Becoming enabled in federal cloud sales/solutions engineering and being able to close the deals with the sales team is a highly paid and sought after skillset.   

Federal Cloud Solutions Architects can make $150,000 per year "base" with variables (bonuses and commissions).  If you maintain a US government security clearance your income could be well over $200,000 per years with Top Secret.

For example: A sales engineer/architect may be offered an 80/20 or a 70/30 split when it comes to base/variable compensation.

• Base - $150,000
• Variable - $30,000

(Not to mention the non monetary benefits such as customer engagement at trade shows, lunch and learns and company engagement at company sales events.)

The Certified Federal Cloud Solutions Architect (CFCSA) certification is essential for experienced cloud professionals aiming to thrive in the U.S. federal sector, as it uniquely validates your ability to design secure, compliant, and efficient cloud solutions specifically tailored to the rigorous demands of federal mandates like FedRAMP, NIST, and FISMA.

By demonstrating specialized expertise in federal cloud policy, security architecture, procurement, and operational best practices, the CFCSA elevates your credibility, unlocks advanced career opportunities within government agencies and contractors, and positions you as a critical asset in navigating the complex landscape of federal cloud adoption.

Let us help you get enabled with presales engineering and architecture. So what are you waiting for? Let us get started!

Join this Digital Crest Institute (DCI) course now and elevate your career!

Federal Solutions Architects working with Federal government requires a wealth of various skill sets, which are covered on the exam.  

The certification exam will test candidates on the following exam objectives.

• Federal Cloud Policy & Compliance (20%)
• Federal Cloud Security Architecture (25%)
• Cloud Solution Design for Federal Use Cases (20%)
• Federal Cloud Procurement & Contracting (15%)
• Operational Best Practices in Federal Cloud (20%)

Certified Federal Cloud Solutions Architect (CFCSA)

CFCSA Exam Objectives -   Updated 06/18/2025

The Certified Federal Cloud Solutions Architect (CFCSA) certification is essential for experienced cloud professionals aiming to thrive in the U.S. federal sector, as it uniquely validates your ability to design secure, compliant, and efficient cloud solutions specifically tailored to the rigorous demands of federal mandates like FedRAMP, NIST, and FISMA.

 By demonstrating specialized expertise in federal cloud policy, security architecture, procurement, and operational best practices, the CFCSA elevates your credibility, unlocks advanced career opportunities within government agencies and contractors, and positions you as a critical asset in navigating the complex landscape of federal cloud adoption.

The CFCSA certification covers the following key domains, each with a specific weight reflecting its importance:

1. Federal Cloud Policy & Compliance (20%)
• NIST Special Publications (SP) series: SP 800-53 (Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations), SP 800-37 (Risk Management Framework), SP 800-171 (Protecting CUI in Nonfederal Systems).
• Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP): JAB, Agency ATO process, impact levels (Low, Moderate, High).
• Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) STIGs (Security Technical Implementation Guides).
• FISMA (Federal Information Security Modernization Act).
• CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) - awareness and basic understanding of its impact.
• Cloud First, Cloud Smart initiatives.
• OMB M-XX-XX memoranda relevant to cloud adoption.
2. Federal Cloud Security Architecture (25%)
• Secure multi-tenancy in federal environments.
• Data sovereignty and residency requirements for federal data.
• Identity and Access Management (IAM) for federal users (e.g., PIV/CAC integration, MFA requirements).
• Encryption standards (FIPS 140-2 validated modules).
• Network security controls (VPC/VNet design, firewalls, IDS/IPS, WAFs specific to federal use cases).
• Logging, monitoring, and auditing for federal compliance.
• Incident response and reporting in a federal cloud context.
• Zero Trust Architecture principles for federal deployments.
3. Cloud Solution Design for Federal Use Cases (20%)
• High availability, disaster recovery, and business continuity for federal systems.
• Scalability and elasticity considerations for government workloads.
• Cost optimization strategies within federal budgeting constraints.
• Hybrid and multi-cloud strategies for federal agencies.
• Application modernization and migration strategies for legacy federal systems.
• Data management, storage, and archival solutions compliant with federal records management.
• DevSecOps principles and automation in a federal secure pipeline.
4. Federal Cloud Procurement & Contracting (15%)
• Understanding of federal acquisition regulations (FAR) as they apply to cloud services.
• Contract vehicles commonly used for cloud (e.g., GSA schedules, GWACs).
• SLA negotiation and management for federal cloud contracts.
• Vendor lock-in mitigation strategies.
• Open standards and interoperability in federal cloud environments.
5. Operational Best Practices in Federal Cloud (20%)
• Continuous Monitoring (ConMon) for FedRAMP authorized systems.
• Change management and configuration management in highly regulated environments.
• Vulnerability management and patching strategies for federal cloud systems.
• Performance management and optimization for government applications.
• Auditing and reporting for compliance purposes.
• Supply chain risk management in a federal cloud context.

Successful Candidates will Receive a Digital Certification and a Digital Badge which can be posted and validated online.

A Free Study Guide is also provided online. 

Who should take this course and certification exam. 

• Anyone that is in a Pre-Sales/Solutions Architect Role 
• Anyone that has 1 year of cloud computing experience.
• Anyone that wants to prove they are competent in Presales and US Federal cloud computing solutions should consider obtaining the CFCSA certification.
• Anyone who wants to learn more about cloud computing architecture, solutioning and cost management.

Vendor Agnostic means that the exam is not tied to the specific products and services of a vendor.

We do cover in the course content specific examples but the test will not solely rely on testing on AWS, GCP, etc. 

The Beta certification itself costs $99.00 USD which includes one free retake if needed.

The Production exam will be priced at $199.00

The Full course and exam package bundle is available for $299.00

Continuing Education is a critical component to ensure that successful candidates maintain their certifications and keep up with changing times around technology.

The CEU requirements will be made available in March 2024 and will require 50 hours of continuing education units (CEU) over 3 years.  Fee will be $50.00.

Yes, both free and paid practice questions will be available on Digital Crest Institute (DCI) and Udemy.

The CFCSA certification is valid for three years without Continuing Education. 

The credential will expire unless CE Credits are submitted.  

CE Credit information will be provided 6 months prior to expiration.

Exam is taken online and is not proctored. 

The CFCSA exam is 50 Questions and is timed at 90 Minutes. 

Questions are multiple choice.

Allowance of 15 Minutes is given for nonnative English speakers if requested.

Coaching is available for the CFCSA and is discounted on an hourly basis for this exam. 

Contact Us for more information.

Base rates would be $99.00 per hour.

The CFCSA official exam preparation course (7 hours of content) is available on Digital Crest Institute.