Two paths, side by side.
The questions that come up on every scoping call. FedRAMP Rev 4 versus Rev 5. SOC 2 versus ISO 27001. IL4 versus IL5. CMMC Level 2 versus Level 3. Each comparison is a practitioner read — the real differences, the decision rules, and the bottom line.
FedRAMP Rev 4 vs FedRAMP Rev 5
The control-catalog change that every authorized CSP had to absorb. New families, restructured enhancements, a harder evidence bar — and what happens to authorizations that never finished the transition.
SOC 2 vs ISO 27001
The two commercial security frameworks enterprise buyers ask for. One is a North American attestation, the other a global certification. They overlap 70-80% — here's which to do first, and when you need both.
DoD IL4 vs DoD IL5
Both are DoD cloud authorizations above FedRAMP. IL4 handles CUI; IL5 handles mission-critical CUI and unclassified National Security Systems. The v1r3 delta between them is where CSPs lose quarters.
CMMC Level 2 vs CMMC Level 3
Level 2 protects CUI with 110 NIST 800-171 controls, assessed by a C3PAO. Level 3 adds NIST 800-172 enhancements against advanced threats, assessed by DIBCAC. Most contractors need Level 2 — here's how to tell.
NIST SP 800-171 vs NIST SP 800-53
800-171 protects CUI in nonfederal systems — the basis of CMMC. 800-53 is the full federal control catalog — the basis of FedRAMP. They're related but serve different audiences. Here's how they connect.
FedRAMP vs DoD CC SRG
Both authorize cloud services for government use, but for different governments-within-government. FedRAMP is the federal-wide baseline; the DoD CC SRG layers Impact Levels on top for defense workloads. Here's how they stack.
SCIF vs SAPF
Both are ICD 705-accredited secure spaces with near-identical construction — but a SCIF protects compartmented intelligence and a SAPF protects Special Access Program material. The data and the accrediting authority decide which you build.
AWS GovCloud vs Microsoft GCC High
The question defense startups ask backwards. GovCloud is your CUI application infrastructure; GCC High is your CUI productivity and collaboration tier. They solve different layers — most CUI-handling firms end up with both.
We map the right path in thirty minutes.
Most of these decisions aren't actually either-or — they're sequencing questions. A scoping call usually surfaces the right order and the parallel-versus-sequential tradeoff faster than another week of internal debate.
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