Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Achieve 38% Faster Security Assessments

Introduction

Emagine IT (EIT), one of fewer than 42 recognized Third-Party Assessment Organizations (3PAO), has performed 2,000+ cybersecurity engagements (i.e., FISMA, FedRAMP, etc.) for various organizations such as:

Delivering security assessments within highly regulated environments requires rigorous evaluations, adherence to evolving compliance frameworks, and coordination across multiple stakeholders. Security assessors conducting large-scale compliance evaluations often face three key challenges:

1. Lack of a Clear, Repeatable Process – Without a structured framework, assessments become unpredictable, leading to inefficiencies and inconsistent timelines.
2. Scalability Limitations – The process must maintain efficiency and effectiveness while in a growth stage.
3. Quality Control Risks – As assessment volume increases, maintaining high standards of compliance and security assurance becomes a challenge.

Purpose

In today’s landscape, security leaders must do more with less—modernizing to meet evolving mission requirements while avoiding risks that could land organizations in the headlines. Our mandate is to help you achieve exactly that through a culture of continuous improvement. At Emagine IT (EIT), we deliver innovative solutions without compromising the differentiated customer experience that has led organizations like Google, CMS, the U.S. Air Force, andTenable to choose a mature small enterprise like ours over Fortune 100competitors.

As security assessment demands grow while budgets and resources remain constrained, the pressure to deliver faster, more precise, and adaptable assessments has never been greater. Organizations need solutions that evolve with regulatory requirements without sacrificing quality. At the same time, retaining top cybersecurity talent requires forward-leaning practices that minimize administrative burdens and allow experts to focus on high-value security analysis

To address these challenges, EIT’s senior cybersecurity assessors—including two former Chief Information Security Officers—experimented with integratingArtificial Intelligence (AI) into the security assessment process. Their goal was to enhance efficiency, maintain consistency, and improve overall effectiveness while ensuring a scalable, repeatable model aligned with today’s compliance landscape.

This case study presents the findings from that experimentation. It establishes a baseline for security assessments, outlines the AI-driven approach, and highlights key outcomes. We also include takeaways and qualitative insights to foster ongoing reflection and innovation.

Let’s begin.

Overview: Traditional Model

1. Planning and Scoping (2 Weeks) – Identifying security controls, defining assessment scope, and developing a roadmap.
2. Documentation Review & Artifact Collection (4 Weeks) – Collecting, reviewing, and validating security documentation.
3. Interviews and Testing (3 Weeks) – Conducting security control testing, system evaluations, and structured interviews.
4. Analysis and Reporting (2 Weeks) – Synthesizing findings, drafting security assessments, and recommending mitigations.
5. Quality Assurance and Review (1 Week) – Ensuring final reports meet compliance standards and accuracy benchmarks.
   

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Overview: AI-Enabled Assessments

Rather than implementing AI across all areas indiscriminately, EIT conducted an in-depth analysis to identify where AI-driven automation could provide the greatest efficiency gains. The findings led below define ways AI-assisted can offer benefit to the five key assessment phases:

1. Planning and Scoping – AI prioritizes high-impact security controls, clarifies requirements, and generates customized assessment checklists, reducing ambiguity and optimizing preparation time.
2. Documentation Review & Artifact Collection – AI generates precise artifact requests, cross-references NIST and FedRAMP requirements, and automates document analysis to reduce manual review cycles.
3. Interviews and Testing – AI provides structured interview questions, recommends real-world security scenarios, and optimizes test case selection to improve consistency and coverage.
4. Analysis and Reporting – AI structures findings, interprets compliance evidence, and ensures uniformity in reporting, reducing rework and inconsistencies.
5. Quality Assurance (QA) Review – AI detects compliance gaps early in the process, minimizing the need for extensive post-assessment corrections.

Measurable Efficiency Gains from AI Implementation

Before implementing artificial intelligence into the assessment process the assessment took approximately 12-weeks:

After implementing artificial intelligence into the assessment process the assessment took approximately 7.5-weeks:

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Implementing AI into our process delivered 38% faster results with no loss in quality. Meanwhile, our SMEs were able to transition from repetitive administrative tasks to high-impact security analysis.

Lessons Learned from AI Integration

1. Process Standardization is Key – AI optimizations are only as effective as the underlying process. A structured, repeatable workflow ensures AI is applied efficiently.
2. AI Enhances Decision-Making, Not Replaces It – AI-assisted analysis improved efficiency but did not replace the need for expert judgment in security assessments.
3. Scalability Requires Strategic Automation – AI solutions must be tailored to specific assessment challenges rather than applied indiscriminately.
4. Quality Control Can Improve with AI – Automated QA tools flag inconsistencies earlier, reducing rework and ensuring higher assessment accuracy.
5. No amount of AI can overcome a disengaged but necessary human counterpart - Phase 2 (DocumentReview & Artifact Collection) required an engaged party to collection evidence. This analysis was performed with responsive, engaged parties.

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Bringing AI-Driven Assessments to Government

Building on these early signals delivering AI-powered security assessments to Fortune 250 enterprises, EIT is now bringing this approach to the public sector - including CMS, DCMA, DHA, and the USAF. Our goal is to further explore how AI can enhance security assessment delivery, improving efficiency without compromising quality. By applying lessons learned from commercial engagements, we aim to refine AI-assisted workflows, drive consistency in compliance evaluations, and establish a scalable model that aligns with the evolving needs of government agencies. Additional capabilities include:

• Expanding AI-assisted compliance assessments across multiple regulatory frameworks beyond FedRAMP.
• Developing AI-powered risk assessments that predict potential security control failures before testing begins.
• Integrating AI-driven dashboards for real-time compliance tracking and proactive security management.
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Delivering Security Assessments & Embracing Continuous Improvement

Your mission is to ensure compliance, protect critical systems, and meet evolving regulatory requirements—all while managing resource constraints, increasing demands, and the need to attract top talent. The challenge isn’t just about getting assessments done—it’s about delivering them efficiently, at scale, and with uncompromising quality.

With AI-driven enhancements, you now have the ability to standardize workflows, reduce administrative burden, and focus your expertise where it matters most. Instead of struggling with inefficient documentation reviews or inconsistent reporting, AI-assisted processes allow you to move faster, eliminate bottlenecks, and improve decision-making—giving you more time to tackle the complex security issues that demand human expertise.

By adopting forward-leaning practices, you’re not just keeping up—you’re setting the standard for what modern security assessments should look like. And as AI-driven compliance solutions continue to evolve, leaders like you will be positioned to drive efficiency, enhance service delivery, and secure mission-critical environments without sacrificing quality.

Security assessments are necessary to continue to ensure mission readiness and mission success. With these AI-enabled tools at your disposal, you can deliver more, with less, and with greater confidence.

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Want to be first to access our new data and findings? Email Info@eit2.com with the subject line “AI Assessments” to receive exclusive updates on our latest research, insights, and breakthroughs insecurity assessments. eit2.com

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