Why Security Architectures Need a Paradigm Shift

Cloud-native technology has increased both operational agility and the attack surface. Security incidents in cloud platforms are on the rise, affecting the majority of organizations. The castle-and-moat model -internal trusted zones versus the outside world -no longer works, since cloud-native apps distribute workloads across zones and locations, with microservices communicating hundreds of times per transaction.

Saaras’ Istio FIPS Subscription ensures that security is enforced everywhere, not just at the network edge. It is built on completely upstream Istioservice mesh controls provide continuous encryption, authentication, and authorization for every service-to-service and end-user interaction, preventing lateral movement -the core threat in distributed cloud environments.

Zero Trust Architecture: Saaras as the Foundation for Cloud-Native Security

Zero trust assumes breach and enforces every access request, everywhere. With Saaras, zero trust is realized through:

1. Encryption in Transit: All communications are encrypted using FIPS-validated cryptographic modules.
2. Mutual Service Authentication: Automatic certificate-managed authentication between every microservice.
3. Mutual Service Authorization: Fine-grained authorization for each communication, based on service identity and policies.
4. End-User Authentication and Authorization: Integration with identity providers, enforcing least-privilege access down to the end-user and service level.

Saaras implements these zero trust pillars directly in the service mesh, ensuring security is consistent and transparent across your application landscape.

Federal Authorization: FedRAMP and NIST Controls

FedRAMP is the gold standard for federal cloud security, setting requirements that every service provider must meet. Saaras includes FIPS-certified cryptographic modules and provides all the documentation and expert support needed to streamline the FedRAMP Authority to Operate (ATO) process. Saaras makes it easier to meet controls in the NIST 800-53 family, including those newly added in Revision 5 for supply chain security and continuous monitoring.

Saaras’ FIPS subscription supports rapid and auditable compliance across:

• FedRAMP (with dedicated compliance-ready builds and documentation)
• FISMA, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOX, DoD IL5/6 -by providing validated, audit-trail checked cryptography and security operations
• All major government and regulated industry mandates

The Role of FIPS 140-3 Cryptographic Standards

At the core of Saaras is a FIPS-validated cryptography foundation. Saaras compiles Istio with FIPS 140-2 and moves rapidly towards 140-3 for all cryptographic modules, ensuring that deployments meet and exceed federal contracting requirements. These modules are submitted to and validated by NIST-accredited labs, listed in the CMVP database, and seamlessly integrated into your Istio service mesh.

Saaras supports Level 1 and Level 2 modules for most cloud-native deployments, striking a balance between stringent federal requirements and operational performance.

FIPS Validation and Verification in Practice

Simply plugging in a FIPS library isn’t enough - Saaras’ approach includes:

• Prebuilt, pre-validated modules avoiding misconfiguration or version mismatches
• End-to-end integration, including verification that cryptographic controls are called correctly in every service interaction
• Audit-ready documentation and lab-validated certificates included with every subscription

This turns cryptographic compliance from a project risk into a deployment advantage.

Implementing Zero Trust with Saaras and FIPS Validation

Saaras provides a phased approach:

1. Assessment: Document existing architecture, locate communication paths, and identify protection needs.
2. Identity and Access: Integrated PKI and access management automation leveraging validated crypto.
3. Encryption: Automated mutual TLS and encryption in transit for every workload, using only FIPS-validated modules.
4. Policy Enforcement and Monitoring: Enforced zero-trust policies, continuous monitoring, alerting, and compliance reporting.
5. Data Protection: WASM and extensible filters for context-aware, fine-grained data security and traffic analysis.

Supply Chain Security and Compliance Monitoring

Saaras supports advanced supply chain security practices including audit evidence for software provenance, container signing, and CI/CD pipeline validation. Integrated compliance monitoring collects and reports telemetry and enforcement status, enabling rapid incident response and continuous compliance.

Accelerating FedRAMP Authorization and Beyond

Saaras reduces compliance timelines with:

• Prebuilt documentation and compliance automation for NIST and FedRAMP controls
• Expert support for audits, configuration review, and continuous improvement
• Integrated reference architecture patterns -proven in federal and regulated enterprise environments

Conclusion

Saaras’ Istio FIPS Subscription uniquely delivers zero trust, advanced cryptographic validation, and regulatory compliance required for serving federal agencies and regulated industries. As perimeter-based security fades, only platforms with validated, dynamic security controls can adapt to modern risks.

With Saaras, organizations meet stringent FedRAMP and NIST requirements, accelerate their authorization journey, and maintain a secure, agile cloud-native operation now and into the future.

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