Authority to Operate 101: An Overview
Looking to work with the federal government? Did you know that you may need to acquire an ATO (Authority to Operate) in order to legally handle federal data? An ATO is a formal declaration by a senior official that an information system has met specific security requirements and is approved to operate within a specific environment, based on an evaluation and acceptance of any remaining risk.
For many small businesses, navigating the ATO process can feel overwhelming. It’s complex, documentation-heavy, and often requires expertise and staffing that lean teams simply don’t have in-house. That's why we're offering a one-hour introductory webinar, in partnership with RapidFort, that provides a plain-language overview of the ATO process for teams new to working with the federal government. Designed for beginners, this session breaks down what an ATO is, why it’s required, and how the Risk Management Framework (RMF) is used to assess and manage cybersecurity risk, without assuming prior compliance or security experience.
If federal opportunities are on your roadmap but compliance feels like a barrier, this session is your starting point. Register today to gain clarity and take the first step toward ATO readiness.
Presenter: Henry J. Sienkiewicz is a seasoned cybersecurity meta-theorist, educator, and author with over three decades of experience in the public and private sectors. He is on faculty at Georgetown and George Washington Universities. where he teaches graduate courses in cybersecurity, information assurance, and applied intelligence. His research work focuses on trust architectures, cyber risk frameworks, artificial intelligence, and digital sovereignty. He sits on multiple corporate and non-profit boards. A retired member of the federal Senior Executive Service (SES), Mr. Sienkiewicz served as the Chief Information Officer and Authorizing Official (AO) for the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). He recently co-founded the Institute for Cyber Executive Education. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a graduate degree from the Johns Hopkins University. He retired as an Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel.