M365 Solutions

Microsoft 365 GCC High Licensing

Q: What is GCC High?

Microsoft 365 GCC High is a government cloud environment built for organizations supporting the Department of War and handling sensitive defense data. It provides U.S. data residency and U.S. person support, making it suitable for CUI, ITAR, and other export controlled data.

Q: Do I need GCC High for CMMC Level 2?

GCC High is not required for CMMC Level 2, and Microsoft 365 GCC can support Level 2 requirements, but factors such as ITAR, export controlled data, U.S. data residency, collaboration with primes, and future migration costs typically make GCC High the better long term choice.

Microsoft 365 GCC High is Microsoft’s official recommendation is for organizations planning or required to meet CMMC 2.0 Levels 2 or 3.

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100/100 passed client CMMC L2 assessments

Over 750+ successful CMMC implementations

Government Community Cloud (GCC)

Do you need Microsoft GCC High?

Do you handle ITAR, EAR, or other export controlled data?

GCC High is designed to support the stricter data residency and access requirements tied to this type of data.

Do your contracts require data to remain in U.S. based government cloud environments?

GCC High runs in Microsoft Azure Government and is built for those requirements.

How much do you plan to grow your federal business?

You may encounter future ITAR or data residency requirements, and more of your prime contractor relationships may involve GCC High environments. Starting in GCC High can reduce costs and friction as those requirements expand.

Microsoft Licensing

Compare Features

Microsoft

Commercial

Recommended for contractors not handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)

Available to any organization

Built on the Azure Commercial cloud

Supports FCI and CMMC Level 1 use cases

Broad Microsoft 365 application and feature availability

Does not meet DFARS 7012 or CMMC Level 2 requirements

Not suitable for CUI, ITAR, or EAR data

Microsoft

GCC

Recommended for contractors handling CUI, but never ITAR and Export Controlled Data

Available to eligible government contractors

Supports CUI when properly configured

Can support DFARS 7012 and CMMC Level 2 requirements

Built on Microsoft Azure Commercial

Data is segregated from standard Commercial tenants

Near feature parity with Microsoft 365 Commercial

Not suitable for ITAR or EAR export-controlled data

Microsoft

GCC High

Recommended for contractors who handle CUI, ITAR, and Export Controlled Data

Microsoft’s official recommendation for CMMC Levels 2-3

Available to eligible government contractors

Built on Microsoft Azure Government

Hosted in dedicated U.S. data centers

Supported by background-checked U.S. persons

Suitable for CUI, ITAR, and EAR data

Supports all DFARS 7012, NIST 800-171, and CMMC requirements

FedRAMP High equivalent and DISA Impact Level 5

GCC High

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GCC High?

Microsoft 365 GCC High is a government cloud environment built for organizations supporting the Department of War and handling sensitive defense data. It provides U.S. data residency and U.S. person support, making it suitable for CUI, ITAR, and other export controlled data.

Why is GCC High more expensive?

GCC High costs more because Microsoft operates physically and logically segregated infrastructure with higher security, compliance, U.S. data residency, and U.S. person requirements. Organizations also typically need additional Microsoft security capabilities to meet requirements such as NIST 800-171 and DFARS 7012.

Can I use Microsoft Commercial instead?

If you do not handle CUI, Microsoft Commercial may be appropriate. However, Microsoft 365 Commercial cannot meet DFARS 7012 cloud requirements, so contractors handling CUI subject to those requirements should use an appropriate government cloud environment.

Do I need GCC High for CMMC Level 2?

GCC High is not required for CMMC Level 2, and Microsoft 365 GCC can support Level 2 requirements, but factors such as ITAR, export controlled data, U.S. data residency, collaboration with primes, and future migration costs typically make GCC High the better long term choice.

What is the difference between GCC and GCC High?

GCC can support CUI and CMMC Level 2, but it runs on Microsoft’s Commercial infrastructure and is not intended for ITAR or export controlled data. GCC High provides U.S. data residency and U.S. person support, supports ITAR and EAR data, and can make collaboration easier with DoD and prime contractors already operating in GCC High.

Why Summit 7

Why the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Prefers Summit 7

2x Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 Certified

Summit 7 holds dual CMMC Level 2 certifications, with one demonstrating company-wide compliance and the second validating Guardian and Vigilance Managed Services offerings. Support from a CMMC-certified Managed Service Provider (MSP) gives you an advantage in pursuing your own certification.

100% Pass Rate in Supported Client CMMC Assessments

CMMC compliance is a competitive edge that elevates you in the eyes of the government and prime contractors. 100% of Summit 7-supported CMMC assessments have resulted in a passing score.

Microsoft Azure Expert MSP

Azure Expert MSPs have passed rigorous assessment procedures and demonstrated the highest level of expertise in Microsoft cloud services and Microsoft Azure capabilities. Summit 7 was among the first in the world to earn the Microsoft Azure Expert MSP designation and remains one of the only Azure U.S. Government Cloud-focused organizations to achieve it.

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Trusted by 1,500+ Companies in the Defense Industrial Base

We serve all company sizes – from micro-businesses to Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) to large enterprises.

100% pass rate on security controls for Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS)/National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-171.

8 of the top prime contractors in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) trust their IT, security, and compliance to Summit 7.

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Summit 7 is the Defense Industrial Base’s most trusted group of certified experts.

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Why Summit 7

CMMC for Small Business

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Don't Know Where to Start?

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Microsoft 365 GCC High Licensing

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Protect the American Dream

Do you need Microsoft GCC High?

Compare Features

Commercial

GCC

GCC High

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GCC High?

Why is GCC High more expensive?

Can I use Microsoft Commercial instead?

Do I need GCC High for CMMC Level 2?

What is the difference between GCC and GCC High?

Why the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Prefers Summit 7

2x Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 Certified

100% Pass Rate in Supported Client CMMC Assessments

Microsoft Azure Expert MSP

Trusted by 1,500+ Companies in the Defense Industrial Base

Summit 7 is the Defense Industrial Base’s most trusted group of certified experts.