When the FBI began mandating CJIS compliance for all organizations handling criminal justice information, a large county district attorney's office found itself operating on manual processes with no path to certification. The stakes were not abstract: non-compliance would jeopardize their authority to access and process criminal justice data, directly threatening prosecution capabilities. With an all-Microsoft infrastructure and a procurement process that required legislative approval, they needed a compliance automation platform that could meet the mandate without introducing new security risks. Drata's native Microsoft architecture and CJIS-to-NIST mapping made it the clear technical fit, and a committed internal champion carried the deal through six months of government procurement mechanics to get it across the line.
[ The Problem ]
A Federal Compliance Mandate With No Automation and No Time to Build One
The district attorney's office had no compliance automation in place when the FBI mandate arrived. Manual processes could not scale to the NIST 800-53 control requirements that underpin CJIS, and their legacy applicant management system was explicitly described as outdated and potentially insecure, with integration support limited to tools the office did not use.
At the same time, the team identified weak points and gaps in their infrastructure that needed to close without introducing new vulnerabilities. Automation was not a preference; it was the only viable path. Failing to achieve CJIS compliance would mean losing access to the criminal justice information systems the office depends on to function.
[ What they needed ]
The office needed to accomplish several things simultaneously, with a small team and no margin for a failed implementation:
- Achieve first-time CJIS compliance under a non-negotiable federal mandate
- Map CJIS requirements to NIST 800-53 controls without manual overhead
- Integrate with an all-Microsoft stack including Azure, Entra ID, and Intune
- Replace a legacy system while standing up compliance infrastructure in parallel
- Minimize the introduction of new subprocessors into a sensitive government environment
- Navigate a multi-layer procurement process including legislative budget approval and a formal five-vendor bid
[ Why Drata won ]
Drata won because its Microsoft-native architecture was the only technical fit for a buyer whose compliance mandate, infrastructure, and security requirements all pointed to the same set of criteria.
Microsoft-native architecture matched the buyer's infrastructure exactly: native Entra ID integration, Azure-native deployment, and Intune support meant the office could automate compliance monitoring across their entire stack without custom development or new subprocessor risk, both of which were explicit evaluation criteria.
CJIS-to-NIST-800-53 mapping was demonstrated concretely, not promised abstractly: deep-dive technical sessions showed the buyer precisely how CJIS requirements mapped to controls within the platform, giving the internal champion a defensible technical rationale to carry through steering committee and legislative approval.
Minimal subprocessor footprint cleared the security bar: the county's security review required architectural documentation and scrutiny of third-party data exposure; Drata's footprint and documentation quality differentiated it from alternatives that could not meet the same standard.
Sustained engagement through six months of procurement opacity kept the deal alive: four close date extensions driven entirely by government budget cycles, bid processes, and legislative approvals did not erode the buyer's commitment because the technical case had been made thoroughly and early.
[ How Drata solved it ]
Drata's native Entra ID integration eliminated the need for custom development, enabling daily automated identity feeds directly from the office's existing Microsoft infrastructure. Custom framework support allowed the team to layer CJIS requirements onto NIST 800-53 controls within a single platform, giving the internal champion a concrete, demonstrable compliance roadmap to present to leadership.
Drata's minimal subprocessor footprint addressed a specific requirement from the county's security review, and the platform's architectural documentation was provided directly for CISO vetting. For the HRIS gap created by a non-standard SharePoint List environment, the implementation was scoped to begin with CSV exports from the legacy system and transition to Entra ID as the authoritative identity source once the Microsoft 365 migration completed. Deep-dive technical sessions mapped every decision criterion the buyer had articulated, giving the internal champion the confidence to advocate through a procurement process that spanned multiple approval layers and a five-vendor competitive bid.
[ Before and after Drata ]
Before Drata, the office had no compliance automation and no credible path to meeting a federal mandate that carried direct operational consequences. After, a 36-month compliance program is underway, with automated daily monitoring across the full Microsoft stack and a structured audit path the team can show to oversight bodies.
[ Business outcome ]
The district attorney's office closed a 36-month commitment, establishing a structured path to CJIS certification for the first time. Automated compliance monitoring across their Microsoft infrastructure replaced a manual process that could not have scaled to meet the federal mandate.
The internal champion successfully navigated legislative budget approval, a formal five-vendor bid process, and steering committee sign-off, all without direct vendor access to the final decision-makers. That outcome reflects the strength of the technical case built during evaluation. The office now has a defined, auditable compliance program where none existed before, with a platform architected to grow alongside their ongoing Microsoft 365 migration rather than require replacement when it completes.