Like the private sector, government agencies have long struggled to provide their employees with the ability to use data effectively to make better policy and operational decisions. In fact, government IT projects, including those for business intelligence, have been reported to have failure rates as high as 94 percent!

It’s with this backdrop in mind that we’re excited to announce that the Salesforce Analytics Cloud is now included in FedRAMP authorization for the Salesforce Government Cloud. Analytics Cloud is the first cloud analytics platform designed for anyone--not just IT or data scientists--to explore data, uncover new insights and take action instantly from any device. This FedRAMP authorization means that Analytics Cloud has met the strict security standards required by the federal government. Now, government agencies across the country can put the power of analytics into the hands of any employee.

Ninety percent of the world’s data was generated in the last two years, according to an IBM study, and the speed of data creation is accelerating. This volume of data can be overwhelming, but is incredibly valuable if analyzed and applied correctly. Government, in particular, stands to benefit greatly from all of this data, as it holds insights to improve everything from education to health, and public safety to parking and traffic.

By including Analytics Cloud in Salesforce’s FedRAMP authorization for the Salesforce Government Cloud, we are giving government agencies the power to use our breakthrough analytics technology. It lets the employees on the front lines make better and more informed decisions, helps them manage billions of dollars of taxpayer money in a smart and effective way, and provides a level of transparency that improves citizen trust.

How can putting analytics in the hands of everyone help improve government effectiveness? In one example, city planners can review traffic patterns to determine how to more effectively manage municipality infrastructure updates. Identifying neighborhoods and streets with the most traffic at rush hour can help inform construction schedules, allowing cities to efficiently update electrical or sewer lines while minimizing impact to traffic. Cities could also use historical weather data to determine when and where they should put their snowplows to ensure the most utilized roadways are clear during a snowstorm. When data can be effectively analyzed, the scenarios for government use are endless.

The time has come to leverage analytics to solve once-intractable government problems, and to empower individuals to uncover new solutions. Last year, Salesforce became the first cloud provider to attain a FedRAMP Authority to Operate for both Software-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service, consistent with the FedRAMP requirements. With Analytics Cloud, we continue to realize our mission of enabling government agencies to connect with citizens in new ways. The cloud, social, mobile, data science and IoT revolutions are only beginning to take root in government, and we’re proud to help lead this movement forward.

For more Salesforce news, check out the Salesforce Newsroom.