environments. 

• Collaboration with Industry Experts: We actively collaborate with the broader cybersecurity community, participating in industry forums and threat-sharing initiatives to stay informed of new threats and regulatory updates. 

• Compliance and Regulatory Monitoring: We closely monitor updates to regulatory frameworks such as FedRAMP and StateRAMP to ensure we remain aligned with the latest compliance standards. 

• Continuous Learning and Employee Development: Our teams engage in ongoing training, certifications, and cybersecurity conferences to stay ahead of new vulnerabilities, trends, and technologies. 

 

Through innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning, Orca Security remains at the forefront of the cybersecurity landscape, ready to tackle new threats as they arise. 

 

How has StateRAMP benefited your organization so far? 

 StateRAMP has significantly enabled Orca Security in multiple ways, enhancing both our security capabilities and our ability to serve public sector clients. Key benefits include: 

• Increased Trust with Government Clients: Achieving StateRAMP compliance has allowed us to build greater trust with state and local government agencies. These organizations require a high level of assurance in their security vendors, and StateRAMP certification provides an industry-recognized validation of our security posture, making it easier for them to confidently choose Orca Security for their cloud security needs. 

• Streamlined Compliance Process: StateRAMP has helped us standardize and streamline our security and compliance processes. The rigorous requirements align with other frameworks like FedRAMP, allowing us to optimize our security posture across multiple compliance mandates. This reduces redundant efforts and enhances our overall efficiency. 

• Enhanced Security Posture: The process of obtaining and maintaining StateRAMP compliance has driven continuous improvements in our internal security controls and processes. By adhering to the stringent StateRAMP standards, we have strengthened our cloud-native security platform and enhanced our ability to address evolving cyber threats. 

• Expanded Market Opportunities: StateRAMP certification has opened doors to new opportunities within the public sector, enabling us to partner with state and local agencies that require vendors to meet specific security standards. This has allowed us to expand our footprint in the government space and foster stronger relationships with public sector customers. 

• Recognition as a Trusted Security Provider: Being part of the StateRAMP community underscores Orca Security’s commitment to the highest levels of security and compliance. It highlights our dedication to protecting sensitive government data, reinforcing our reputation as a trusted and reliable cloud security provider. 

 

Overall, StateRAMP has been a catalyst for growth and improved security standards within our organization, enabling us to deliver even greater value to our government clients. 

 

Please share any specific lessons learned from your StateRAMP journey. 

Our StateRAMP journey has been a valuable learning experience, highlighting the importance of thorough preparation, effective collaboration with our Third-Party Assessment Organization (3PAO), and clear documentation of security controls and processes. Engaging our 3PAO early and maintaining regular communication allowed us to navigate the assessment efficiently, while well-organized documentation strengthened our overall security posture and facilitated quick responses to audits. Embracing automation for continuous monitoring has been crucial in maintaining visibility into our cloud environment and meeting ongoing compliance requirements. Additionally, being flexible and open to feedback helped us refine our security processes and build resilience. Achieving StateRAMP compliance required alignment among various teams, emphasizing the necessity of stakeholder buy-in and communication to ensure a smooth process. Overall, our journey has reinforced the significance of continuous improvement and collaboration in upholding the highest standards of cloud security. 

 

What cybersecurity-related events, conferences, or webinars do you recommend for industry professionals? 

As cybersecurity rapidly evolves, it’s crucial for industry professionals to stay updated on the latest trends, technologies, and threats. At Orca Security, we recommend several key events, conferences, and webinars that offer valuable insights and networking opportunities. Notable events include the RSA Conference, which gathers global security professionals to discuss the latest innovations; Black Hat USA, known for its in-depth technical sessions and cutting-edge research; and DefCon, a renowned hacker conference that provides insights into attackers’ mindsets. The Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit focuses on aligning security initiatives with business goals, while the Cloud Security Alliance Summit explores cloud security best practices. Additionally, SANS Institute offers top-tier training and webinars covering various cybersecurity topics. Orca Security also hosts webinars to share insights on cloud-native security and the latest cyber threats. For those in the public sector, StateRAMP and FedRAMP provide webinars on compliance requirements and best practices. Attending these events enables cybersecurity professionals to engage with industry leaders and enhance their expertise. 

 

How can other members or organizations collaborate with your company on cybersecurity projects? 

At Orca Security, we recognize the importance of collaboration in advancing cybersecurity and driving innovation. We welcome partnerships with both public and private organizations to address cybersecurity challenges and develop forward-thinking solutions. Opportunities for collaboration include joint research and development initiatives focused on emerging threats in cloud security, collaborative threat intelligence sharing to enhance community-wide detection and response capabilities and partnering on cloud security projects to secure multi-cloud environments while aligning with regulatory standards like StateRAMP and FedRAMP. We are also eager to engage in joint webinars and knowledge-sharing initiatives, co-develop industry best practices, and explore strategic partnerships with cybersecurity vendors and cloud providers to enhance security solutions. Additionally, we seek to give back to the cybersecurity community through open-source projects and industry working groups. Organizations interested in collaborating with us on these initiatives, or simply want to see a demo of our latest cloud protection technologies, are encouraged to reach out directly, as we look forward to working together to innovate and strengthen cloud security against evolving threats. 

 

Is there anything else you would like to share with the StateRAMP community or broader cybersecurity community? 

At Orca Security, we recognize that collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to security are essential in addressing today’s complex cyber threats. The evolving cybersecurity landscape demands that public and private organizations work together, sharing threat intelligence and compliance best practices to create a safer digital ecosystem. As more businesses transition to the cloud, securing these environments is critical, requiring continuous visibility, risk minimization, and automation. Compliance with standards like StateRAMP should be viewed as an ongoing effort to enhance security, leveraging automation and continuous assessments. We also emphasize the importance of investing in technologies such as AI and machine learning, which are vital for staying ahead of attackers. Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility, and promoting awareness and education across all organizational levels is crucial. At Orca Security, we are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of cloud-native security and invite collaboration with the StateRAMP community to strengthen our collective defenses and advance the cybersecurity landscape for both government agencies and the private sector. 

 

About Orca Security 

Orca Security is the pioneer of agentless cloud security and is trusted by hundreds of enterprises globally. We’re the industry-leading Cloud Security Platform that identifies, prioritizes, and remediates security risks and compliance issues across your cloud estate spanning AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Kubernetes.