Not CUI Compliant
5 NIST 800-171 gaps detected. Commercial Salesforce is not FedRAMP authorized. Data may be processed outside the US by non-US personnel. Cannot be used for CUI.
Salesforce (Commercial)
by Salesforce
FedRAMP Status
Not FedRAMP Authorized
Impact Level
N/A
Category
CRM
Overview
Commercial Salesforce runs on shared multi-tenant infrastructure without the isolation, US-only data residency, or personnel screening required for CUI. Many small contractors default to commercial Salesforce without understanding it cannot hold CUI data.
CUI Risk Assessment
Commercial Salesforce is not FedRAMP authorized. Data may be processed outside the US by non-US personnel. Cannot be used for CUI.
Deployment & Architecture
Deployment Model: Cloud SaaS (vendor-hosted)
Salesforce (Commercial) has no FedRAMP authorization on record. DFARS 252.204-7012(b)(2)(ii)(D) requires an external cloud service provider to meet security requirements equivalent to the FedRAMP Moderate baseline — an authorization is the straightforward way to show that, but it is not the only one. Without one, the burden is on you to establish, document, and defend equivalency, and to meet the clause's incident-reporting and media-preservation obligations. Most contractors find an authorized alternative cheaper than carrying that burden.
Migration Checklist
- 1ISSO: Conduct immediate CUI data audit within Salesforce objects and attachments (Week 1)
- 2Contracts team: Procure Salesforce Government Cloud Plus or alternative FedRAMP authorized CRM (Week 2)
- 3Sysadmin: Configure data export procedures and backup all Salesforce data before migration (Week 3)
- 4ISSO: Update System Security Plan to remove commercial Salesforce from authorization boundary (Week 4)
- 5Sysadmin: Execute phased data migration starting with non-CUI customer data (Weeks 5-6)
- 6Security team: Implement access controls and audit logging in new compliant platform (Week 7)
- 7ISSO: Validate CUI handling procedures and update incident response plans (Week 8)
- 8Training coordinator: Complete user certification on new platform before CUI access (Week 8)
NIST 800-171 Violations
Using Salesforce (Commercial) for CUI without FedRAMP authorization may violate these NIST 800-171 controls:
Need a CUI-Compliant Alternative?
Salesforce (Commercial) has 5 NIST 800-171 gaps. Get real-time alerts when compliant alternatives launch, plus AI-matched contract opportunities.
FedRAMP Compliant Alternatives
Related Compliance Assessments
Frequently Asked Questions
Is commercial Salesforce compliant for defense contractors?
No. Commercial Salesforce lacks FedRAMP authorization. Salesforce Government Cloud is the compliant version with FedRAMP High authorization and dedicated US infrastructure.
What is the difference between Salesforce commercial and Government Cloud?
Government Cloud runs on isolated infrastructure, restricts data to the US, screens all personnel, and holds FedRAMP High authorization. Commercial Salesforce has none of these protections.
Run a Full Tech Stack Audit
Check all your enterprise tools at once with our free CUI Compliance Auditor.
Launch CUI AuditorGet a defensible CUI architecture
This Salesforce (Commercial) CUI review flags the gaps. The next step is a compliance architecture review where we map your data flows to FedRAMP-authorized alternatives and CMMC-aligned controls.
Schedule architecture reviewRelated: how much CMMC certification costs — DoD’s own priced figures