The Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) gives state, local, and federal law enforcement and criminal justice agencies access to criminal justice information (CJI). CJI includes, for example, fingerprint records and criminal histories. Law enforcement and other government agencies in the United States must ensure that their use of cloud services for the transmission, storage, or processing of CJI complies with the CJIS Security Policy, which establishes minimum security requirements and controls to safeguard CJI.
The CJIS Security Policy integrates presidential and FBI directives, federal laws, and the criminal justice community's Advisory Policy Board decisions, along with guidance from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The Policy is periodically updated to reflect evolving security requirements.
The CJIS Security Policy defines 13 areas that private contractors such as cloud service providers must evaluate to determine if their use of cloud services can be consistent with CJIS requirements. These areas correspond closely to NIST 800-53, which is also the basis for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), a program under which Microsoft has been certified for its Government Cloud offerings.
In addition, all private contractors who process CJI must sign the CJIS Security Addendum, a uniform agreement approved by the US Attorney General that helps ensure the security and confidentiality of CJI required by the Security Policy. It also commits the contractor to maintaining a security program consistent with federal and state laws, regulations, and standards, and limits the use of CJI to the purposes for which a government agency provided it.
Microsoft signs the CJIS Security Addendum in states with CJIS Information Agreements. These tell state law enforcement authorities responsible for compliance with CJIS Security Policy how Microsoft's cloud security controls help protect the full lifecycle of data and ensure appropriate background screening of operating personnel with access to CJI. Microsoft continues to work with state governments to enter into CJIS Information Agreements.
Microsoft has assessed the operational policies and procedures of Microsoft Azure Government, Microsoft Office 365 U.S. Government, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 U.S. Government, and will attest to their ability in the applicable services agreements to meet FBI requirements for the use of in-scope services.
For more information about Azure, Dynamics 365, and other online services compliance, see the Azure CJIS offering.
Microsoft Office 365 is a multi-tenant hyperscale cloud platform and an integrated experience of apps and services available to customers in several regions worldwide. Most Office 365 services enable customers to specify the region where their customer data is located. Microsoft may replicate customer data to other regions within the same geographic area (for example, the United States) for data resiliency, but Microsoft will not replicate customer data outside the chosen geographic area.
This section covers the following Office 365 environments:
Use this section to help meet your compliance obligations across regulated industries and global markets. To find out which services are available in which regions, see the International availability information and the Where your Microsoft 365 customer data is stored article. For more information about Office 365 Government cloud environment, see the Office 365 Government Cloud article.
Your organization is wholly responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Information provided in this section does not constitute legal advice and you should consult legal advisors for any questions regarding regulatory compliance for your organization.
Use the following table to determine applicability for your Office 365 services and subscription:
| Applicability | In-scope services |
|---|---|
| GCC | Microsoft Entra ID, Compliance Manager, Delve, Exchange Online, Forms, Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Microsoft Teams, MyAnalytics, Office 365 Advanced Compliance add-on, Office 365 Security & Compliance Center, Office Online, Office Pro Plus, OneDrive for Business, Planner, PowerApps, Power Automate, Power BI, SharePoint Online, Skype for Business, Stream |
The FBI does not offer certification of Microsoft compliance with CJIS requirements. Instead, a Microsoft attestation is included in agreements between Microsoft and a state's CJIS authority, and between Microsoft and its customers.
There are CJIS Management Agreements covering criminal justice agencies in 47 states and the District of Columbia:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
Microsoft's commitment to meeting the applicable CJIS regulatory controls allows Criminal Justice organizations to implement cloud-based solutions and be compliant with CJIS Security Policy v5.9.4.
Where can I request compliance information?
Contact your Microsoft account representative for information on the jurisdiction you are interested in. Contact cjis@microsoft.com for information on which services are currently available in which states.
How does Microsoft demonstrate that its cloud services enable compliance with my state's requirements?
Microsoft signs an Information Agreement with a state CJIS Systems Agency (CSA); you can request a copy from your state's CSA. In addition, Microsoft provides customers with in-depth security, privacy, and compliance information. Customers can also review security and compliance reports prepared by independent auditors so they can validate that Microsoft has implemented security controls (such as ISO 27001) appropriate to the relevant audit scope.
Where do I start with my agency's compliance effort?
CJIS Security Policy covers the precautions that your agency must take to protect CJI. In addition, your Microsoft account representative can put you in touch with those familiar with the requirements of your jurisdiction.
Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager is a feature in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal to help you understand your organization's compliance posture and take actions to help reduce risks. Compliance Manager offers a premium template for building an assessment for this regulation. Find the template in the assessment templates page in Compliance Manager. Learn how to build assessments in Compliance Manager.