Case Studies: Secure GCC High Migration and Contract Modernization System for a Regulated Utility Provider

The Challenge

The organization needed to rapidly migrate users, data, and contract-related assets into a compliant GCC High environment while maintaining secure collaboration with commercial users. At the same time, a fixed CMMC Level 2 deadline introduced risk to existing and future DoD contracts if not met.

The Solution

AIS delivered a secure modernization that included GCC High tenant deployment, phased migration of enterprise data, and controlled cross-tenant collaboration. The team also implemented a CMMC-aligned security baseline and modernized contract management with Power Platform to improve governance and usability.

The Results

The organization achieved CMMC Level 2 readiness ahead of the deadline and successfully migrated hundreds of users and terabytes of data that support one of the company's most critical functions. It now operates on a secure, scalable platform that strengthens governance, maintains cross-environment collaboration, and improves contract management efficiency.

Engagement Overview

To support growing regulatory demands and maintain eligibility to support their valued government clients, a regulated utility provider partnered with AIS to modernize its collaboration environment and strengthen its security posture. AIS developed and implemented a solution that successfully migrated the organization to Microsoft GCC High, enabling secure handling of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) while transforming contract management processes and preserving cross-environment collaboration.

Business Challenge

Facing the November 2026 deadline for DoD Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements, our client needed to rapidly modernize its environment while minimizing operational disruption.

Moving users, content, mailboxes, and CUI contract-related artifacts into a GCC High tenant while maintaining secure collaboration with the commercial tenant required a technical baseline aligned to CMMC Level 2 controls with a clear roadmap to CMMC Level 3 in the future.

Key challenges included:

Migrating from legacy SharePoint 2010 and a commercial Microsoft 365 tenant to a compliant GCC High environment
Securing CUI and Federal Contract Information (FCI) to meet CMMC Level 2 requirements
Maintaining collaboration between GCC High and commercial users
Replacing outdated, manual contract management processes with a modern, scalable solution

The Technical Journey

The business outcomes achieved in this engagement were made possible by a carefully sequenced technical journey. The right solution balanced compliance deadlines, security requirements, migration complexity, and user adoption needs. AIS combined deep knowledge of GCC High, CMMC requirements, Microsoft 365 modernization, and Power Platform automation to move the organization from a fragmented legacy environment to a secure, scalable, audit-ready platform.

Before

Legacy SharePoint 2010 and fragmented collaboration environment
Limited governance and outdated contract workflows
No audit baseline for CMMC compliance
No internal capability to assess, automate, deploy, and migrate Microsoft 365 services for employees

After

Secure Microsoft GCC High environment with integrated Microsoft 365 services
Cross-tenant collaboration enabled with strict compliance controls
Power Platform-based contract management system
Fully aligned CMMC Level 2 security posture with audit readiness
Scalable platform supporting hundreds of users and terabytes of data
New employee IP gained through Change Management & Training for GCC High

The AIS Solution

As a partner committed to implementation and advisory support, AIS delivered a secure, end-to-end modernization strategy aligned to federal compliance standards and business priorities. Beyond CMMC compliance, our solution included content management, cross-tenant collaboration and change management to ensure strong adoption and future sustainability.

The solution included:

GCC High Tenant Deployment: Stand-up of a secure Microsoft 365 GCC High environment integrated with Intune and Azure Government-hosted Azure Virtual Desktop
Phased Migration Execution: Migration of 18TB of data using validated, pilot-driven execution
Secure Cross-Tenant Collaboration: Implementation of Microsoft Entra ID B2B, Teams federation, and Exchange sharing with strict DLP and sensitivity controls
Contract Management Modernization: Development of a Power Apps and Power Automate solution to streamline workflows and improve governance visibility
CMMC Level 2 Security Baseline: Deployment of identity, access, monitoring, and audit-ready controls with supporting documentation
Adoption & Change Management: Training, office hours, and user documentation to ensure a smooth transition for 10% employees during this initial phase.

Results and Impact

Enabled CMMC Level 2 Readiness Ahead of DoD Deadline
The organization established a compliant security and governance foundation aligned to CMMC Level 2 controls positioning it to meet November 2026 requirements for safeguarding CUI and FCI. This directly mitigates risk to future contract awards and supports continued participation in DoD-funded programs.
Migrated 10% of Users and Terabytes of Data in Just Five Months
AIS executed a tightly orchestrated migration with minimal disruption, rapidly transitioning users from legacy systems to a secure GCC High environment. This accelerated timeline minimized operational risk while ensuring business continuity.
Preserved Secure Collaboration Across Environments
Despite moving sensitive workloads into GCC High, the organization maintained seamless collaboration with commercial Microsoft 365 users. Cross-tenant access, Teams federation, and secure sharing policies allowed teams to continue working efficiently without compromising compliance.
Transformed Contract Management Processes
By modernizing its contract lifecycle system with Power Platform, the organization replaced manual, fragmented workflows with automated, policy-driven processes. This resulted in improved efficiency, greater visibility into contract status, and stronger governance over sensitive data.
Strengthened Security Posture with Enforceable Controls
The implementation of identity governance, Conditional Access policies, data protection controls, and monitoring capabilities created a defensible security baseline. Audit trails, logging, and documentation now support both internal governance and third-party audit readiness.
Improved Governance and Data Visibility
Centralized controls, dashboards, and standardized policies provide leadership with real-time insight into system usage, contract workflows, and compliance posture enhancing decision-making and risk management.
Accelerated User Adoption and Reduced Disruption
Through structured change management, employees quickly adapted to the new environment. The result was a smoother transition with minimal productivity loss from day one.
Established a Scalable, Future-Ready Platform
The new GCC High and Azure Government-aligned architecture provides a secure, scalable foundation for future growth, additional compliance requirements, and expanded digital transformation initiatives.

Are You Prepared for the Deadline?

If you’re an enterprise commercial client preparing to obtain or retain government customers, contact us to learn more about how we can accelerate your timeline while improving your CMMC, governance and security posture.

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