What You Need to Know about AWS GovCloud (Amazon Web Services GovCloud)

Amazon Web Services GovCloud is a dedicated AWS Region for government agencies and sensitive data. It’s built on the same infrastructure as other AWS Regions, but with a number of services that meet the unique compliance and regulatory standards that apply to government agencies. If you work at an organization using or thinking about using AWS, then you should know about Amazon Web Services GovCloud (AWS GovCloud). Why? Because it has some special features that aren’t available in any other AWS Region… not even the standard ones. In this article, you will learn what is Amazon Web Services GovCloud and why it’s so important for government agencies and sensitive data. You will also get some helpful tips on how you can use it to your advantage if you are working with an agency or have plans to do so in the future.

What is AWS GovCloud?

AWS GovCloud is the dedicated AWS Region for government agencies and sensitive data. It is built on the same infrastructure as other AWS Regions, but with some additional services that meet the unique compliance and regulatory standards that apply to government agencies. Because AWS GovCloud is built on the same infrastructure as the rest of AWS, you can use the same services as you would in other Regions. However, you might have access to a different set of features or a greater set of permissions for services that are “locked down” for government agencies. This is because AWS GovCloud was designed and built with the special compliance and regulatory standards that apply to government agencies in mind. These standards include controls around data location, data sovereignty, and security practices at every level of the infrastructure stack. This level of compliance and security makes AWS GovCloud a more secure option for sensitive data.

Why Is AWS GovCloud Important?

Although AWS GovCloud is just a single AWS Region, it’s important because it allows government agencies to run their workloads in a highly secure and compliant environment with a minimum of effort. With AWS GovCloud, government agencies can focus on their work while AWS handles the compliance, security, and trust aspects of the infrastructure. This makes it possible for agencies to use AWS to do more with less. By using AWS GovCloud, agencies can centralize and fully automate their data and application infrastructure. This can help them boost productivity by simplifying IT, reducing costs, and improving time to performance for critical applications. You also need to consider that government agencies are the largest consumers of IT services. This means that the adoption of cloud technology will be closely tied to the adoption of AWS GovCloud. With that in mind, it’s important that you understand AWS GovCloud and how you can use it to your advantage.

Amazon Web Services GovCloud Features

• Authentication, Identity, and Access Control
  • Amazon Web Services GovCloud includes a robust identity and access control (IAM) system. You can use this system to manage permissions for your users and resources to help you control who can access your data and services.
• Data Location, Data Sovereignty, and Data Transfer
  • The data location, data sovereignty, and data transfer features built into AWS GovCloud can help you address compliance, regulatory, and data privacy requirements.
• Compliance Controls
  • AWS GovCloud has a number of controls in place to ensure that you remain compliant with key government regulations such as the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP).
• Encryption and Key Management
  • You can use AWS GovCloud for encryption and key management for your data to meet the unique requirements of government agencies. AWS GovCloud can help you encrypt your data at rest and in transit.
• Identity and Access Management
  • AWS GovCloud provides identity and access management tools that allow you to control your users, groups, and permissions. This can help you meet the unique compliance and regulatory standards that apply to government agencies.

Use Cases for AWS GovCloud

• Financial Services
  • Financial services companies must comply with strict privacy and data protection laws depending on what country they operate in. AWS GovCloud can help you meet these requirements while ensuring that you follow the right protocols.
• Healthcare and Life Sciences
  • If you work in healthcare or life sciences, then you must ensure that you meet HIPAA compliance requirements. Using AWS GovCloud, you can meet these requirements while enjoying the benefits of cloud computing.
• Government
  • Government agencies have particular security and compliance requirements. With AWS GovCloud, you can meet these requirements while enjoying the benefits of cloud computing.
• Retail
  • If you work in retail, then you must abide by strict privacy laws. You can use AWS GovCloud to meet these requirements while enjoying the benefits of cloud computing.
• Any Industry
  • If you work in any industry, then you can use AWS GovCloud to meet regulatory compliance requirements while benefiting from the scalability and cost savings of cloud computing.

The Bottom Line

AWS GovCloud is a dedicated AWS Region for government agencies and sensitive data. It’s built on the same infrastructure as the rest of AWS, but with some additional services that meet the unique compliance and regulatory standards that apply to government agencies. In addition to the features available in other AWS Regions, AWS GovCloud has authentication, identity, and access control, data location, data sovereignty, data transfer, compliance controls, encryption and key management, and identity and access management tools. There are many use cases for AWS GovCloud, including financial services, healthcare and life sciences, government, and retail. Whether you work in one of these industries or not, you should understand what is AWS GovCloud and how it can benefit you.