The US Government is signing a whole load of cloud computing contracts - so what's the rush?

• FedRAMP 20x has drastically cut the time it takes for the US Government to approve a service
• Automation and artificial intelligence can take some of the stress off manual processes
• The GSA is also making moves to centralize procurement to get better deals

The US Government's Federal Risk and Authorisation Management Programme (FedRAMP) has already approved 114 cloud computing services in fiscal 2025, more than double the total number of approved services the previous year.

FedRAMP 20x is to be thanked for the boost – a Biden-era initiative that lives on under the Trump administration, that's aimed at modernizing cloud authorization by cutting down the amount of documentation needed, enabling automation and streamlining decision-making.

In 2024, an Office of Management and Budget memo detailed how a " a standardized, reusable approach to security assessments and authorizations for cloud computing products and services" could speed the existing process ...