Authorizing information systems to operate
Now that you have tested your information systems' security controls, validating that the controls have been effectively implemented and that they are operating as expected, it is now time to prepare for the system to be approved for production use.
This step in the process is referred to as system authorization. The purpose of this step is to allow an officially designated senior leader within the organization to decide whether an information system will be approved for production use, or whether a current operating system can continue to be used.
An authorizing official has options when it comes to deciding how they will treat a system that is requesting to operate on the production network.
The authorizing official can do the following:
- Authorize the system to operate:
- In this case, the authorizing official approves the system based on the evidence provided, and allows the system to go to production
- The system may have one or more Plan of Actions...