Why it Matters

TX-RAMP Level 1 establishes essential security baselines, helpingorganizations responsibly manage and protect public data in Texasgovernment cloud environments.

Key benefits include:

• Strengthen security governance

Promotesystematic oversight of cloud-based security controls, fosteringaccountability and structured risk management for less sensitivedata.

• Enhance compliance oversight

Supportorganizations in meeting Texas state regulatory requirements,facilitating transparency and adherence during compliance reviews.

• Promote operational resilience

Help minimizerisks of service disruption by requiring clear incident responseplanning and robust operational risk controls for cloud systems.

• Increase audit readiness

Enableorganizations to maintain comprehensive documentation and consistentsecurity practices, improving preparedness for state-level audits andassessments.

• Improve vendor management

Require cloudproviders to demonstrate minimum cybersecurity standards, supportingbetter third-party risk management across the state’s public sectorecosystem.

How it Works

TX-RAMP Level 1 structures its requirements around a set of baselinesecurity controls tailored for cloud solutions used by Texas stateagencies. Drawing on control families similar to those found infederal standards like FedRAMP and NIST SP 800-53, TX-RAMP outlinesminimum safeguards in domains such as access control, riskmanagement, incident response, and regulatory compliance. Thesecontrols are organized in a way that addresses foundational securityand privacy risks relevant to public sector cloud environments.

In practice, organizations seeking TX-RAMP Level 1 certification maptheir cloud service offerings to the required security controls byconducting risk assessments, implementing required safeguards, anddocumenting policies and procedures. Ongoing compliance is maintainedthrough continuous monitoring, regular self-assessments, evidencecollection, and readiness for external audits. These activities helpensure alignment with state regulatory expectations and supportbroader governance objectives.

SmartSuite supports operationalization of TX-RAMP Level 1 byproviding control libraries for mapping requirements, a centralizedrisk register to track risks and mitigations, and modules for policygovernance and evidence collection. Organizations can streamlinecompliance monitoring, document remediation activities, facilitateaudit readiness, and leverage reporting dashboards for real-timeoversight of their TX-RAMP compliance posture.

Key Elements

• Baseline Security Controls

Organizes minimumrequired cybersecurity measures necessary for protectingnon-confidential data within cloud environments.

• Access Management Requirements

Specifiescriteria for user authentication, authorization, and identitylifecycle handling in public-sector cloud services.

• Data Handling and Protection

Describesprocesses and controls for managing, storing, and safeguardingnon-confidential state information.

• Incident Response Measures

Establishesexpectations for detecting, reporting, and managing security eventsand incidents.

• Operational Risk Management

Outlinesprocedures for identifying, assessing, and mitigating operationalrisks specific to cloud-hosted services.

• Assessment and Compliance Oversight

Defines DIR’sassessment process and ongoing compliance monitoring for authorizedcloud service providers.

Framework Scope

TX-RAMP Level 1 is used by Texas state agencies and cloud serviceproviders responsible for managing non-confidential public-sectordata in cloud environments. The framework governs the implementationof baseline cybersecurity controls, risk management practices, andoperational safeguards, and is typically adopted to comply with stateoversight requirements while supporting cybersecurity programassurance and foundational compliance activities.

Framework Objectives

TX-RAMP Level 1 defines baseline cybersecurity and risk managementstandards for cloud-based non-confidential data used by Texasgovernment agencies.

Establish minimum security controls for safeguarding public-sectordata in cloud environments

Strengthen cybersecurity governance and oversight for state agencycloud services

Support regulatory compliance with Texas Department of InformationResources requirements

Improve data protection and risk management for less sensitiveworkloads

Enable enhanced operational resilience and incident responsecapabilities

Promote audit readiness and accountability for cloud serviceproviders and agencies TX-RAMP Level 1 aligns cloud securityrequirements with FedRAMP baselines and maps to NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, often correlating controls toCIS Critical Security Controls. Organizations implement TX-RAMP Level1 when authorizing cloud services for Texas state agencies,demonstrating regulatory compliance, or improving governance andoperational security.

Framework in Context

TX-RAMP Level 1aligns cloud security requirements with FedRAMP baselines and maps toNIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, oftencorrelating controls to CIS Critical Security Controls. Organizationsimplement TX-RAMP Level 1 when authorizing cloud services for Texasstate agencies, demonstrating regulatory compliance, or improvinggovernance and operational security.

Common Framework Mappings

Organizations commonly map TX‑RAMP Level 1 controls toestablished frameworks to streamline authorization, demonstrate cloudsecurity baselines, leverage existing audits, and align with federal,industry, and international compliance obligations.

Mapped frameworks include:

CIS Critical Security Controls

Cloud Security Alliance Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM)

FedRAMP High

FedRAMP Moderate

ISO/IEC 27001

NIST Cybersecurity Framework

NIST SP 800-171

NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5

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