As more organizations make the switch to storing their data and applications in the cloud, it is more important than ever that they ensure data security to comply with regulatory requirements. This is particularly true for government agencies who deal with data subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), as these organizations must take extra precautions to ensure their data is secure and compliant with all ITAR requirements.
The ITAR is a set of regulations that govern the manufacturing, brokerage, export, and import of defense articles, services, and technical data. These regulations require strict classification procedures, access controls, and physical security to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive technology and data. Fortunately for government agencies and their business partners who are bound by ITAR, Microsoft Office 365 GCC High can help ensure they maintain compliance as they move to the cloud.
Microsoft 365 GCC High is a cloud solution tailored for U.S. government agencies and their partners who need high-level security and compliance that provides a segregated cloud environment and comprehensive security controls designed to protect highly sensitive government data. If your organization is subject to the ITAR and you want to make the most of cloud solutions while maintaining compliance, keep reading as we look at what the ITAR requires of affected agencies, how Microsoft’s GCC High addresses ITAR requirements, the benefits of choosing GCC High, and tips to help ensure your migration to this cloud solution is successful.
Understanding The Basics: Defining ITAR and Its Requirements
As we previously mentioned, the ITAR is a set of US government regulations that control the import and export of defense-related articles, services, and technical data. These regulations apply to all US companies that manufacture, export, or import defense articles, services, or technical data. The ITAR is then designed to protect US national security by controlling sensitive information such as military technology. Any organization that falls under ITAR (including those in the defense sector) must then follow ITAR requirements including:
- Maintaining strict control over export of defense-related products and data
- Registering with the U.S. State Department
- And adhering to detailed record-keeping and reporting procedures
Maintaining ITAR compliance is essential, as failing to do so can compromise national security and result in severe penalties for negligent organizations/individuals including fines, imprisonment, increased scrutiny and compliance costs, administrative sanctions, and loss of export privileges. Companies subject to ITAR must implement rigorous security measures such as employee training and secure data management systems to ensure compliance.
How GCC High Addresses ITAR Compliance
Maintaining secure record-keeping and data management when storing data in the cloud can seem like an overwhelming prospect, but it is necessary to maintain ITAR compliance. Microsoft GCC High is a government cloud solution specifically designed to help government agencies and contractors handling sensitive data subject to ITAR. GCC (which stands for Government Community Cloud) High is a separate cloud infrastructure offered by Microsoft isolated from other Office 365 environments that helps organizations meet the rigorous security and compliance standards required of government agencies under the ITAR. Here is a look at just a few of the ways GCC High supports ITAR compliance.
Data Residency
To maintain ITAR compliance, organizations must ensure that access to technical data on defense items and services is restricted to U.S. persons only. Fortunately, Microsoft Office 365 GCC High helps organizations stay compliant with these regulations by storing all customer data in data centers located in the United States. Additionally, GCC High also limits access to ITAR-controlled data to US citizens who have been subjected to thorough screening and citizenship checks, ensuring data security and ITAR compliance.
Access Controls
Microsoft GCC High also implements thorough identity and access controls that ensure only authorized personnel have access to sensitive data. This is possible because GCC High has features like role-based access controls, identity management, and multi-factor authentication integrated into the system, which helps prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data.
Strong Encryption
A critical component of maintaining ITAR compliance is ensuring that all secure and technical data is properly encrypted both at rest and in transit. ITAR requires that technical data related to defense items and services be encrypted end-to-end using FIPS 140-2 compliant cryptographic modules. To help make this possible, Microsoft has committed to meeting FIPS 140-2 standards by ensuring that data stored in GCC High is properly encrypted, even in services like Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive. All data in GCC High is encrypted using AES-256 encryption, validating that sensitive information is protected at rest and during transmission.
Thorough Background Checks
As we previously mentioned, ITAR mandates that technical data is only accessed or viewed by authorized U.S. persons. Yet, how can you ensure that your data is secure when it is in the cloud? Not only does Microsoft Office 365 GCC High protect your data through data residency and thorough access controls, but Microsoft also helps ensure this requirement is met by extensively vetting and screening all Microsoft personnel who may access customer data. These checks include citizenship checks, employment eligibility, and extensive background checks. This ensures that individuals who work on Microsoft GCC High have gone through extensive screening and meet ITAR compliance standards.
