ATO in a Box: Simplifying Compliance for Software Vendors with Chainguard and Ask Sage

At Chainguard, we’re all about simplifying complex engineering and security challenges for our customers, especially when it comes to compliance in highly regulated environments. One of the most significant hurdles for software vendors looking to sell to the government is achieving an Authorization to Operate (ATO), a process that is often costly and time-consuming.

That’s why we’re excited to share our customer Ask Sage’s ATO in a Box, a solution the Ask Sage team created that demonstrates how combining Chainguard’s secure containers with automation and AI can dramatically reduce the time and cost required to achieve an ATO.

The Challenge of Traditional ATO Processes 

Achieving an ATO has long been a cumbersome, manual, and expensive process. For software vendors or system integrators looking to deploy or sell their software to the government market, it typically involves extensive documentation, subject matter expertise,  and rigorous testing before even getting close to meeting the strict security standards of most Authorizing Officials (AOs).

The result? A multi-year, multimillion-dollar effort for many vendors. And for startups or smaller teams, that makes the federal market out of reach.

ATO in a Box: A Smarter Path to ATO

With the combination of Chainguard Containers and Ask Sage’s ATO in a Box, organizations can now streamline compliance efforts and unlock new markets. Here’s how it works:

1. Build with Chainguard’s Secure Container Images: At the heart of ATO in a Box is Chainguard’s FIPS-validated, zero-CVE containers. These hardened images come with security built-in, ensuring that your software is compliant from the start and stays that way. This means no more worrying about vulnerabilities or spending time on security patches.

2. Ingest Documentation and Automate Evidence Collection: Set up your In a Box system by ingesting documentation about your use case into Ask Sage. It will extract all the relevant information from your documentation.

3. Use Generative AI to Build Your Compliance Package: ATO in a Box automates risk assessments and converts your unstructured data into structured, compliance-ready documents. The result is a faster, more reliable ATO process that meets regulatory requirements without the traditional delays.

While ATO remains a high bar, it doesn’t have to be a blocker to getting your product or services in the hands of government agencies. By starting with a secure software supply chain and automating the path to compliance, software vendors can enter the federal space faster—with less cost and less complexity.

Want to see it in action? Explore how Ask Sage leveraged Chainguard and its own GenAI platform to achieve compliance at record speed—reducing its CVE count to zero without breaking the bank. And see how Chainguard Containers helps organizations across government and commercial industries achieve compliance goals like FedRAMP and PCI DSS.