Frequently Asked Questions

General Overview

What is Hyperforce?

• Hyperforce is the next-generation Salesforce infrastructure architecture, built for the public cloud. Hyperforce infrastructure is composed of code rather than hardware, so that the Salesforce platform and applications can be delivered rapidly and reliably to locations worldwide, giving customers more choice and control over data residency. Salesforce products running on Hyperforce benefit from its integration of enhanced standards for compliance, security, agility, and scalability, and from Salesforce’s continued commitment to privacy. By providing a common foundation for deploying our application stacks, Hyperforce accelerates Salesforce’s ability to innovate across product clouds and deliver additional business value to customers.

What is an operating zone?

• Salesforce created the concept of an operating zone in 2021, to represent the combination of technology and personnel standards demanded by our customers to grow their businesses in diverse markets around the world.
• At Salesforce, an operating zone defines how Hyperforce — and the products running on it — is configured and operationally supported.
• An operating zone can be thought of as an application of rules and guidelines within a specifically defined boundary. In the case of Hyperforce EU Operating Zone, the operating zone is focused on Customer Data storage and processing.

What is Hyperforce EU Operating Zone (EU OZ)?

• EU OZ is a new way of combining our industry-leading products on Hyperforce with in-region customer and technical support to provide enhanced data residency and privacy commitments.  
• Specifically:
  • Customer Data is stored within the EU, and Salesforce-initiated transfer of such data outside the EU is restricted.
  • Customer Support and Technical Operations teams are aligned under an operating model that restricts interaction with Customer Data to personnel located within the EU.

What value does EU OZ deliver to customers?

• Operated in the EU
  • Receive 24/7 local customer and engineering support, conducted by EU-based personnel.
• Keep Customer Data within the EU
  • Establish customer choice and control by providing the ability to process and store all Customer Data in the EU.
• Grow your business in the EU
  • EU and non-EU customers who want to expand their business in the EU can leverage EU Operating Zone to enable more options for EU data privacy and residency.

Why did Salesforce announce EU Operating Zone?

• Salesforce has a longstanding commitment to privacy and security with trust as our #1 value. In recent years, privacy and security have become increasingly important to our customers and to regulators around the world. 
• Hyperforce went live in 2019, and laid the foundation for Salesforce to respond to specific regulatory pressures around data privacy. More than ever following Shrems II, our customers want to control where their data is stored and processed and who has access to their data.
• We wanted to provide more choices for our customers based on the requests we received for comprehensive EU data storage and processing commitments.
• We also wanted to enable our customers to stay ahead of the curve in a changing EU environment.
• And we wanted to demonstrate continued Hyperforce momentum. Our deep investment in modernizing our infrastructure provides a foundation for innovations into the next decade. The EU OZ announcement demonstrates how we will deliver new capabilities on Hyperforce infrastructure that provide value to both existing and new customers.

What is Data Residency and why is it important?

• Data residency is a decision to store data at rest in a specific country or region.
  • Hyperforce provides new global regions for Salesforce to operate products and store Customer Data. EU OZ builds on Hyperforce to enable Data Residency within the EU by leveraging technical policies and processes designed to ensure that data storage and processing happens within the EU, subject to limited exceptions.
  • Customers request storage and processing of Customer Data in a specific country for multiple reasons including to address regulatory risk, procurement requirements, tax requirements, customer commitments, or business risk profile requirements. Customers should consult with their internal counsel and compliance teams to ensure the offering meets their legal or compliance needs.

General Overview | Product Overview | Packaging
 

Product Overview

Which features or services are included in Hyperforce EU Operating Zone?

