We’re seeing a growing demand for digitally-enhanced, versatile, and collaborative workplaces in every industry. The rise of hybrid and remote work means the cloud is quickly becoming the new “hub” for productivity among distributed staff. Specifically, tools like Microsoft Teams offer an all-in-one environment where employees can connect, share knowledge, and innovate with colleagues.
Over a quarter of a million monthly active users take advantage of Microsoft Teams to improve productivity. However, among these customers are a wide variety of different institutions, all with their own specific functionality, security, and privacy needs.
Microsoft offers different versions of the “Microsoft 365” productivity suite, with Microsoft Teams to specific groups. For instance, there’s a Microsoft 365 version for Commercial users, Education users, and even the “Government Community”.
Microsoft GCC High is one of the most secure and compliant tools on the market for Government entities with specific regulatory requirements.
What is Microsoft 365 GCC High?
In its quest to deliver collaboration and productivity tools to people from every background, Microsoft has introduced several versions of its software for Government groups. Microsoft designed the basic “Government Community” or GCC solution for government users needing “data residency” controls, which allows for managing locations where data is stored.
Microsoft built 365 “DOD” specifically for the Department of Defence, built on Azure Level 5 “authorisation for impact” environment. However, this cloud only allowed access to DOD personnel, preventing the addition of outside entities. GCC High was born to deliver a higher level of security to government agencies while still providing cloud access to external agencies and contractors.
GCC High copies the DOD cloud environment used by cleared personnel and meets with FedRAMP high impact requirements. However, this environment allows for slightly more flexibility than the standard DOD environment. GCC High is the only offering by Microsoft to ensure data can be kept in US-only data centres. Moreover, the environment is supported by background-checked US citizens – crucial for government groups.
What Can Users do With Microsoft 365 GCC High?
Microsoft 365 GCC High offers access to all of the features Microsoft users love in a safe and secure environment. The solution provides access to productivity tools from the Microsoft Office suite and Microsoft Teams for collaboration and knowledge sharing. Most importantly, GCC High comes with exclusive benefits like:
- Rational separation of important business content.
- Storage and management of data and content within the US.
- Screening for any Microsoft staff member with access to the content you collect.
- Full compliance with public sector security and privacy requirements.
Companies must be classified as government organisations to be eligible for a GCC High license. Eligibility can also extend to organisations working with any type of data which might fall under strict government guidelines.
Like all Microsoft 365 licenses, the GCC High product set constantly evolves to deliver new features and functionality to users. However, the level of regulation around GCC High user accounts means it can sometimes take a little longer for certain features to become available within this ecosystem, such as “direct routing” for Teams voice.
Moreover, because the security and compliance maintained by the GCC High environment are so significant, any partners offering enhancements to Microsoft assets, like voice for Teams, need to be evaluated according to the most stringent standards.
Accessing Teams Voice for GCC High
As more government groups have continued to shift their operations and communications into the cloud with Microsoft GCC High, the demand for features like Teams Voice has skyrocketed. Government groups want to be able to connect with colleagues using more than online voice and video conferencing. Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn’t offer its Calling Plans to GCC High clients.
