In the complex world of government cybersecurity, compliance has long been a paper-pushing, spreadsheet-driven nightmare.
Imagine a world where authorization to operate (ATO) isn’t a months-long bureaucratic ordeal, but a streamlined, automated process that actually makes sense. This isn’t a cybersecurity fantasy – it’s the mission of DRT Confidence.
The Genesis of Transformation
When Valinder Mangat, CIO and Chief Innovation Officer, was invited by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reimagine the ATO process, he saw more than just a consulting opportunity. He saw a fundamental problem waiting to be solved.
“With the advent of cloud, one of the challenges that government agencies are having is that every system must be authorized,” Mangat explains. “Authorization to operate is critically important in the government space.”
The Traditional Compliance Landscape
For decades, government agencies have trudged through compliance using a combination of Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and primitive governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) tools. The process was manual, time-consuming, and frankly, broken.
Systems were being built and deployed rapidly, but authorization processes remained stuck in a pre-digital era.
Enter OSCAL: A Game-Changing Standard
The breakthrough came with OSCAL (Open Security Controls Assessment Language), a standard developed by NIST to digitize compliance information.
“The standard is intended to digitize all compliance information,” Mangat notes. “It’s a standardized data schema that can represent compliance data without being trapped in proprietary formats.”
This wasn’t just another technical specification. It was a fundamental reimagining of how compliance data could be generated, transmitted, and analyzed.
Beyond Automation: A Holistic Approach
DRT Confidence didn’t just build another tool. They constructed an entirely new platform from the ground up, specifically designed to leverage the OSCAL standard. Built on ServiceNow’s secure infrastructure and operating in FedRAMP-certified environments, the platform offers something revolutionary: true compliance automation. “With automation, we can now integrate with cloud environments that generate compliance data automatically,” Mangat explains. “We package it in the OSCAL format and can transmit it to authorizing officials with automated analytics.”
The Power of Machine Learning and Risk Analytics
What sets DRT Confidence apart is its sophisticated approach to risk assessment. Using machine learning, the platform can train models on how risks have been previously scored, creating a dynamic, intelligent compliance ecosystem.
“Every system is different,” Mangat emphasizes. “Risks can vary dramatically depending on the data hosted. Our analytics provide authorizing officials with a comprehensive view of potential vulnerabilities and risks.”
A Milestone Achievement
In a groundbreaking moment, DRT Confidence became the first (and potentially only) company to convert a complete ATO package to OSCAL. Working with a commercial cloud service provider and FedRAMP, they submitted a fully converted package that passed automated checks with zero errors. This wasn’t just a technical achievement – it was a proof of concept that automated, standardized compliance was not just possible, but practical.
Expanding Beyond Government
While initially focused on government agencies, the platform’s flexibility means it can support multiple regulatory frameworks. From CMMC to SOC 2 and PCI, organizations can now manage multiple compliance requirements in a single, integrated platform.
“Commercial customers are getting significant benefits,” Mangat notes. “They can now have one solution that handles multiple regulatory requirements, with significant overlap between different compliance frameworks.”
A Call to Action for CISOs
For CISOs drowning in compliance paperwork, DRT Confidence represents more than a tool – it’s a lifeline. The days of manual compliance are numbered.
Automation, standardization, and intelligent risk assessment are the future.
If you’re ready to transform your compliance processes, it’s time to explore what a truly modern, automated approach can offer. Schedule a demo, ask tough questions, and prepare to reimagine compliance.
The future of cybersecurity governance isn’t about more paperwork. It’s about smarter, faster, more intelligent systems that protect what matters most. Are you ready?
About the Author
Pete Green is the CISO / CTO of Anvil Works, a ProCloud SaaS company. With over 25 years of experience in information technology and cybersecurity, Pete is a seasoned and accomplished security practitioner.
Throughout his career, he has held a wide range of technical and leadership roles, including LAN/WLAN Engineer, Threat Analyst, Security Project Manager, Security Architect, Cloud Security Architect, Principal Security Consultant, Director of IT, CTO, CEO, Virtual CISO, and CISO.
Pete has supported clients across numerous industries, including federal, state, and local government, as well as financial services, healthcare, food services, manufacturing, technology, transportation, and hospitality.
He holds a Master of Computer Information Systems in Information Security from Boston University, which is recognized as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance / Cyber Defense (CAE IA/CD) by the NSA and DHS. He also holds a Master of Business Administration in Informatics.
