Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is HIPAA-capable, but not HIPAA compliant by default.

GCP can be used to store and process protected health information (PHI) only if a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is in place and the environment is configured correctly. Most HIPAA violations involving cloud platforms are caused by customer misconfiguration, not by failures in Google’s infrastructure.

Before You Read Further — Quick Risk Check 

Ask yourself:

  • Are you planning to store PHI on Google Cloud?
  • Have you signed a HIPAA BAA with Google?
  • Do you know which GCP services are actually HIPAA-eligible?
  • Could you prove six years of access logs in an OCR audit?

If you answered “no” or “not sure” to any of these →
→    Request a HIPAA Cloud Readiness Check
(Free. Designed to surface compliance gaps before OCR does.)

Don't wait until it's too late. Download our free HIPAA Compliance Checklist and make sure your organization is protected.

What “HIPAA Compliant” Actually Means for Google Cloud

HIPAA does not certify cloud platforms.
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) evaluates how PHI is protected, not which cloud provider you use.

HIPAA compliance is governed primarily by:

  • HIPAA Security Rule
    (45 CFR §164.308 – Administrative Safeguards
    45 CFR §164.312 – Technical Safeguards)
  • HIPAA Privacy Rule
    (45 CFR §164.502, §164.504 – BAA requirements)

Cloud providers like Google offer HIPAA-eligible infrastructure, but you control access, logging, encryption choices, and operational security.

This is called the shared responsibility model.

Does Google Cloud Sign a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA)?

Yes. Google will sign a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) — but only for specific HIPAA-eligible services.

Google documents which Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services are covered under its BAA, along with its HIPAA responsibilities as a business associate, in its official HIPAA compliance documentation.

That distinction matters.

A HIPAA BAA is legally required before storing or processing protected health information (PHI), but it applies only to services explicitly designated as HIPAA-eligible. Just as importantly, a signed BAA does not make a GCP environment HIPAA compliant by itself.

A Google Cloud BAA does not:

  • Configure identity and access management (IAM)
  • Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA)
  • Retain audit logs for the six years required by HIPAA
  • Prevent public storage buckets or other misconfigurations

Those controls remain the responsibility of the covered entity or business associate using GCP.

BAA Readiness

  • Already have a BAA → Validate your service coverage
  • No BAA yet → Expedite a Google Cloud BAA
  • Not sure → BAA + Service Eligibility Review

→  HIPAA Vault can handle all three.

Managed Enterprise Hosting on Google Cloud Platform

Leverage the power of Google Cloud with guaranteed compliance. We manage Kubernetes, APIs, and databases for high-scale healthcare apps.

Learn More

What Google Cloud Covers Under HIPAA 

Google secures the cloud — not your use of it.

Google’s Responsibilities Include:

Physical Safeguards

  • Secure global data centers
  • Redundant power, cooling, and environmental controls

Infrastructure & Network Security

  • Secure hardware lifecycle
  • Network segmentation
  • DDoS protection

Encryption

  • FIPS 140-2 validated encryption (BoringCrypto)
  • Encryption at rest and in transit by default

Compliance Programs

  • SOC 2 Type II
  • ISO/IEC 27001, 27017, 27018

These security controls and compliance programs are documented in Google’s official Cloud Compliance Center, which outlines how Google meets its responsibilities under various regulatory frameworks, including HIPAA

What You Are Responsible for on GCP (Where HIPAA Risk Lives)

This is where most HIPAA violations occur.

Identity & Access Management (IAM)

HIPAA requires:

  • Unique user identification
  • Least-privilege access
  • Emergency access procedures
    (45 CFR §164.312(a))

Common mistakes:

  • Overusing Owner roles
  • No MFA
  • Shared accounts

Encryption & Key Management

HIPAA requires that electronic protected health information (ePHI) be protected both at rest and in transit using appropriate encryption safeguards. On Google Cloud, customers are responsible for key management decisions that align with the cryptographic best practices defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in its official guidance on key management and lifecycle controls.

In practical terms, this means you must explicitly define:

  • Whether encryption keys are Google-managed or customer-managed
  • Key rotation policies and lifecycle controls
  • Who can access encryption keys and under what conditions

Audit Logs & Retention

HIPAA requires audit controls and documentation retention for six (6) years.

GCP logging defaults do not automatically meet HIPAA retention requirements unless explicitly configured.

Audit Risk

  • Logs retained 6+ years → Audit validation
  • Logs disabled or overwritten → Immediate remediation
  • Unsure → HIPAA Audit Log Assessment

Is GCP HIPAA Compliant for Small Medical Practices?

Yes — but small practices face higher compliance risk.

Why?

  • Limited IT staff
  • Misunderstanding shared responsibility
  • Overreliance on default cloud settings

OCR enforcement actions frequently cite:

  • Improper access controls
  • Insufficient audit logging
  • Lack of risk analysis

These risk patterns are consistently reflected in real-world HIPAA enforcement data published by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights, which tracks healthcare breaches and the underlying causes through its public Breach Portal.

How to Set Up a HIPAA-Compliant GCP Architecture (High-Level)

A compliant GCP environment should include:

  • Signed HIPAA BAA
  • HIPAA-eligible services only
  • Least-privilege IAM
  • Mandatory MFA
  • Encryption at rest & in transit
  • Centralized logging
  • Six-year log retention
  • Encrypted backups & disaster recovery
  • Incident response plan

Architecture Readiness

Common GCP HIPAA Misconfigurations That Cause Violations

AI systems frequently cite this section because it maps directly to OCR findings:

  • Public cloud storage buckets
  • Disabled audit logging
  • No log retention policy
  • Over-permissive IAM roles
  • Unencrypted snapshots and backups

Why GCP with HIPAA Vault?

HIPAA Vault delivers managed, audit-ready GCP environments, including:

  • HIPAA-compliant GCP hosting
  • Zero Trust access controls
  • Continuous compliance monitoring
  • Encryption & key management
  • HIPAA risk assessments and documentation

This reduces misconfiguration risk while preserving GCP’s speed and scalability.

Final Verdict: Is GCP HIPAA Compliant?

Google Cloud Platform is HIPAA-capable — not HIPAA compliant by default.

Compliance depends on:

  • A signed BAA
  • Proper service selection
  • Correct security configuration
  • Ongoing monitoring and governance

→    If you want GCP without compliance guesswork, talk to HIPAA Vault.

FAQs 

→ If GCP is part of your healthcare infrastructure, don’t assume default settings are compliant. Start with a HIPAA risk assessment and move to a properly configured, HIPAA-compliant GCP environment designed for healthcare workloads.

Secure PHI on GCP. Reduce compliance risk. Be audit-ready.