Government contractors know that managing classified data needs strong protection and data storage requirements. That is why two versions of the Microsoft Government Cloud platform dominate the conversation for the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) sector. Particularly with increasing CMMC requirements, Businesses in the DIB sector adhering to DFARS 7012 as well as other federal cybersecurity mandates are now estimating if GCC is reliable enough or if moving to GCC High will be better for securing government data and assisting them in maintaining government contracts.
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Is GCC High required for CMMC?
The simple answer is No. GCC and GCC High both support government contractors, as well as the federal government, to meet the terms of cybersecurity and compliance. Even though GCC High is not a primary requirement in any level of CMMC it is highly recommended to explore the alternative. It is recommended that if you need to be certified in CMMC Level 3 and are handling existing CUI in your cloud environment on a Microsoft Platform, you should switch to GCC High.
As mentioned earlier GCC High is not a primary requirement of CMMC Level 1-3, it is still a sensible decision to migrate. GCC High is the most reliable and secure platform currently available for defense contractors.
Also, when you start directing towards CMMC Level 4-5 certification or managing International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) data, Microsoft officially suggests GCC High as the best alternative.
GCC and GCC High Pricing
One of the most significant concerns in the switch from GCC to GCC High is the cost. You should prepare for an increase of 25%-45% for GCC High over the prices of Office 365. This often influences contractors to look for other solutions. Only a few authorized Cloud Desktop as a Service providers are allowed to sell GCC High subscriptions.
Why choose GCC High?
Now, the advantages of GCC High are the reason for migration. All GCC High functionalities must go from the process of the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), so you can avoid having any issues with displaying CUI data to a non-federal entity. All data centers, security, and communications are controlled from within the continental United States, and GCC High offers complete support for DFARS, ITAR, EAR, CUI, etc.
By using GCC High, you have the base for compliance and cybersecurity from extra security to a more private platform.
You will need GCC High if you manage or have:
- Data of ITAR/EAR
- CUI: Controlled Unclassified Information
- DOE UCNI: Department of Energy Unclassified Controlled Nuclear Information
- NERC: North American Electric Reliability Corporation
- DOD IL: Department of Defense, Impact Level 4 or higher
- CDI: Covered Defense Information
- CJI/CJIS: Criminal Justice Information
Also, GCC is exclusively available to Government and DoD contractors like GCC High, GCC serves as part of the Commercial Cloud with several locations of data centers and assists personnel globally.
Apps4Rent provides the best services for Microsoft GCC High along with support and maintenance. Additionally, they also have services to migrate SharePoint from one tenant to another and much more.