4 Reasons Why We Chose AWS GovCloud (US) for Altium 365 GovCloud

Altium 365 GovCloud is a dedicated region of the Altium 365 cloud platform situated within the US and operated exclusively by US Persons in AWS GovCloud (US). This choice of infrastructure was driven by our commitment to meet the stringent compliance and security requirements mandated by the US government. In this blog, we explain the reasons behind our decision and why Altium 365 GovCloud represents a perfect match for customers requiring the highest levels of data protection and regulatory compliance for their electronic design projects. 

The Evolution of AWS GovCloud (US)

The story of AWS began in 2006 when the company introduced two foundational services: Amazon S3 for storage and Amazon EC2 for computing. These services marked the beginning of cloud computing as we know it, offering scalable, on-demand resources. However, it soon became apparent that certain customers, especially those dealing with sensitive data, required more specialized solutions. Their challenges weren't just about security but also meeting specific regulatory and compliance standards critical to their operations. This realization led AWS to create a cloud environment tailored to these needs.

In 2011, AWS launched its first GovCloud Region in the US–AWS GovCloud (US-West), a dedicated and isolated infrastructure designed for regulated customers. This groundbreaking move provided a compliant platform for hosting sensitive and regulated workloads.

Since then, AWS intensified efforts to expand the compliance certifications of its services within the GovCloud Regions. Achieving FedRAMP High authorization in 2016 was a significant milestone, positioning AWS as a leader in cloud service providers for government and regulated industries. By 2017, AWS had also secured authorization for Department of Defense (DoD) Impact Level 5 (IL5) workloads.

Recognizing the need for more robust disaster recovery and high availability options, AWS launched the AWS GovCloud (US-East) Region in 2018 and a third availability zone in the AWS GovCloud (US-West) Region. These expansions aimed to provide customers with dual-region architectures for enhanced resiliency and availability.

Since 2019, AWS has been on a continuous path of improvement, achieving new FedRAMP authorizations and expanding services and features in both GovCloud (US) Regions.

Today, AWS GovCloud (US) supports a wide range of customers, from government agencies requiring secure data management to ISV and SaaS providers like us at Altium 365 GovCloud. We use it to deliver a safe, reliable platform for our customers’ designs and product development workflows. AWS GovCloud (US) also serves research centers, educational institutions, manufacturing, agriculture, and more, providing a secure environment for sensitive projects and data analysis.

Why We Chose AWS GovCloud (US)

Our choice to operate Altium 365 GovCloud within AWS GovCloud (US) is rooted in its unparalleled security and compliance offerings. 

#1 AWS GovCloud (US) Region Characteristics

AWS GovCloud (US) provides an isolated infrastructure designed to manage sensitive and regulated data. It consists of two distinct Regions, AWS GovCloud (US-West) and AWS GovCloud (US-East), both tailored to meet the rigorous demands of customers who operate under strict regulatory requirements.

By leveraging AWS GovCloud (US), Altium 365 GovCloud offers its users a platform that meets the highest standards of security and compliance in the cloud. This partnership ensures our customers have a reliable and secure foundation for managing their design data. 

#2 AWS GovCloud (US) Authorizations

AWS GovCloud (US) stands out for its comprehensive range of authorizations, meeting strict compliance requirements necessary for handling sensitive and regulated data. 

Among others, AWS GovCloud (US) boasts 119 DoD SRG IL5 Authorizations. However, a key highlight is its achievement of 123 FedRAMP High Authorizations. This number represents 70% of all FedRAMP High Authorizations across major cloud service providers, underscoring AWS leadership in securing sensitive government data.

By choosing AWS GovCloud (US) for Altium 365 GovCloud, we provide our customers with an infrastructure that not only prioritizes security but also aligns with the necessary regulatory standards, ensuring a secure and compliant solution for managing the electronics design data.

#3 AWS GovCloud (US) Compliance Programs

At the heart of AWS GovCloud (US) lies a strong commitment to compliance. These include, but are not limited to:

• NIST Compliance: Aligns with the National Institute of Standards and Technology guidelines, ensuring strong security and privacy controls.
• FedRAMP Compliance: Demonstrates adherence to the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, a government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. This compliance is essential for meeting Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) requirements in the cloud.
• DoD Cloud Security Compliance: Meets the Department of Defense's stringent security requirements, ensuring that military and defense data are handled with the utmost security.
• ITAR, CJIS, IRS, and FIPS Compliance: Covers a range of specific regulatory requirements, from the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to the Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) standards, and Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS).

By adhering to these comprehensive compliance standards, AWS GovCloud (US) provides a secure foundation for Altium 365 GovCloud, which helps our customers manage their electronics design data in an environment that prioritizes both security and regulatory standards at the core.

#4 AWS GovCloud (US) Access Requirements

Finally, Altium 365 GovCloud values AWS GovCloud (US) access requirements. By choosing AWS as our infrastructure provider, Altium 365 GovCloud inherits a solid foundation of compliance from the outset.

AWS mandates that every account holder for AWS GovCloud (US) must be a US Person, defined as either a US citizen or a Green Card holder. This stipulation ensures that all operations, including data handling and storage within AWS GovCloud (US), are under the strict jurisdiction of US laws and regulations, which is particularly important for our customers in the defense, aerospace, and government sectors, where the sovereignty of data under US law is non-negotiable.

Choose Altium 365 GovCloud

Our decision to choose AWS GovCloud (US) for Altium 365 GovCloud was guided by a clear vision: to provide our users with a secure, compliant, and reliable platform for their sensitive electronics design data and product development needs. By leveraging AWS GovCloud (US), Altium 365 GovCloud inherits its strengths, providing a robust environment that meets the highest standards of data protection and regulatory compliance. Choose Altium 365 GovCloud for a foundation you can trust.