Provisioning Government Cloud is not a self-service operation; it requires engagement with the Salesforce public sector account team and the appropriate contracting vehicle. The steps below cover the process from initial evaluation to active org.
- Identify compliance requirements
Confirm which compliance frameworks apply (FedRAMP Moderate, FedRAMP High, DoD IL4, IRS 1075, ITAR). This determines whether you need Government Cloud, Government Cloud Plus, or could meet requirements through commercial with additional controls.
- Engage the public sector account team
Contact Salesforce through the public sector portal or partner. The commercial AppExchange does not provision Government Cloud; specific account teams handle it.
- Select the contracting vehicle
GSA Schedule, SEWP, customer-direct, or partner-led. The choice depends on procurement constraints in your organization.
- Review feature availability
Compare Government Cloud feature matrix against the features your roadmap requires. Identify gaps; plan workarounds or wait for Government Cloud release.
- Sign contracts and provision
Execute the contract. Salesforce provisions the Government Cloud org. Initial setup typically takes weeks longer than commercial because of additional security controls.
- Plan migration from commercial
If migrating from commercial Salesforce, develop the migration plan: data export, configuration recreation, integration reconfiguration, testing, cutover. Engage implementation partners experienced in public sector.
- Configure ongoing compliance reviews
Set up the recurring audits and attestations required by your compliance frameworks. Government Cloud satisfies the cloud-provider side; the customer side of the shared responsibility model still needs ongoing work.
The standard Government Cloud offering. FedRAMP High, supports most federal and state government workloads.
Higher tier. DoD IL4 support. For defense and higher-sensitivity workloads.
Federal procurement vehicle. Pre-negotiated terms simplify procurement.
Direct contract with Salesforce. More flexibility on terms but longer procurement cycle.
Public sector specialist partners handle implementation. Common for first-time Government Cloud customers.
- Feature availability lags commercial Salesforce by 6-12 months for new features. Roadmap planning must account for this gap.
- Personnel access restrictions affect Salesforce support. Support engineers must be US persons; escalation paths may have additional steps.
- Migration from commercial is a customer-managed project, not a Salesforce-managed migration. Budget substantial implementation effort.
- Contracting vehicles affect price and terms. The same Government Cloud capability may cost differently depending on whether you use GSA Schedule or customer-direct.
- Some integrations and AppExchange apps are not available in Government Cloud. Audit your dependency list before committing; key apps may need replacement.