How to Break Into FedRAMP & Cloud Compliance in 2026

RMF Academy: https://www.rmfacademy.io/

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:18 From NSA Engineer to Cybersecurity Entrepreneur

02:12 How Ajay Got Started in RMF

03:30 Building a FedRAMP Business

04:06 Starting a Cybersecurity Company

08:28 Career Advice for Cybersecurity Professionals

12:45 What a FedRAMP Engineering Company Does

15:24 How Companies Prepare for FedRAMP

19:45 FedRAMP Explained

23:52 Common FedRAMP Mistakes

25:35 Continuous Monitoring Explained

28:05 How to Break Into FedRAMP Careers

32:02 AI Governance, GRC Engineering & Cybersecurity

40:13 FedRAMP 20x & OSCAL Explained

44:10 Skills Needed for Future Cybersecurity Careers

47:50 Entrepreneurship & Building a Team

50:20 Career Advice for the Next Generation

52:00 Closing Thoughts

In this episode of the Tech Woke Podcast, Christopher Okpala sits down with Ajay Chandhok, CEO of Stratus Cyber, to discuss his journey from engineering and cybersecurity into building a company that manages FedRAMP and CMMC environments for government and commercial clients. Ajay shares how he got started in RMF, transitioned into the FedRAMP space, built a cybersecurity business, and what it takes to support cloud environments operating at FedRAMP Moderate and High authorization levels.

We also dive into FedRAMP careers, continuous monitoring, cloud compliance, FedRAMP 20x, OSCAL, AI's impact on cybersecurity, and the future of compliance engineering. Whether you're interested in RMF, GRC, FedRAMP, cloud security, government contracting, or building a cybersecurity business, this conversation provides valuable insights into one of the fastest-growing areas of cybersecurity and compliance.