Coalfire
Independent profile of Coalfire with reviewed buyer-fit guidance and explicit unknowns where public evidence is not verified.
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Summary
Coalfire is best for cloud service providers that need a FedRAMP 3PAO assessment, and for companies that want PCI DSS, HITRUST, ISO 27001, and SOC 2 assessments from one firm. FedRAMP has listed Coalfire Systems as an accredited 3PAO since July 2015, and Coalfire Federal is an authorized CMMC Level 2 C3PAO.
Poor fit: Coalfire is the wrong fit for a buyer that wants one firm to advise on and assess the same FedRAMP authorization, because Coalfire's own FAQ says a single firm cannot do both for the same authorization. Ask which role Coalfire would take and who would fill the other.
Buyer-fit verdict reviewed: 2026-10-06
Public evidence summary
- Pricing
- Not publicly verified
- Team size
- Not publicly verified
- Verified platforms
- Not publicly verified
- Verified workstreams
- Not publicly verified
- Engagement models
- Not publicly verified
- Company-size fit
- Not publicly verified
Unknown means no normalized observation has passed the publication gate. It does not mean zero, unavailable, or unsuitable. Public pricing signals are not invoices or guaranteed quotes.
Questions to Ask Coalfire
Before engaging with Coalfire, here are key questions to help you evaluate fit:
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Advisor/Assessor Independence: " Will the same Coalfire team that advises us also perform the 3PAO assessment? If yes, how do you reconcile that with FedRAMP impartiality rules? If no, who is the alternate 3PAO and what are their lead times?"
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Lead Assessor Identity: " Who is the named lead assessor on our package? Can we interview them before signing? What is their utilization rate elsewhere?"
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Accelerator Methodology: " Walk us through what FastRAMP 360 or ACE actually delivers — what is productized versus consulting hours? What happens when control implementation takes longer than the accelerator timeline assumes?"
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Multi-Framework Mapping: " If we pursue HITRUST + SOC 2 + PCI together, what evidence is genuinely shared versus duplicated? Can you show a control mapping matrix from a similar engagement?"
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Continuity Risk: " Given the January 2026 CEO change and 2025 HQ relocation, how is account continuity preserved? Will the same delivery team stay through the multi-year ATO timeline?"
Red flags to watch for:
- ⚠ Pitching the same Coalfire team for both advisory and 3PAO assessment on a single FedRAMP package
- ⚠ Pressure to start the assessment before control implementation is documented
- ⚠ Vague accelerator scope — 'productized' work that is actually billed hourly
- ⚠ Refusal to name the lead assessor or share their other engagement load
- ⚠ Assumed annual ConMon costs that aren't itemized
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Browse declared profile categories
These category links come from the site topology registry. Platform labels are navigation topics, not verified partner status.
Coalfire — frequently asked questions
Is Coalfire a good cloud consulting firm?
Coalfire is best for cloud service providers that need a FedRAMP 3PAO assessment, and for companies that want PCI DSS, HITRUST, ISO 27001, and SOC 2 assessments from one firm. FedRAMP has listed Coalfire Systems as an accredited 3PAO since July 2015, and Coalfire Federal is an authorized CMMC Level 2 C3PAO. Coalfire is the wrong fit for a buyer that wants one firm to advise on and assess the same FedRAMP authorization, because Coalfire's own FAQ says a single firm cannot do both for the same authorization. Ask which role Coalfire would take and who would fill the other.
How much does Coalfire cost?
Cloud Consulting Intel has not verified a public pricing range for Coalfire. Unknown does not mean free or unavailable; request a scoped quote.
What public team-size evidence is available for Coalfire?
Cloud Consulting Intel has not verified a comparable team-size observation for Coalfire. Company headcount, cloud-practice headcount, and certified staff are different scopes and are not inferred from one another.
Which cloud platforms does Coalfire support?
No platform relationship has passed Cloud Consulting Intel's public evidence gate for Coalfire. Profile topic tags are navigation aids, not verified partner status.
Key Facts
- Headquarters
- Chicago, IL, US
- Founded
- 2001
- Team size
- Not publicly verified
- Industries
- Federal Government, SaaS Vendors Pursuing Federal, Healthcare, Fintech & Payments
- Evidence semantics
- Unknown values are not inferred from editorial copy.
Stay updated on Coalfire
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