Addressing Sensitive Data Requirements & Security Regulations with AWS GovCloud
Earlier this summer, the DLT Cloud Advisory Group surveyed public sector customers to find out where they stood in their adoption of cloud technology. It was no surprise that information security and data privacy topped the list as key obstacles holding them back from their migrations. Issues around cloud security have been brought up fairly consistently ever since cloud emerged on the IT landscape – especially for agencies and organizations who handle sensitive workloads. Traditional IT models allowed CIOs and managers to physically see where their data was being stored; moving to the cloud has raised questions about who controls what, especially in terms of data protection.
But there are cloud service providers out there who have developed specialized cloud solutions that address the sensitive data requirements and security regulations of the federal government and its contractors.
For example, Amazon Web Services launched GovCloud (US) in 2011. AWS GovCloud is an isolated AWS Region designed to allow U.S. government agencies and customers to move sensitive workloads into the cloud by addressing their specific regulatory and compliance requirements.
The AWS GovCloud Region:
- Is an isolated AWS Region designed for more sensitive workloads
- Addresses specific regulatory and compliance requirements
- Adheres to U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations
- Is FedRAMP-compliant
- Is appropriate for all government agencies, contractors, and systems integrators
The AWS GovCloud Region supports workloads including all categories of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), including ITAR, as well as, government-oriented publicly available data. And because the AWS GovCloud Region is physically and logically accessible only by US persons, and supports FIPS 140-2 compliant end points, customers can manage more heavily-regulated data while still remaining complaint with federal requirements.
Recently, Paul Beda, senior systems architect at AWS, and Chris Uttenweiler, systems architect at DLT Solutions, explored how agencies can get started using AWS GovCloud. Check out the on-demand webcast, Getting Started with AWS GovCloud, to learn about the key features and benefits of the Region, as well as, to hear real-world use cases from current customers who are using AWS GovCloud to manage a variety of different workloads.
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