The Definitive Guide to Salesforce Government Cloud
What is Salesforce Government Cloud—and do you need it? Salesforce Government Cloud is a secure and scalable platform designed to fit the mission and security needs of government agencies and contractors. If you work in or for the public sector, Salesforce Government Cloud will make your life easier by streamlining the employee experience and transforming how you deliver government services.
What is Salesforce Government Cloud?
Salesforce Customer 360 is software-as-a-service (SaaS) that creates a single view of customer data by connecting marketing, sales, commerce, service, and IT teams. Salesforce Government Cloud offers Customer 360 features and functionality but is specifically designed for use by federal, state, and local government agencies, government contractors, and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs). Salesforce Government Cloud builds on the Customer 360 architecture by adhering to the government’s strict security and regulatory standards.
Government Cloud is able to meet these stringent standards because of its isolated production infrastructure. This ensures that the physical hardware used in the colocation data centers dedicated to Government Cloud clients is separate from hardware supporting other Salesforce customers. In addition, access to the customer data stored by Government Cloud is restricted to qualified U.S. citizens who have completed a full government background check.
All of these precautions ensure that Salesforce Government Cloud complies with a variety of government certifications, including:
- DoD IL4 (provisional authorization)
- FedRAMP Moderate Security Impact Level
- ISO 27001/27018, SOC1/SSAE16/ISAE3402
- PCI DSS Level 1
- SOC2
- SOC3
Salesforce was the first cloud service provider to attain FedRAMP authority to operate (ATO) status.
What is Salesforce Government Cloud Plus?
In 2020, Salesforce released an even more secure version of Government Cloud called Government Cloud Plus. Government Cloud Plus is designed to meet the federal government’s most stringent data security and compliance requirements. And, unlike regular Government Cloud, Government Cloud Plus is built on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud platform.
In addition to the security certifications of Government Cloud, Government Cloud Plus is also certified for FedRAMP High-Security Impact Level, the highest level of FedRAMP compliance. Government Cloud Plus also benefits from continuous monitoring by the FedRAMP Joint Authorization Board (JAB) to detect any system security posture changes.
Government Cloud Plus also adds a few features beyond those found in regular Government Cloud, including:
- Full 24/7 incident response and site reliability
- Full vulnerability management
- Full FIPS compliant authorization
- Identity proofing at Identity Assurance Level 3
Why Does Your Business Need Salesforce Government Cloud?
FindRFP reports that the federal government signs over 11 million contracts with private-sector contractors every year. According to Loopio’s RFP Response Trends & Benchmarks report, these contracts are exceedingly difficult for contractors to win, with an average win rate of just 44%.
If you’re a government contractor, Salesforce Government Cloud will help you qualify for and win more government contracts. This is primarily due to Government Cloud’s built-in security certifications that ensure your operation meets the security standards required by the federal government.
Federal agencies and many state governments require that their contractors are FedRAMP authorized. If you don’t have FedRAMP authorization, your bids will almost surely be rejected. However, when your company embraces Salesforce Government Cloud, you clear the hurdle that stops many firms right out of the starting gate.
Deploying Salesforce Government Cloud automatically provides FedRAMP Moderate Security Impact Level authorization—and High-Security Impact Level authorization if you’re using Government Cloud Plus. You don’t have to spend the time and money to obtain FedRAMP authorization on your own, and government agencies know that your firm is properly security conscious.
In addition, FedRAMP authorization can provide a competitive advantage outside of government work. This is especially important in industries where security and regulatory compliance are essential, such as healthcare and financial services. Again, using Salesforce Government Cloud makes a difference.
What Benefits Can You Realize with Salesforce Government Cloud?
In addition to security compliance, Salesforce Government Cloud provides multiple benefits that help contractors and federal agencies run a smoother public sector-facing operation. Here are just a few of the benefits you are likely to realize.
Enable More Satisfying Government-Citizen Interactions
It’s easier to manage citizen requests and queries when the necessary data is shared between different departments and functions, which Salesforce Government Cloud does. Answers are available at the touch of a button or click of a mouse, eliminating frustratingly long wait times. The data provided is more accurate, as well.
Provide Automated Data Analysis
Because Salesforce Government Cloud provides data-driven functionality and analysis, governments can respond faster and more intelligently when emergencies occur. Automated data analysis also helps more informed decision-making when creating budgets, making strategic plans, and building new and maintaining existing infrastructure.
Enable Digital Transactions
Salesforce’s legendary CRM capabilities provide all the capability necessary to enable digital transactions for various government agencies. These digital transactions can also be optimized and targeted at specific customers or segments for specific business outcomes.
Empower Self-Service Citizen Access
With Salesforce Government Cloud, government agencies can create online portals that citizens can use for a variety of self-service access. This access can include information lookup and retrieval, form printing, and digital transactions.
Streamline Contract Procurement
By integrating and consolidating various government data, Government Cloud helps streamline the relationship between government agencies and government contractors. Contractors get more accurate information about upcoming contracts, while government agencies obtain detailed data about the performance of past contracts and contractors. This makes it easier to connect government agencies with the best available contractors for each upcoming job.
Improve the Employee Experience
Salesforce Government Cloud also improves the internal experience for government employees. By digitizing employee forms and automating many formerly manual procedures, Government Cloud helps enhance operational workflow and increase productivity, resulting in increased employee satisfaction levels.
Let Rainmaker Help with Your Salesforce Government Cloud Implementation
If you regularly deal with the federal government, you need Salesforce Government Cloud. The Salesforce experts at Rainmaker can help you deploy Government Cloud in your organization, manage it daily, and get the most from this government-focused CRM platform. Over the past two decades, we’ve helped dozens of government contractors streamline their dealings with government agencies and win more contracts.
Contact Rainmaker today to learn more about Salesforce Government Cloud!
