Already on Google? You Don't Need a GCC High Migration to Bid Defense Work

Your firm just got invited to a design team for a new munitions facility. The prime’s contract carries DFARS 252.204-7012, and the RFP calls for CMMC Level 2. You speak to a consultant who tells you that you need to move everything to Microsoft GCC High.

This is bad news for a team that’s on Google Workspace. This means a new tenant, mandatory staff training, months of learning curves and hiccups.

The GCC High Myth

GCC High may have become the default answer for many because much of the DIB runs on Microsoft. As GCC High is the environment for CUI and export-controlled data, the assumption is that one must migrate to the highest-level platform to be fully covered.

This may make sense if your firm is already on Microsoft 365 (even then, the differences between GCC and GCC High are a separate decision).

But A/E/C (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) firms are different. Many already operate in Google Workspace for the benefits of real-time collaboration, browser-based access from job sites, and the ease of sharing files with partners and subs.

The Cost(s) of Migration

Remember, the requirement is to protect CUI to the NIST SP 800-171 standard, not move to a specific platform. Moving from Google to Microsoft is a major program in its own right, and can come with:

• Disruption. Replatforming changes how every person in the firm works, from email and file sharing to how teams collaborate with partners in the field.
• Overscoping. Most A/E/C firms only handle CUI on specific defense projects. Moving every employee and every project into GCC High pulls the whole company into assessment scope, along with the cost of securing and documenting all of it.
• Split environments. Moving only part of the team creates a mixed Google/Microsoft operation, with duplicate licenses, broken collaboration between groups, and more work for IT to hold it together.

The Alternative: [BUILT] SecureCMMC℠ Enclave

A CUI enclave is a separate, tightly controlled environment where your defense project work lives. Only the people and systems that touch CUI go inside the enclave. Everything else (commercial projects, marketing, HR, day-to-day operations) stays where it is.

This is great news for a Google-native firm. This means:

• Teams continue to work in their native environment
• No company-wide migration
• Smaller assessment scope
• Project-specific compliance
• Reduced cost and complexity
• Quicker timeline to compliance

[BUILT] SecureCMMC℠ is an enclave solution designed specifically for the A/E/C community. It gives your defense project teams a compliant workspace for drawings, specs, and project communications, without the cost and headache of replatforming.

Speed to Market = Speed to Eligibility

The defense construction pipeline is moving fast. New munitions plants, shipyard upgrades, and missile-defense facilities are underway. Primes are already asking subs about their CMMC status up front.

In the scenario above, a full migration would be next to impossible to accomplish in time for the bid. It would also bring downstream operational issues that could bog down the day-to-day work, jeopardizing the ability to deliver.

An enclave for Google sidesteps these issues nicely.

Learn More

Schedule a quick chat with our team to get a quote.