How Georgia DCS Strengthens CJIS Compliance Through Secure Cloud Collaboration

In Georgia, the Department of Community Supervision (DCS) has transformed how government agencies approach CJIS compliance in the cloud era. As an independent agency reporting directly to the governor, DCS shoulders the critical responsibility of supervising approximately 180,000 adult offenders through probation and parole services. Thanks to the heavy focus on data security from their IT & Digital Services Department, DCS has trusted Virtru to protect its most sensitive criminal justice information for years.

The Results

With Virtru, the State of Georgia DCS is able to:

• Maintain CJIS compliance across a distributed workforce of 2,000 staff members

• Automate protection of sensitive criminal justice information shared via email and files

• Enable secure collaboration between field officers, courts, and partner agencies

Navigating CJIS Compliance in a Distributed Environment

For DCS, the challenge was clear: they needed to protect sensitive criminal justice information while supporting a workforce that was increasingly mobile and paperless. With 2,000 staff members, many working remotely in the field, the agency faced strict CJIS compliance requirements that demanded immediate encryption protection for any CJI transmitted outside physically secure locations.

The stakes were high. Field officers needed to share warrants and sentencing information. HR teams had to transmit employment data to job candidates. District Administrators required secure channels to communicate with courts and other state agencies. Without a centralized encryption solution, DCS struggled to maintain CJIS compliance while supporting these critical workflows.

Building a Foundation for Secure Data Sharing

To address these challenges, DCS implemented a comprehensive security strategy built on Virtru's encryption solutions:

1. Email & File Encryption: By deploying end-to-end encryption that meets FIPS 140-2 certification requirements, DCS ensured that all CJI shared via email and files remained protected throughout its lifecycle. This enabled field officers to securely communicate with courts and partner agencies while maintaining compliance.
2. Virtru Data Protection Gateway: The implementation of Virtru's Gateway provided automated encryption for both outbound and inbound communications. This solution automatically secured sensitive data before it left the DCS domain, while also protecting incoming information from external partners. The Gateway's advanced DLP rules helped identify and protect specific data patterns, ensuring consistent security across all communications.

Transforming Criminal Justice Communications

The impact of these solutions was immediate and far-reaching. Field officers could now securely share case information from any location, knowing their communications were automatically protected. The Gateway's automated encryption eliminated the risk of human error, while its archiving capabilities supported eDiscovery and compliance requirements.

Most importantly, DCS achieved this security without sacrificing usability. External partners could easily access protected information without creating new accounts or installing software. The Gateway's ability to automatically decrypt incoming emails meant that internal workflows remained seamless, while administrators gained valuable insights through advanced analytics on data sharing patterns.

Enabling CJIS Compliance in the Cloud

Today, Georgia DCS stands as a model for how government agencies can maintain CJIS compliance while embracing modern cloud collaboration. Their implementation of Virtru's encryption solutions has created a secure foundation for managing sensitive criminal justice information across a distributed workforce. By combining automated protection with granular access controls, DCS has proven that agencies can meet the strictest security requirements while maintaining the efficiency their mission demands.