Snowflake’s Government and Education Data Cloud focuses on security, data tools

The industry-specific data cloud is designed to help government entities meet security and compliance standards.

Snowflake on Tuesday said it is making another industry-specific product available in the form of the Government and Education Data Cloud, just months after launching its Telecom Data Cloud.

With Snowflake’s proprietary cloud data warehouse at its heart, the Government and Education Data Cloud combines Snowflake’s data warehousing, analytics, and compliance tools, with access to third-party data sources and resources through a data marketplace, and various partnership-based services.

Snowflake’s partners include Plante Moran, Vantage Point Consulting, Carto, Collibra, and Immuta.

Different partners bring in different capabilities to the Government and Education Data Cloud. Snowflake partners PowerSchool and Merit, for instance, allow educational institutions and the public sector to deliver equitable opportunities for students, maximize education attainment and workforce participation, and empower state government organizations to respond quickly in times of crisis. 

Some customers of the new data cloud include New York University and the city of Tacoma.

Focus on data security standards and data unification

The new Government and Education Data Cloud focuses on data security standards and data unification, according to Snowflake.

The new offering has already achieved FedRAMP Moderate and StateRAMP High certifications to help federal, state, and local government institutions meet security and compliance standards.

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is a standard for providing security authorizations across cloud services. FedRAMP Moderate, according to the US government, is the most popular standard used by most cloud services.

StateRAMP is a framework, which was developed by a steering committee of CIOs and CISOs in 2020, that can be implemented by procurement and security officials for continuous improvement in cybersecurity for state & local governments, providers, and the constituents they serve.

The Snowflake Government and Education Data Cloud is compliant with International Traffic in Arms Regulations, Criminal Justice Information Services, Internal Revenue Service 1075, Federal Acquisition Regulation, and Defense FAR Supplement, the company said.

The focus on security and compliance, according to the company, is designed to solve the issue of data sharing or collaborating with data in government institutions. Many of these entities still share data ad hoc or physically, increasing the risk of exposure.

The data tools prebuilt inside the Government and Education Data Cloud will help educational institutions unify and take advantage of its insights, Snowflake said.

Last year, the company launched its Retail Data Cloud and the Healthcare and Life Sciences Data Cloud offering.

* Press story originally featured on InfoWorld here.