• EU Operating Zone includes a select set of products and features that have been vetted to meet the offering’s strict obligations. These products span Sales, Service, Analytics, Platform, Financial Services, Healthcare and Life Sciences, and Experience cloud offerings. It is not enough for a product to be available on Hyperforce, although that is a prerequisite. As part of the selection process, all of the underlying features available to a commercial customer were vetted to ensure they do not rely on processing or interaction with Customer Data from outside the EU. 
• As a result, some underlying features of the selected products such as MySearch, Chatbot, and select Einstein features are not available as part of our EU Operating Zone products. Salesforce created EU OZ-specific product SKUs which are being managed to ensure that these products remain compliant to our contractual obligations over the life of the products and underlying services. 
• Salesforce has heard the demand for more products in the EU, and the demand for additional data storage options and more Operating Zones. We are working to expand our product footprint and will  share our roadmap over the coming months.

What are the differences between EU OZ-licensed products and the standard versions?

• The product configuration of EU OZ Authorized product SKUs restricts the use of features that transfer Customer Data outside of the European Union. Because of this isolation restriction, some licenses have been removed from the EU OZ-configured SKUs to ensure we meet our legal obligations regarding Customer Data transfer.
• The spreadsheets attached to this article identify the removed licenses and the associated customer impact of these licenses being unavailable. See product documentation for more information about the features of these products.

Does supporting local data storage and processing mean that Salesforce doesn’t transfer Customer Data outside of the EU?

• Correct, all EU Customer Data storage and processing occur in Hyperforce data centers located in the EU region. Engineering and customer support personnel who handle Customer Data are located in the EU. Any exceptions to these restrictions are noted within the contractual terms and conditions.

Can I choose the European Union country in which my EU OZ orgs are located?

• No. Please see the Trust and Compliance Documentation listing the hosting location(s) for the EU OZ offering. Customers or partners can’t choose a specific country in the EU from which we support them or where in the EU their data is stored. Operationally, EU OZ satisfies the data handling requirements for all 27 countries of the EU.

Does EU OZ address all the legal issues raised in the Schrems II Court case? Can foreign governments still request access to customers’ data?

• No. EU OZ does not address all of the legal issues raised in the Schrems II case. An underlying issue in that case was the US government's ability to demand access to EU data. The US government still has jurisdictional authority to demand access to data even if data is stored entirely in the EU, and such access would constitute a transfer under EU law. Customers can read more about how Salesforce addresses government access in our Principles for Government Requests for Customer Data and our Transparency Report.
• Nonetheless, many EU regulators, policymakers, and customers are demanding an ability to keep EU data within the EU. There are a variety of reasons for this, one of which is the perception that local storage and access is or will soon be required for compliance. As a service provider, our role is to meet customer demand and enable customer control.

Does local data storage mean that Salesforce and Customer Data is no longer subject to the CLOUD Act?

• No. Subject to due process, the CLOUD Act explicitly allows the US government to access data located overseas. The US government can continue to legally demand data held overseas by Salesforce, as well as many foreign headquartered companies that are subject to US jurisdiction (including major EU companies).

Is Hyperforce EU Operating Zone compliant with GAIA-X?

• The requirements of GAIA-X have not yet been defined and it's too early to determine whether Hyperforce EU will be consistent with them. Salesforce is a member of GAIA-X and we continue to stay close to the development of the requirements.

General Overview | Product Overview | Packaging
 

Packaging

What are the geographic boundaries of EU Operating Zone commitments?

• EU OZ delivers a generic commitment to store, process and access Customer Data within the 27 countries of the EU.
  • Customers or partners can’t choose the specific EU country where their data is stored or processed.
  • Customers or partners can’t choose the specific EU country from which Salesforce will support them.

Can customers located in countries near the EU but not formally in the EU take advantage of EU OZ? (For example, UK, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway)

• Yes, customers in countries outside the EU such as the UK, Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway can take advantage of EU OZ. However, EU OZ stores and processes Customer Data in the EU, not in countries outside the EU. Local support, as specified in the contractual terms and conditions, would also be based in the EU.

Can customers located in regions outside of EMEA take advantage of EU OZ? (For example, Americas, Asia Pacific)

• Yes, but remember, EU OZ stores and processes EU data in the EU region, which does not include those regions.