Government-grade Kubernetes infrastructure
FedRAMP, FISMA, NIST 800-53, IL-4/IL-5 — we speak government. Our US-based team builds Kubernetes platforms that satisfy the strictest federal requirements.
Talk to a cleared engineerFederal IT Modernization Demands Specialized Expertise
Federal agencies and their contractor partners face a fundamental challenge: they must modernize IT systems to deliver better citizen services and mission outcomes while operating under the most demanding compliance frameworks in any sector. FedRAMP authorization can take 12-18 months and cost millions of dollars when approached incorrectly. FISMA compliance requires implementing hundreds of NIST 800-53 controls with documentation that auditors and inspectors general will scrutinize. For DoD programs, CMMC certification and Impact Level requirements add additional complexity that commercial cloud approaches simply do not address.
THNKBIG is a US-based Kubernetes consulting firm serving federal agencies, defense contractors, and government technology companies across Washington DC, Texas, California, and nationwide. Our team is 100% US citizens, eligible for security clearances, and experienced in the unique requirements of federal IT environments. We work with government technology teams in the DC metro area, Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and throughout the United States to build Kubernetes platforms that achieve Authority to Operate and satisfy the compliance requirements that government missions demand.
Whether you are a federal agency pursuing cloud modernization under the Cloud Smart strategy, a defense contractor supporting a DoD program with IL-4 or IL-5 requirements, or a GovTech company building FedRAMP-authorized SaaS offerings, your Kubernetes infrastructure must be designed for federal compliance from the foundation. We have helped organizations achieve IL-5 compliance in 90 days, pass FedRAMP assessments with zero findings, and implement the full NIST 800-53 control set on Kubernetes. Our approach is practical and focused on outcomes — we implement the controls that matter for your ATO, not checkbox exercises that delay authorization.
Government-Specific Kubernetes Solutions
FedRAMP Authorization Support
FedRAMP authorization requires implementing and documenting hundreds of security controls across your entire technology stack. We design Kubernetes platforms that satisfy FedRAMP Moderate and High baselines, implement continuous monitoring capabilities, and generate the evidence packages that assessors require. Our approach reduces authorization timelines by implementing controls correctly from the start rather than remediating findings during assessment. For organizations pursuing agency ATO or JAB provisional authorization, we provide the technical implementation and documentation support that successful authorization requires.
DoD Impact Level Compliance
Department of Defense workloads require infrastructure that satisfies Impact Level requirements — from IL-2 for publicly releasable information through IL-5 for Controlled Unclassified Information requiring higher protection. We design Kubernetes platforms on AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, and other IL-authorized cloud environments that implement the DISA STIGs, DoD security requirements guides, and continuous monitoring requirements that DoD programs demand. Our team has delivered IL-5 compliant platforms for defense contractors in 90 days, with zero security findings during assessment.
Classified Environment Architecture
Classified workloads require infrastructure that operates in isolated, air-gapped environments with strict access controls and security monitoring. Our team includes US citizens eligible for security clearances who understand the unique requirements of classified development environments. We design Kubernetes platforms for classified networks including disconnected operation, STIG-compliant configurations, and the security monitoring capabilities required by intelligence community and DoD security requirements.
State and Local Government Modernization
State and local governments face many of the same modernization challenges as federal agencies, often with fewer resources and less cloud expertise. We help state agencies, county governments, and municipal IT organizations implement Kubernetes platforms that satisfy StateRAMP requirements, integrate with existing government systems, and deliver the citizen services that modern government requires. Our approach emphasizes knowledge transfer and sustainable operations — building platforms that your team can operate independently.
Purpose-built for federal requirements
GovCloud Architecture
We design and deploy Kubernetes on AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, and Google Cloud for Government. Isolated regions, compliant infrastructure.
Authority to Operate (ATO)
We've helped agencies achieve ATO by implementing the full NIST 800-53 control set. We know what assessors look for.
Classified Environment Support
Our team includes US citizens eligible for security clearances. We understand the unique requirements of classified environments.
