TX-RAMP Level 1

Why it Matters

TX-RAMP Level 1 establishes essential security baselines, helping organizations responsibly manage and protect public data in Texas government cloud environments.

Key benefits include:

• Strengthen security governance

Promote systematic oversight of cloud-based security controls, fostering accountability and structured risk management for less sensitive data.

• Enhance compliance oversight

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

• Promote operational resilience

Help minimize risks of service disruption by requiring clear incident response planning and operational risk controls for cloud systems.

• Increase audit readiness

Enable organizations to maintain complete documentation and consistent security practices, improving preparedness for state-level audits and assessments.

• Improve vendor management

Require cloud providers to demonstrate minimum cybersecurity standards, supporting better third-party risk management across the state’s public sector ecosystem.

How it Works

TX-RAMP Level 1 structures its requirements around a set of baseline security controls tailored for cloud solutions used by Texas state agencies. Drawing on control families similar to those found in federal standards like FedRAMP and NIST SP 800-53, TX-RAMP outlines minimum safeguards in domains such as access control, risk management, incident response, and regulatory compliance. These controls are organized in a way that addresses foundational security and privacy risks relevant to public sector cloud environments.

In practice, organizations seeking TX-RAMP Level 1 certification map their cloud service offerings to the required security controls by conducting risk assessments, implementing required safeguards, and documenting policies and procedures. Ongoing compliance is maintained through continuous monitoring, regular self-assessments, evidence collection, and readiness for external audits. These activities help ensure alignment with state regulatory expectations and support broader governance objectives.

SmartSuite supports operationalization of TX-RAMP Level 1 by providing control libraries for mapping requirements, a centralized risk register to track risks and mitigations, and modules for policy governance and evidence collection. Organizations can simplify compliance monitoring, document remediation activities, facilitate audit readiness, and use reporting dashboards for real-time oversight of their TX-RAMP compliance posture.

Key Elements

• Baseline Security Controls

Organizes minimum required cybersecurity measures necessary for protecting non-confidential data within cloud environments.

• Access Management Requirements

Specifies criteria for user authentication, authorization, and identity lifecycle handling in public-sector cloud services.

• Data Handling and Protection

Describes processes and controls for managing, storing, and safeguarding non-confidential state information.

• Incident Response Measures

Establishes expectations for detecting, reporting, and managing security events and incidents.

• Operational Risk Management

Outlines procedures for identifying, assessing, and mitigating operational risks specific to cloud-hosted services.

• Assessment and Compliance Oversight

Defines DIR’s assessment process and ongoing compliance monitoring for authorized cloud service providers.

Framework Scope

TX-RAMP Level 1 is used by Texas state agencies and cloud service providers responsible for managing non-confidential public-sector data in cloud environments. The framework governs the implementation of baseline cybersecurity controls, risk management practices, and operational safeguards, and is typically adopted to comply with state oversight requirements while supporting cybersecurity program assurance and foundational compliance activities.

Framework Objectives

TX-RAMP Level 1 defines baseline cybersecurity and risk management standards for cloud-based non-confidential data used by Texas government agencies.

Establish minimum security controls for safeguarding public-sector data in cloud environments

Strengthen cybersecurity governance and oversight for state agency cloud services

Support regulatory compliance with Texas Department of Information Resources requirements

Improve data protection and risk management for less sensitive workloads

Enable enhanced operational resilience and incident response capabilities

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

Framework in Context

TX-RAMP Level 1 aligns cloud security requirements with FedRAMP baselines and maps to NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, often correlating controls to CIS Critical Security Controls. Organizations implement TX-RAMP Level 1 when authorizing cloud services for Texas state agencies, demonstrating regulatory compliance, or improving governance and operational security.

Common Framework Mappings

Organizations commonly map TX‑RAMP Level 1 controls to established frameworks to simplify authorization, demonstrate cloud security baselines, use 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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