Prepare for the FedRAMP Low baseline with less manual effort

The FedRAMP Low baseline is the set of 156 NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 security controls a cloud service must implement to be certified for low impact US federal use. Low impact means a loss of confidentiality, integrity or availability would have a limited adverse effect on an agency. It is the smallest full FedRAMP Rev. 5 baseline, below Moderate and High.

FedRAMP Rev. 5 Low contains 156 controls and control enhancements across 18 NIST SP 800-53 families. That compares with 323 for Moderate and 410 for High. Identification and Authentication is the largest family in the Low baseline with 16 controls, followed by System and Communications Protection with 14. The Program Management and PII Processing families are not part of the baseline.

Both are for low impact cloud services, but LI-SaaS (Low Impact Software as a Service) is a tailored baseline for simple SaaS applications that do not store personal data beyond login details, with a lighter documentation and testing burden. Low is the full 156-control baseline. Under FedRAMP's Consolidated Rules for 2026, both are grouped into Certification Class B.

Class B is FedRAMP's new label, under the Consolidated Rules for 2026, for the assurance level that includes the former Low and LI-SaaS baselines. FedRAMP now says Certification rather than Authorization, and Classes A to D rather than Low, Moderate and High. FedRAMP stresses that classes describe the assurance a provider supplies, not a one-for-one replacement for agency impact levels.

Yes. FedRAMP will stop accepting new Rev. 5 certification applications on 11 June 2027, and existing Rev. 5 certifications remain active until at least 31 December 2028. FedRAMP 20x is the successor, using Key Security Indicators and automated, machine-readable evidence. Its Class B and C pipeline opened on 31 August 2026, and Rev. 5 holders are told to plan their transition now.

Under Rev. 5, a provider generally needs a federal agency sponsor that authorises the service first. The provider implements the 156 Low controls, documents its security decisions, and has an independent assessor test them. The agency issues its authorisation and FedRAMP then certifies the service. A limited program route without a sponsor exists only for certain eligible providers until June 2027.

They overlap but are not interchangeable. FedRAMP Low prescribes specific NIST SP 800-53 controls and a federal assessment process, while SOC 2 and ISO 27001 are commercial attestations and certifications. Many controls, such as access management, logging and incident response, are shared, so an existing SOC 2 or ISO 27001 programme gives a strong head start on the Low baseline.

FedRAMP Rev. 5 Low is mapped in OneClickComply's control library and is available on request. You can map your existing controls to the 156 Low controls, collect evidence automatically and reuse work from SOC 2 or ISO 27001. OneClickComply does not issue FedRAMP certifications; certification comes from FedRAMP after agency authorisation and independent assessment.