The US Federal Government established the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) standard in 2011 and passed the FedRAMP Authorization Act in 2023, further codifying these standards. This program established a set of guidelines for cloud service providers to follow when transacting business with the US Federal Government. In an effort to comply with these evolving requirements, IBM Federal has embarked on a digital transformation of its existing procurement platform. In 2025, IBM Federal will migrate its Federal Business to an NS2 (National Security Services, Inc) Platform that further secures its procurement systems that transact with the government.
The instructions below outline how your company, as an approved IBM Federal supplier, can both register in Exostar and get other contract employees enabled to perform necessary functions in NS2 Business Network procurement system via Exostar. To access the IBM Business Network, you must have an Exostar’s Managed Access Gateway (MAG) account, as well as an Exostar Mobile ID MFA (for IBM) credential. IBM Federal will provide a promo code to complete the credential purchase at no cost to you.
Depending on your MAG status, you will receive an activation or subscription email, which will serve as the kickoff for this new phase. This email will contain detailed instructions you must strictly follow to ensure a seamless transition, and to maintain the integrity of IBM Federal’s supply chain operations. The steps outlined below walk through the entire process, so please review all information to determine where you should begin.
Please ensure your email systems are configured to accept emails from Exostar to prevent them from being marked as spam.
Step 1. Complete Self-Registration
IMPORTANT! Please see the Existing Users section below if you have an existing Exostar’s Managed Access Gateway (MAG) account for information on next steps, otherwise you must register for a MAG account to access the IBM Business Network application.
2. Click the Register link.
3. Enter your Email Address. Click Next.
4. Complete the Captcha challenge.
5. Enter your First Name, Last Name, and Work Phone Number. Click Next.
6. Enter ALL Organization Information. Click Next.
NOTE: MAG displays a list of possible organization matches to ensure no duplicate accounts are created.
7. Select None of the above. Click Next to submit the registration.
Step 2. Activate Account
You will receive an account activation email once you successfully register your organization. Please review all information provided in the email, paying special attention to your Account Details and User ID.
IMPORTANT: Since you registered your organization, you are automatically designated as the Organization Administrator for your company. For more information on your administrative responsibilities, please see the MAG Organization Administrator page. Exostar offers a quarterly MAG Administration Webinar that provides information and instructions on administrative responsibilities. Please see the MAG Webinars page for available dates and registration information.
2. Review the Password Policy. Input and confirm your permanent Password. Click Next.
NOTE: Your Email Address or User ID and Password are used for all subsequent MAG logins.
3. Review the information on the screen concerning your security questions. Select and answer your Security Questions. Click Next to open the MAG Dashboard.
Step 3. Accept Terms and Conditions
Once you successfully activate your MAG account, you must accept the IBM Business Network Terms and Conditions. To accept the IBM Business Network Terms and Conditions, you must have the Organization Administrator or IBM Business Network Application Administrator role. Access to the IBM Business Network is not possible for any users in your organization until Terms and Conditions are accepted.
NOTE: If the tile says Pending Terms, an Organization Administrator or IBM Business Network Application Administrator must accept terms.
2. Click Continue to view the IBM Business Network Terms and Conditions.
3. Review the Terms and Conditions. Check the box for I have read and agree to these terms and conditions. Click Next to complete the process.
Step 4. Purchase with Promo Code
To access IBM Business Network, you must purchase an Exostar Mobile ID MFA (for IBM) credential from Exostar’s IBM Federal Webstore. IBM Federal will provide each supplier with a one-time-use promo code to complete this purchase at no cost to you. Please disregard this step if you already have an Exostar Mobile ID without Proofing credential OR equivalent credential, and proceed to STEP 6.