The Benefits of Using GCC High for ITAR Compliance
Microsoft 365 GCC High offers a wide range of features that help organizations enhance security and efficiency when handling sensitive data, helping them ensure that they maintain ITAR compliance. If your organization falls under ITAR requirements, here are just a few of the benefits moving to GCC High for ITAR compliance can provide:
Enhanced Security Measures
In addition to encrypting sensitive data, GCC High helps enhance the security of your data with tools like Microsoft Defender for Identity, Microsoft Cloud App Security, and Office 365 Data Loss Prevention. These tools help provide robust protection against threats, protecting your data and ensuring ITAR compliance.
Improved Collaboration
GCC High also enhances productivity and collaboration by making sharing data with other GCC High users simple and secure. Familiar Microsoft 365 applications like Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive enable secure communication and document sharing across teams and agencies, facilitating collaboration while ensuring compliance.
Ensures Compliance Standards
GCC High offers stricter compliance standards than any other cloud solution on the market. With Microsoft 365 GCC High, your organization will not have to worry about data security or other compliance concerns. GCC High will ensure that all your data subject to ITAR meets compliance standards.
Provides Flexibility
GCC High also provides users with a great deal of flexibility by allowing them to build custom applications using PowerApps. This helps organizations build custom applications tailored to their specific compliance needs, ensuring that they remain compliant with the latest regulations while maintaining the security of their sensitive data. This flexibility can be crucial in helping organizations adapt to evolving defense regulations and cybersecurity threats.
Disaster Recovery
Another benefit of choosing GCC High is that it provides users with comprehensive disaster recovery tools and business continuity protections. With built-in redundancy across sites, and customer data being replicated in real-time across multiple U.S. data centers, GCC High can help protect your business against localized failures. In the event of a disaster resulting in data loss, recovery tools can help get you back on your feet, reducing disruptions.
Steps to Migrate to GCC High for ITAR Compliance
Upon learning about how GCC High can help you maintain compliance as you move to the cloud, you may decide that migrating to Microsoft 365 GCC High is the right choice for your organization. Here are a few steps that you should take when migrating to GCC High for ITAR compliance.
Prepare
The first step that you will need to take is to make sure that your organization is prepared to migrate to GCC High, as proper preparation is essential to ensure a smooth transition. One of the most important places to start is by assessing your current IT infrastructure including hardware, software, and data systems to determine their compatibility with GCC High. You must ensure that your infrastructure can support the migration before you start this process.
Back Up Data
Prior to migration, it is essential that you back up all critical data and applications to ensure that no information is lost during the transition. Make sure that you create comprehensive backups of mailboxes, documents, and other essential data to ensure a smooth and secure migration process. With proper planning and preparation, performing a recovery of your backups will not be necessary, but as always, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Create a Data Migration Plan
Next, you will need to develop a comprehensive data migration plan outlining the process for securely transferring your data to GCC High. This process may involve multiple phases and require the use of specialized tools to ensure data integrity. Make sure that you thoroughly communicate this plan with your team so that they know the timeline they can expect and how the migration could affect their work.
Execute Migration
Finally, it will be time to initialize the migration. Executing your migration to Microsoft Office 365 High involves transferring mailboxes, documents, and other data to the Microsoft 365 environment, and it may involve several migration methods such as IMAP migration, cutover migration, or staged migration. The migration method(s) that will work best for you will depend on your organization’s specific requirements and the size of the migration.
Consider Enlisting Professional Help With Your Migration
While migrating to Microsoft 365 GCC High can provide numerous benefits by ensuring you maintain ITAR compliance, this is also a complex process that can quickly prove to be overwhelming. Each phase of the migration process must be done right to ensure continued compliance with ITAR requirements. As a resultIf you are considering migrating to Microsoft GCC High, you should certainly consider partnering with experienced IT professionals who can ensure this transition goes as smoothly as possible.
At Agile IT, our team is dedicated to ensuring that your migration to Microsoft GCC High is as smooth as possible. With over 10 years serving the DIB (Defense Industrial Base) community and receiving the Microsoft Partner of the Year award four times, we have the experience and expertise to facilitate this move while maintaining compliance and security at each step of the migration, ensuring that you continue to meet ITAR requirements.
Feel free to contact us today to learn more about the benefits of using GCC High for ITAR compliance as well as to find out how we can help facilitate your cloud migration.
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Sales@AgileIT.com