Leidos, RegScale embed continuous ATO automation across U.S. defense systems

Leidos and RegScale move to embed continuous authorization in defence systems

Automating ATO across modern and legacy systems

Reston, Virginia-based Leidos is partnering with RegScale to integrate its UpHold Armor platform with RegScale’s Continuous Controls Monitoring (CCM) capability, aiming to shift U.S. defence and federal agencies from episodic audits to continuous authorization to operate (ATO). The joint solution continuously tracks security controls and automates collection of evidence required under federal standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and FedRAMP, enabling agencies to maintain an ongoing compliance posture rather than relying on periodic, staff-intensive reviews.

The integration focuses on keeping critical systems operational while embedding automated risk management into both modern and legacy environments, a priority for military customers that must balance mission continuity with evolving cyber threats. By automating control monitoring and evidence capture, the partners say agencies lower operational risk and reduce the time, effort and cost associated with obtaining and renewing ATOs, speeding approvals for system deployment and updates.

Leidos positions the offering as mission-focused security for the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense and other federal organisations that are modernising security operations and protecting legacy infrastructure. Steve Hull, president of Leidos Digital Modernization, frames the work as aligning with the company’s NorthStar 2030 digital modernization strategy, while RegScale co-founder and CEO Travis Howerton stresses the shift toward treating ATO as a continuous capability that supports faster adoption of innovation.

Operational and staffing impacts

Leidos and RegScale emphasize that automation minimises the need for additional compliance staff and avoids adding operational complexity by integrating controls and evidence collection into daily workflows. The partners present the capability as practical and cost-saving for agencies operating under constrained budgets, saying real-time compliance visibility replaces one-off audit snapshots and helps accelerate secure mission delivery.

Company context

Leidos, which reports about 47,000 employees worldwide, frames the collaboration as a technology-led response to growing demand for continuous cybersecurity assurance across defence programs. The company cites roughly $16.7 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending Jan. 3, 2025, and markets the combined solution to initial deployments supporting the U.S. Air Force and other Department of Defense and federal organisations. The offering is publicly presented via PR Newswire.