2. The Exostar Mobile ID MFA (for IBM) credential displays. Click Add to Cart.
3. Select Checkout from the Cart drop-down, in the upper, right corner of the webstore.
4. Select Checkout as Guest from the Webstore Checkout screen.
5. Input your First Name, Last Name, and Email Address. Click Proceed to Checkout.
6. In the Have a Promo Code? section, input the promo code IBM provided. Click Apply.
7. Input the IBM Federal Billing Address as 1 Orchard Road, Armonk, NY 10504. Add (914) 499-1900. Click Place Order.
A confirmation screen displays and you will receive the following emails:
– Exostar: Credit Card Sale #CXXXX
– OTP Purchase — This email contains the license key required for credential activation.
– Your order XXX-SOXXXXX
Step 5. Activate and Register
The Mobile ID credential required to access the IBM Supplier Portal also has the option to utilize Phone OTP. Both processes are outlined below. Before you activate and register your credential, find the app AuthyTM in your mobile app store and install it on your smartphone. Make sure your phone is on and has a network connection. Tablets are supported as additional devices, HOWEVER the first device registered must be a cellular smartphone capable of receiving SMS messages or voice calls.
2. In the My 2FA Credentials section on the dashboard, select the Enter it here link.
3. Input the license key. Click Next.
4. Click to accept the Service Agreement.
5. Locate the Mobile ID (Authy) tile. Click Activate.
6. Enter the phone number for the smartphone where Authy is installed. Enter your Email Address. Click Next.
7. On your smartphone, you will receive a message: Your account was added. Tap to get the code. Obtain your MAG Token ID, and enter it in the Token field in MAG. Click Verify.
Your Exostar Mobile ID is now active.
2. On the Set up phone one-time passcode page, select your Country.
3. Enter your Phone Number (do not include parenthesis, dashes, etc). Then enter your number again to confirm.
4. Select the method to receive your verification code, choose either Send Text or Send Voice.
5. Enter the code you received on your phone into the Verification field provided on the screen. Select Next.
A confirmation screen will display, and you can now access the desired applications.
Step 6. Access
As an Organization Administrator, you must first give yourself the IBM Business Network Application Administrator role to approve your own access. Please be advised only users with the Organization Administrator role can make these changes. Once you successfully complete account and credential set-up, you can access the IBM Business Network.
2. Click View Users. Search for yourself. Click the User ID link next to your name.
3. Scroll down to the Application Settings section. Make sure the App Admin checkbox is checked.
NOTE: If you uncheck the box next to Org Admin and submit the change, you will lose Organization Administrator privileges. If you lose these privileges, you must have a different Organization Administrator reestablish your role, or contact Exostar Customer Support for assistance.
4. To the right of App Admin, click the gray Update button to open a new window In the window, place a check in the box for IBM Business Network. Click Done at the bottom to close the window.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the profile. Click Submit.
6. Navigate to the Registration Requests tab and the Authorize Application sub-tab.
7. Click the hyperlinked Request ID to open your request. On the next page, click Next.
8. On the next page, select Approve from the drop-down labeled: Is this user authorized to have an account provisioned for them for the application.
9. Select Approve. Click Next.
You will see a message stating the approval is complete. It can take several minutes (up to a few hours) for an application to become active once you complete authorization steps.
2. Locate the IBM Business Network tile, located in the My Applications section of the MAG Dashboard. Click Launch to prompt the Mobile ID login.
3. You can log in in two different ways:
– If you select to authenticate through a push notification, you will receive the message: Approve to authenticate. Select Approve.
– If you select to authenticate through a soft OTP, enter the OTP from Authy in the Soft OTP field in MAG.
Existing Users
If you have an existing MAG account, an IBM administrator will provide access to the IBM Business Network application. Users may use existing credentials or certificates to access the Business Network. Otherwise, please refer to Step 3 above to obtain the required credential. For existing MAG users with valid OTP credentials, please see the following additional resources:
- OTP Renewal: This page provides information and instructions on the OTP renewal process.
- Mobile ID: This page provides additional information on the Exostar Mobile ID process.
- OTP Training Resources: This page provides downloadable user guides and OTP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).