Merlin Group and Project Hosts join initiative designed to streamline verification pathways for technology providers and support informed government procurement.
INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 28, 2026) – GovRAMP today announced that Merlin Group and Project Hosts have joined its Accelerator Partner Program, expanding the options available to cloud service providers pursuing GovRAMP verification. The organizations join founding Accelerator Partners Second Front Systems and Knox Systems, bringing the program to four partners since its launch in August 2026.
The Accelerator Partner Program recognizes organizations that maintain GovRAMP Authorized environments and provide infrastructure, security tooling, and operational support to help eligible service providers pursue verification. Through the program, providers can leverage an accelerator's authorized environment, reusable security controls and the Significant Change Request (SCR) process to reduce duplicative compliance work while pursuing an independent listing on the GovRAMP Authorized Product List (APL).
The program is designed to benefit both technology providers and government organizations. For providers, accelerator environments can help reduce the time, cost and complexity associated with demonstrating compliance with government cybersecurity requirements. For participating governments, independent product listings on the APL support transparency into the security status of individual solutions and provide a consistent resource for evaluating technology options.
“Expanding the Accelerator Partner Program helps address a shared challenge across the public and private sectors: making it easier to bring secure technology to government without compromising cybersecurity standards,” said Leah McGrath, executive director of GovRAMP. “By enabling providers to build on existing security investments while maintaining independent product listings, the program supports a more efficient verification process and gives government organizations greater visibility into the solutions they consider.”
Merlin Group works with cybersecurity technology companies to support security readiness, market access and growth in government and other regulated markets. Through its network of affiliates, including Constellation GovCloud (CGC), the organization provides cloud infrastructure, security authorization support and public-sector market development resources to help technology providers navigate government cybersecurity requirements.
“GovRAMP has built something the public sector needs: a shared, trusted security standard for state and local government. Federal modernization gets most of the attention, but state and local governments run much of the nation’s critical infrastructure, from water and transit to emergency response, along with the citizen services counted on every day,” said Sara Gonzales, Director of Governance, Risk & Compliance, Merlin Group. “As they adopt new solutions to deliver those services, security needs to be on par with functionality, at a cost they can actually afford. Merlin is excited to join the GovRAMP community and put Constellation GovCloud to work getting secure, proven technology to the people protecting our communities.”
Project Hosts provides secure cloud environments and managed services to software vendors, government agencies and organizations operating in regulated industries. Its cloud infrastructure and security services help technology providers address government cybersecurity requirements and support the deployment of solutions in regulated environments.
“Working with GovRAMP from the beginning has given us a deep understanding of its security requirements,” said Josh Krueger, CISO, Project Hosts. “We've used that expertise to build compliant cloud environments that simplify the authorization process while delivering the continuous security and assurance government customers expect.”
The addition of Merlin Group and Project Hosts reflects the continued growth of GovRAMP's partner ecosystem and its focus on creating more efficient, transparent pathways for technology providers while supporting government organizations in evaluating secure solutions.
Organizations interested in becoming Accelerator Partners or exploring an approved accelerator environment as part of their GovRAMP verification journey can learn more about the GovRAMP Accelerator Partner Program.
GovRAMP is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to advancing consistent, trusted cybersecurity practices across state, local, tribal, and educational government. Guided by its mission to make cybersecurity easier to understand, implement, and maintain, GovRAMP provides a standardized framework, independent validation, and community-driven education that help governments adopt secure cloud solutions with confidence while enabling service providers to demonstrate trusted security through clear, evidence-based practices. By bringing together public and private sector partners, GovRAMP supports policy collaboration, strengthens shared assurance, and helps build a more resilient cybersecurity ecosystem that protects government services, data, and the communities they serve. Learn more at GovRAMP.org.
Merlin Group invests in, enables, and scales technology companies delivering innovative cybersecurity solutions to government and regulated markets. Through its affiliates, Merlin Ventures, CGC, and Merlin Cyber, the organization combines venture investment, security authorization acceleration, and public-sector market development capabilities to help technology providers expand their reach and make trusted innovation more accessible to government and critical infrastructure organizations. Learn more at themerlingroup.com.
Project Hosts is a GovRAMP, FedRAMP, and DoW-Certified cloud service provider specializing in secure cloud environments for government and commercial customers. As a recognized leader with over two decades of experience helping ISVs and system integrators achieve compliance, Project Hosts delivers turnkey solutions that accelerate the path to ATO while reducing cost and complexity. Through its FasTrack™ program, Project Hosts provides organizations with a proven path to FedRAMP Certification without the need to secure their own agency sponsor. Learn more at www.projecthosts.com.