Do I Need an Advisor + Paramify?

Do you need an advisory firm if you use Paramify? Learn how we can work with your advisor to help you meet goals like CMMC, FedRAMP, FISMA the most efficient way possible.

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In This Article

If you’re seeking a GRC designation like CMMC certification or FedRAMP authorization you may be considering hiring a GRC advisory firm to help you meet your goals. We’ve had many companies ask us “Does Paramify replace an advisor?

And (drumroll please) the answer is . . .  It depends on your circumstances. We reduce the inefficiencies and cost of compliance, but an advisor may still be helpful depending how much extra support your organization needs. 

We partner with many advisors and recommend them to many of our customers. Here we’ll explain why and when your organization may want to hire an advisor so you can reach your compliance goals as efficiently as possible.

What is a GRC Advisor?

There are 2 types of GRC advisors:

  1. Those who help with readiness assessment and documentation.

    Example:  Coalfire, Mirai Security
  1. Those who help with implementation to help set up your environment and configure it to meet requirements. 

    Examples: Coalfire, Mirai Security, StackArmor, Steel Patriot Partners

How is Paramify Different from an Advisor?

Paramify is complementary to the work GRC advisors provide and used by top GRC advisory firms

Paramify automates security planning and compliance documentation. Our solution is the most efficient documentation method available. It can be used by advisors for their clients or by an in-house team, depending on the circumstances.

recommendation for Paramify from a GRC user

With or without an advisor you risk spending 85% more on your documentation than you would by automating your documentation with Paramify. 

Many top advisors work with Paramify to help their customers reduce cost, build excellent security posture, and create accurate documentation fast. 

An advisor can work with you through the entire lifecycle of your compliance goals or you can also choose to have them do specific tasks. 

The differences between using Paramify for documentation and security planning and using a GRC advisor to complete compliance
→ Connect with one of our recommended advisors

Choosing Paramify vs a GRC Advisor

Paramify alone may be right for you if . . .

If you have a strong security program and an in-house GRC team: you may be ready to take on compliance yourself. 

When you use Paramify as an awesome Iron-Man suit you’ll spend less, move faster and get documentation that’s more accurate and easier to maintain.

→ Request a free Paramify demo

2 Big Signs You Should Hire a GRC Advisor 

1- Your security program is very immature.

It’s probably time to call an advisor if you don’t have any security compliance expertise and want to pursue security certifications or authorization like CMMC, StateRAMP, FedRAMP, etc.  

An advisor can offer support through the whole process – start to end. When you’re getting started, that can be helpful and reduce the risk of expensive mistakes. 

Getting your security program wrong just isn’t worth the extra costs and risk. An advisor can make sure you remediate requirements correctly, get the details of documentation right, and help you prepare for a successful audit. 

If this is your first foray into compliance – we advise you to get an advisor.  

2- You don’t have dedicated GRC personnel 

Sometimes organizations don’t have a dedicated GRC guru. In these cases the head of security or head of technology may oversee security implementation but need someone to handle the compliance piece of the puzzle. 

An advisor can help keep things on track.

Still not sure? 

You can always start with an inexpensive gap assessment that can be used by an in-house team or by an advisor to manage solution implementation. 

Our team would be happy to suggest whether an advisor would be a fit for your organization in your assessment. 

Schedule your gap assessment 

When to Bring in a GRC Advisor 

The ideal time to hire an advisor is after you get your gap assessment report. 

Paramify’s quick, inexpensive intake session can help you learn your gaps in just 30-60 minutes. When we see the scope of your project we can consider your time frame and recommend whether or not an advisor will be a more feasible option for you or if your internal team is enough. 

Your gap assessment will also guide potential advisors to implement your security more efficiently. 

Consider working with one of our partners if you know an advisor is the right path for your organization. You’ll get the long-term benefits of automated documentation and the support of an advisor this way. 

Long-term Benefits of Compliance with Paramify

Whether you use Paramify with an advisor or in-house you’ll get the same long-term benefits: 

→ Request a free video demo of Paramify

Next Steps

Getting compliant and tackling compliance documentation is no small feat. Now that you understand the difference between Paramify and an advisor you can confidently make the best decision for your organization.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out anytime. 

Schedule your free personal demo now or request a demo video below: 

Learn More:

Read: Why templates are outdated and put your security at risk

Watch: How Risk Solutions make compliance documentation simple

Listen: Check out the Paramify podcast for GRC industry insights

Dec 2024
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Once authorized, can I sell to any federal agency?

Yes — authorization can be reused by multiple agencies via the FedRAMP Marketplace, but some agencies may request additional requirements.

How is FedRAMP 20x different from traditional FedRAMP?

20x introduces automation, key security indicators (KSIs), continuous monitoring validation, and streamlined authorization (sometimes without sponsor requirements).

Compare KSIs to Rev 5 controls

What are the most common reasons for delays or failures in FedRAMP authorization?

Incomplete documentation, insufficient evidence, failing initial gap assessments, lack of executive support, and underestimating resource requirements.

How to create the most accurate documentation for audit success

What's the difference between FedRAMP and other frameworks (SOC 2, CMMC, ISO 27001)?

FedRAMP is U.S. government-specific and NIST-based, more prescriptive and granular than commercial standards.

How do inherited controls from my cloud infrastructure provider (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) work?

FedRAMP allows CSPs to “inherit” controls from IaaS providers; you must document and verify this inheritance with shared responsibility models.

What kind of technical controls are required under FedRAMP?

Controls follow NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 (with additional FedRAMP overlays) — covering access control, incident response, risk assessment, configuration management, etc.

→ Get your custom accelerated FedRAMP implementation roadmap

How often do I need to update and submit security documentation?

At minimum: 

  • Monthly POAMs and vulnerability scans
  • Annual security assessments
  • Ad hoc submissions for significant changes.