Legacy System Modernization
Government runs on legacy systems. We modernize incrementally — containerizing what can move while integrating with what can't.
Why Government Organizations Choose THNKBIG
Federal agencies and government contractors choose THNKBIG because we combine deep Kubernetes expertise with genuine understanding of federal compliance frameworks. We do not just implement security controls and hope they satisfy assessors — we design platforms with specific authorization requirements in mind, whether that is FedRAMP Moderate, DoD IL-5, or agency-specific requirements. When your ISSO asks how we satisfy specific NIST controls, we have detailed answers backed by successful authorizations.
Our team is 100% US citizens, based in the United States, and eligible for security clearances. We do not offshore work, we do not use contractors from other countries, and we understand the seriousness of personnel security requirements for government work. We have delivered compliant Kubernetes platforms for civilian agencies, defense contractors, and intelligence community partners. Our engineers have hands-on experience with AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, classified environments, and the unique operational constraints of government IT.
For government organizations in Washington DC, Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and throughout the United States, THNKBIG is the Kubernetes consulting partner that understands your authorization requirements and helps you achieve them efficiently. We deliver platforms that satisfy assessors while enabling the mission modernization that government organizations require.
Defense contractor deploys IL-5 Kubernetes in 90 days
The Challenge
A defense contractor needed to deploy an IL-5 compliant Kubernetes platform on AWS GovCloud to support a new DoD contract. Timeline was aggressive and security requirements were non-negotiable.
Our Approach
- Architected IL-5 compliant environment on AWS GovCloud
- Implemented STIG-compliant baseline configurations
- Deployed hardened container images and admission control
- Configured comprehensive audit logging for eMASS
- Conducted security assessment with zero findings
Results
90 days
To production
Zero
Security findings
90%
Faster deploys
IL-5
Full compliance
Frequently asked questions
Technology Partners
Related Reading
STIG and Federal Compliance Consulting
Kubernetes STIG compliance, FedRAMP, IL-4/IL-5, and CMMC. Zero findings ATO in 90 days.
SUSE Rancher Partnership
Government-hardened Kubernetes with RKE2, K3s, and NeuVector security for federal workloads.
Kubernetes STIG Guide
Complete DISA STIG compliance guide for federal Kubernetes deployments.
FedRAMP, Zero Trust, and Kubernetes for Government
Federal, state, and local government agencies face a unique combination of technology modernization pressure and security compliance requirements. The Federal Zero Trust Strategy mandates that executive branch agencies achieve zero trust security architecture across their enterprise, and the FedRAMP authorization program sets baseline security standards for any cloud service used to process government data. THNKBIG's government practice specializes in Kubernetes deployments that meet these requirements — implementing zero trust network policies, FedRAMP-compliant infrastructure configurations, and the comprehensive audit logging that government security oversight demands. Our engineers hold the security clearances and compliance expertise that government clients require from their technology partners.
The Department of Defense's DevSecOps Reference Architecture has articulated a pathway for military and defense agencies to adopt cloud-native application development while maintaining the security rigor that defense operations require. THNKBIG implements Platform One-aligned DevSecOps pipelines that integrate automated security testing into every stage of the software delivery lifecycle — container image scanning with Anchore, policy enforcement with Open Policy Agent, secrets management with HashiCorp Vault, and runtime security with Sysdig Falco. For defense agencies and contractors operating in classified or controlled environments, we implement these capabilities in air-gapped Kubernetes environments that host all required tools internally without external internet dependencies.
State and local government agencies have technology modernization needs that differ from federal agencies in important ways. They typically operate with smaller IT teams, tighter budgets, and a diverse portfolio of legacy applications that must be modernized incrementally. THNKBIG has helped state agencies across the United States migrate aging web applications to Kubernetes — replacing virtual machine-based deployments with containerized applications running on managed Kubernetes clusters. Our modernization approach prioritizes quick wins that demonstrate value to government leadership while building toward cloud-native architectures that reduce long-term operational overhead. We work within government procurement frameworks and understand the unique considerations of public sector technology projects.
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US-based team · All US citizens · Continental United States only