The challenges OSCAL NOW addresses and solves

Cybersecurity threats are everywhere, and the rules keep changing – putting a significant strain on businesses struggling to keep up. It has become necessary to have a strong cybersecurity posture to protect proprietary and customer data, but the challenge often feels overwhelming. Enter the Open Security Controls Assessment Language (OSCAL)! 

OSCAL is a framework created to standardize the documentation and exchange of security control information. This standardization is helpful for organizations working with the government or those looking for a process to follow to meet current cybersecurity standards. Pathways Consulting Group recognized the difficulties involved in regular cybersecurity upkeep and introduced a groundbreaking solution: OSCAL NOW. This ServiceNow app is a game-changer for businesses that must navigate modern cybersecurity.

The OSCAL challenge

For many organizations, understanding OSCAL requirements can be a daunting task. The Open Security Controls Assessment Language facilitates a streamlined, consistent approach to security documentation and assessment. Originally developed for government contractors, the standardized process has also become attractive to private organizations. However, the creation of System Security Plans (SSPs) and other necessary documents in the OSCALformat involves a large amount of time and resources, making it difficult to maintain compliance, frustrating to manage the extensive documentation, and requiring constant upkeep to ensure the security controls remain up-to-date.  

Pathways’ innovative solution: OSCAL NOW

Pathways Consulting Group has leveraged our expertise on the ServiceNow platformto bring you OSCAL NOW – an innovative ServiceNow add-on to simplify the OSCAL compliance and SSP creation process. OSCAL NOW seamlessly integrates with your existing ServiceNow environment, providing an intuitive and user-friendly platform for the creation, submission, and management of SSPs. 

Streamlining the compliance processes

At its core, OSCAL NOW makes compliance easy. This app automatically updates to current OSCALstandards, pulls information from the ServiceNow environment to create the SSP, allows users to easily update and alter the information as needed, and then creates a machine-readable XML SSP at the click of a button. This document can be downloaded straight from the app and comes ready for FedRAMP validation. It helps businesses stay ahead of regulatory changes, saving them time and money, while also reducing the risk of falling out of compliance. 

Centralizing document management

One of the biggest hurdles for compliance management is an organization’s ability to maintain an organized repository of documents. OSCAL NOW centralizes all SSP data within the ServiceNow environment, providing a single location for document versioning that is easily accessible and manageable. This consolidation is crucial for businesses, as it eliminates the traditionally scattered nature of document storage and retrieval.

Enhancing security and risk management

Pathways’ OSCAL NOW enhances the standardization of cybersecurity and risk management. By formalizing the documentation and exchange of security information, Pathways allows organizations to ensure that they can effectively manage and communicate their security postures. It is about more than just compliance; it is about creating an enterprise-wide culture of transparency and accountability and protecting customer data. 

Paving the way to simplified compliance with Pathways

The creation and introduction of OSCAL NOW marks the beginning of a complete reconfiguration of the SSP creation process. This solution provides organizations with the flexibility to create SSPs that match their organizational hierarchy with automatic adjustments to maintain compliance, automatic data collection, and automatic file creation. 

Gone are the days of hundreds of pages of manual entry – with OSCAL NOW, you can create an updated, machine-readable XML file at the click of a button. Pathways has not only simplified the entire process but has empowered businesses to take a proactive approach to their own cybersecurity and risk management. 

Welcome to the future of cybersecurity compliance. Welcome to OSCAL NOW by Pathways Consulting Group, innovators since 2006.