What is a POA&M?

Plan of Action and Milestones: a document tracking remediation plans for open vulnerabilities, findings, and compliance issues.

→ Learn more about POAMs

What is continuous monitoring (ConMon) and why is it important?

ConMon involves ongoing assessments, vulnerability scanning, reporting POAMs, and keeping security posture current post-authorization.

What documentation is required for FedRAMP?

Major deliverables include a System Security Plan (SSP), Security Assessment Plan (SAP), Security Assessment Report (SAR), Plan of Actions and Milestones (POA&M), Continuous Monitoring (ConMon) documentation, policies/procedures, and more.

Do I need an agency sponsor?

Yes, for now. But, agency sponsorship requirements are evolving — FedRAMP 20x does not require a sponsor.

How do I pick the best 3PAO for my project?

Consider experience with similar environments, references, price, and knowledge of specific cloud implementations.

Find the best assessor for your CSP with these tips

What is a 3PAO?

A Third Party Assessment Organization is an accredited independent assessor that conducts key security testing and assessment for FedRAMP. 

→ Find a recommended 3PAO

How much does FedRAMP Authorization cost?
  • Initial costs range from ~$150k to $3M+ for gap assessments, remediation, 3PAO audits, and documentation/reporting. 
  • Annual costs can range from $50k to $1m to maintain documentation, do continuous monitoring, and resource allocation. 

→ Learn more about what FedRAMP could cost your organization and whether or not it’s worth the effort

How long does it take to achieve FedRAMP Authorization?

Typical processes take 6–24 months. Paramify accelerates the process to take between 1-10 months with a fully prepared package in less than a month. 

Your timeline will vary depending on your impact level, whether you take a manual or automated approach to implementation & documentation, and PMO wait times.

→ Learn about the FedRAMP Authorization process and what it costs.

What’s the difference between FedRAMP Ready, FedRAMP In Process, and FedRAMP Authorized?
  • Ready: Preliminary review for capability and documentation.
  • In Process: CSP is actively working toward authorization, usually with an agency sponsor or as part of the JAB program.
  • Authorized: Successfully completed security assessment and continuous monitoring.
What are the different impact levels for FedRAMP?

Low, Moderate, and High — based on the type and sensitivity of federal data hosted (FIPS 199 categories: confidentiality, integrity, availability).

→ Get the details on impact level to know which impact level is right for you.

Do You Need FedRAMP?

Any cloud service provider (CSP) that wants to sell cloud products or services to U.S. federal agencies must be FedRAMP authorized.

→ Learn more to find out if FedRAMP is a good choice for your cloud-based business.

What is FedRAMP

FedRAMP stands for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program; it standardizes the security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services used by U.S. federal agencies.

How long will it take to generate my SSP?

If you’re new to FedRAMP: The time required depends on how long it takes to implement your security controls. With Paramify’s living gap assessment dashboard, you can build your compliance roadmap and generate documents instantly with one click.

If you’re already FedRAMP authorized: It can take as little as 3.5 hours or up to a week.

Can you help me transition from NIST 800-53 Rev 4 to Rev 5?

Yes! No one will help you transition to FedRAMP Rev 5 as affordably and painlessly as Paramify. Learn how you can make a seamless, inexpensive transition to Rev 5.

I already have an advisor or very capable GRC team. Why do I need Paramify?

Use Paramify's Risk Solution platform to automate ATO packages, improving cost efficiency, speed, and accuracy. This frees your team to focus on more valuable efforts like security posture enhancement and compliance improvements.

Can I really generate my SSP in hours?

Are your security controls in place and do you have the certifications and authorizations you need? Then yes, hours it is.  

Here’s how one company got their SSP in 3.5 hours

If you’re in an earlier stage, you may have some security controls in place, but aren’t quite sure which controls need to be satisfied to meet your compliance goals. 

Paramify will help you find the gaps in your security program and help you coordinate with your team to address them. 

After our intake, you can print your documents at any point. How quickly you can implement your security goals is the only factor in how long it will take you to have a fully accurate and complete SSP. 

Do Paramify ATO packages pass audits?

A well-known 3PAO has told us that our customers “are better prepared than other CSPs.” 

Our customers have received positive feedback on the accuracy and consistency of their ATO Packages. The Risk Solutions methodology has also been successful at increasing the efficiency and ease of the auditing process. 

So yes, the audits are going well. 

Can I use my existing SSP?

Yes, we offer this service and have provided it for many clients. Most of our customers, including those for whom we’ve ingested their SSP, have found that starting from scratch and adopting the full power of Risk Solutions was the better option.

Can I install Paramify on premises in five minutes?

Probably. 

Paramify leverages an open-source technology KOTS (Kubernetes-Off-The-Shelf) to make self-hosted installations as fast and straight-forward as possible. Paramify can be deployed to most cloud providers that support Kubernetes such as AWS, Azure, and others. 

Air-gapped and bare-metal solutions are also available. 

Depending on the configuration, you may need to provide some capabilities, such as persistent storage, SMTP, SSO (Google, Okta, etc.), and Ingress Controllers/Load Balancers.

What are Risk Solutions?

Risk Solutions is Paramify’s unique method for streamlining and accelerating the compliance document process. With Risk Solutions you can create OSCAL SSPs in days, not months.

A Risk Solution is a capability your organization uses, plans to use, or does not yet have. Updating one Risk Solution will automatically update every control and document that it maps to. Importantly, they satisfy controls from most any framework.

Paramify keeps a library of battle-tested Risk Solutions that are audited and certified many times over. You can use Risk Solutions as-is, customize them, or write your own.

Learn more about how Risk Solutions simplify compliance.

See our blog post for a step-by-step guide on how to build and deploy a Risk Solution framework