Partial CUI Compliance
1 NIST 800-171 gaps detected. Not FedRAMP authorized for cloud components. Strong endpoint DLP with deep visibility. Popular with defense contractors but requires documented risk acceptance.
Digital Guardian
by Fortra
FedRAMP Status
Not FedRAMP Authorized
Impact Level
N/A
Category
Data Loss Prevention
Overview
Digital Guardian (now Fortra) provides endpoint-focused data loss prevention with deep visibility into data movement. Popular with defense contractors for its strong endpoint DLP capabilities. Cloud components are not FedRAMP authorized — the on-premises deployment option may be preferable for CUI environments.
CUI Risk Assessment
Not FedRAMP authorized for cloud components. Strong endpoint DLP with deep visibility. Popular with defense contractors but requires documented risk acceptance.
Deployment & Architecture
Deployment Model: Hybrid (cloud + on-prem)
Digital Guardian has no FedRAMP authorization on record. DFARS 252.204-7012(b)(2)(ii)(D) requires an external cloud service provider to meet security requirements equivalent to the FedRAMP Moderate baseline — an authorization is the straightforward way to show that, but it is not the only one. Without one, the burden is on you to establish, document, and defend equivalency, and to meet the clause's incident-reporting and media-preservation obligations. Most contractors find an authorized alternative cheaper than carrying that burden.
Migration Checklist
- 1ISSO must document immediate risk acceptance for Digital Guardian cloud components in POA&M with mitigation timeline per NIST 800-171 requirement 3.13.8.
- 2System administrator shall disable all cloud-based Digital Guardian features including analytics dashboards and remote management capabilities.
- 3ISSO must update authorization boundary diagrams removing Digital Guardian cloud services and documenting on-premises components only.
- 4Security team must configure enhanced logging for all Digital Guardian policy violations to compensate for reduced cloud analytics per NIST 800-171 AU family.
- 5System administrator shall implement network segmentation isolating Digital Guardian management servers from internet connectivity.
- 6ISSO must conduct data flow analysis documenting all CUI categories monitored by Digital Guardian endpoints within authorization boundary.
- 7Contracts officer must verify Digital Guardian usage complies with DFARS 252.204-7012 adequate security requirements for CUI processing.
- 8ISSO shall create incident response procedures for Digital Guardian alerts without relying on cloud-based threat intelligence feeds.
- 9System administrator must establish alternative monitoring solutions for network-level DLP to compensate for disabled cloud features.
- 10ISSO must schedule quarterly compliance reviews of Digital Guardian configuration against CMMC Level 2 requirements for SC.3.177 and SC.3.190.
NIST 800-171 Violations
Using Digital Guardian for CUI without FedRAMP authorization may violate these NIST 800-171 controls:
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FedRAMP Compliant Alternatives
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Digital Guardian FedRAMP authorized?
The cloud-hosted version is not FedRAMP authorized. The on-premises deployment can be hosted in your own FedRAMP authorized environment. Document your deployment model in your SSP.
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