What is GCC High?

Government Community Cloud High (GCC High) is a physically and logically isolated Microsoft 365 cloud environment built for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contractors, federal agencies, and defense organizations that process controlled unclassified information (CUI) or data subject to export controls. It runs exclusively in Azure Government data centers located within the United States.

Standard commercial Microsoft 365, and even the standard Government Community Cloud (GCC) environment, do not meet the security and data handling requirements for organizations that deal with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), or Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements. GCC High fills that gap by providing FedRAMP High authorization, NIST SP 800-171 compliance, and support for ITAR and DFARS 252.204-7012. Access to GCC High production environments is restricted to Microsoft personnel who are U.S. citizens and have passed enhanced background screening, including FBI fingerprint checks and seven-year criminal record reviews. Organizations must go through a Microsoft validation process to establish a GCC High environment, which typically requires a CAGE code, active government contract, or sponsorship.