Small business partners are critical for state and local government – no government can survive without the industry experience and background that small business leaders provide. GovRAMP understands, however, that developing and maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture can be difficult as a small business. With GovRAMP, small business leaders have an ally in the work to advance more secure public-private partnerships at the state and local levels.
Every business plays a role in securing our nation’s cybersecurity – no matter what size – and GovRAMP is excited to invite leaders from small and traditionally underutilized businesses to explore the ways GovRAMP can build paths to effectively serve government.
Ongoing Support: How Snapshot Helps Small Businesses
State and local governments are requiring their awarded vendors engage with GovRAMP as part of an ongoing effort to manage risk. However, governments cannot stop doing business while they wait for products to become GovRAMP Ready or Authorized, and there are also understandable concerns about the resource challenges small businesses may face in working towards a GovRAMP Ready, Provision, or Authorized security status.
The Security Snapshot Program provides a point-in-time gap analysis (like a cyber credit score) that helps identify high-level cyber risk exposure that provides an effective starting point for small businesses as they begin their cyber maturity journey.
In early 2023, GovRAMP launched the Progressing Security Snapshot Program. Any provider may procure a single Security Snapshot, or enroll in the GovRAMP Progressing Security Snapshot Program to receive quarterly Security Snapshots and participate in monthly consultative calls to improve their cybersecurity posture.
Learn more about the Security Snapshot Program
Frequently Asked Questions
GovRAMP’s Security Snapshot and Progressing Snapshot Program are a competition amplifier in the security space, by providing a low-cost, low-barrier entry point to security posture maturing for small businesses. We want to make sure that small businesses have an enhanced ability to compete on the security front while ensuring that state and local governments are able to balance the needed levels of confidentiality, integrity, and security for their critical data.
As we continue to improve opportunities for small businesses, we want to make sure your voice is heard. Through the Provider Leadership Council, we offer you a platform to share the challenges that you face and a means to foster partnerships with governments that result in productive conversations to address those challenges. The Provider Leadership Council promotes information sharing among public and private-sector members, providing expertise and advice to GovRAMP.
We are pleased to offer reduced dues for small businesses, ensuring that all businesses can access the value GovRAMP offers. Small businesses that meet our requirements will not experience any changes in their dues amount.
- For businesses with annual revenue of less than $1,000,000, annual dues will remain at $500 + processing fees.
- For businesses with annual revenue between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000, annual dues will be $1,000 + processing fees.
The standard Security Snapshot, which provides a maturity score aligned with NIST and MITRE ATT&CK frameworks, is available for $1,000 for small businesses with under $1 million in annual revenue. This point-in-time assessment is ideal for early-stage providers exploring where they stand in relation to GovRAMP requirements.
Alternatively, small businesses can enroll in the Progressing Security Snapshot subscription, which includes monthly advisory calls and quarterly updates for $750/month—a strategic option for providers building toward a verified status.
The updated fee schedule can be found here.
The Progressing Security Snapshot is an ongoing subscription that includes:
Monthly advisory calls with GovRAMP experts
Quarterly updated snapshots to track and demonstrate security maturity over time
A public listing on the GovRAMP Authorized Product List under “Progressing Offerings”
It’s designed to help your product actively advance toward Verified Status. Small businesses receive discounted pricing at $750/month.
GovRAMP’s Progressing Security Snapshot is designed to streamline your path to verification while maximizing early visibility and momentum. By enrolling, your product is publicly listed on the GovRAMP Authorized Product List with its current progress status—demonstrating to state and local government buyers that you are actively working toward full authorization.
This early-stage listing provides a competitive edge. Rather than navigating unique and redundant cybersecurity assessments across jurisdictions, the GovRAMP approach enables you to reuse a single standardized assessment, saving your organization time and resources.
While only the governments you serve will have access to your continuous monitoring details, anyone can view your product’s Snapshot listing—a clear signal of commitment to public sector cybersecurity standards and a powerful differentiator for small businesses breaking into the market.
The Annual Ready Review applies to products that have been independently evaluated through a Readiness Assessment Report (RAR) by a 3PAO. This review validates and maintains your GovRAMP Ready status each year. Small businesses pay $500 annually for this review.
If your product has achieved a GovRAMP Authorized or Provisional Authorization status through a Security Assessment Report (SAR), the Annual Authorized Review ensures your product’s continued eligibility. This includes an in-depth annual review of your compliance posture. For small businesses, the annual fee is $1,500.
Monthly Continuous Monitoring is required for any product with a Ready, Authorized, or Provisional Authorization status. It ensures that your product remains compliant with evolving cybersecurity standards by submitting regular security deliverables. For small businesses, this service is priced at $250/month and is essential for maintaining visibility and trust with government customers.
Starting your GovRAMP journey is straightforward—and built to meet you where you are. Here’s how:
Become a GovRAMP Member. Membership unlocks access to tools, guidance, and support to help you navigate the GovRAMP process.
Select the Snapshot path that fits your goals.
If you’re looking for a one-time assessment to benchmark your current security posture, start with the Security Snapshot.
If you’re ready to actively build toward verified status, enroll in the Progressing Security Snapshot Program—a monthly subscription that includes recurring consultative calls and quarterly updates.
Engage with the GovRAMP PMO security team. Through hour-long monthly consultative calls, our experts will walk you through your snapshot results, identify security gaps, and provide practical, tailored guidance to help you efficiently move toward compliance and authorization.
To begin, visit our Snapshot page or contact us at info@govramp.org to schedule an onboarding consultation.