They expertly mapped the overlapping controls between SOC 2 and ISO 27001, which saved us from duplicating work.
Jasreet Kaur B.Silicon Physical Design Engineer · Small-BusinessSOC 2 + ISO 27001 · August 2026
Build HIPAA-compliant healthcare applications on Google Cloud Platform. Learn about BAA coverage, Cloud Run, Healthcare API, serverless architecture, and implementation best practices.
Google Cloud's BAA is accepted in the Cloud Console and covers all in-scope GCP products — including serverless services like Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, and BigQuery.
AllIn-scope GCP products BAA-covered
8Weeks typical implementation
1,000+Audits delivered
45 CFR Part 164 · HHS OCR · GCP BAA via Cloud Console · Last reviewed June 2026
Direct Answer
You can run HIPAA-regulated PHI on Google Cloud by accepting its Business Associate Agreement (BAA) in the Cloud Console. The BAA covers a broad set of in-scope products, including serverless services such as Cloud Run and BigQuery. Under the shared responsibility model Google secures the infrastructure, while you remain responsible for encryption, access control, audit logging, and your application — so coverage alone does not make you compliant.
Key Takeaways
- Google Cloud lets a customer accept its HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) in the Cloud Console, and the BAA covers all in-scope GCP products — broad coverage that includes serverless services like Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, and BigQuery.
- GCP secures the physical infrastructure and hypervisor, while you remain responsible for configuration — customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK), IAM least privilege, Cloud Audit Logs, VPC Service Controls, and your application. This is the shared responsibility model.
- A BAA and covered services are prerequisites, not proof of compliance. You still need a Security Risk Assessment, correct configuration, audit logging, and BAAs with your US clients.
- Tranquility Cybersecurity (TCSA) designs and validates HIPAA-eligible GCP architectures — including serverless ones — for Indian healthcare and SaaS teams. Engagements are an indicative ₹1.5–4 lakh by scope.
Cloud Console
GCP BAA Coverage
Google Cloud offers BAA coverage for ALL GCP services. This is unique among cloud providers.
1
Sign into GCP Console
Log in with admin credentials
2
Navigate to Compliance
Go to Compliance section in console
3
Review BAA Terms
All GCP services are covered under BAA
4
Accept BAA
Electronically accept the BAA agreement
5
Configure Services
Enable HIPAA-compliant configurations
6
Document Coverage
Maintain BAA documentation
Key Advantage: Unlike AWS and Azure, GCP covers ALL services under BAA, including Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, and BigQuery.
BAA Coverage
GCP HIPAA-Eligible Services
ALL GCP services are HIPAA-eligible. Here are the most commonly used for healthcare applications:
Healthcare
Cloud Healthcare API
FHIR, HL7v2, and DICOM data management
Compute
Cloud Run
Serverless containers for PHI processing
Storage
Cloud Storage
Object storage with encryption and retention
Database
Cloud SQL
Managed MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server
Compute
Cloud Functions
Serverless functions for event-driven PHI workflows
Analytics
BigQuery
Data warehouse for healthcare analytics
Containers
GKE (Kubernetes Engine)
Managed Kubernetes with security controls
Security
Cloud KMS
Key management for encryption
Monitoring
Cloud Logging
Centralized logging and audit trails
Monitoring
Cloud Monitoring
Infrastructure and application monitoring
Network
VPC Service Controls
Security perimeter for sensitive data
Security
Cloud Armor
DDoS protection and WAF
Note: For complete documentation, visit GCP HIPAA Compliance
Serverless First
Serverless HIPAA Architecture on GCP
GCP excels at serverless HIPAA-compliant architectures with Cloud Run and Cloud Functions:
Cloud Run
API endpoints for PHI access
Auto-scaling, pay-per-use, fully managed
Cloud Functions
Event-driven PHI processing
Serverless, triggered by events, cost-effective
Cloud Healthcare API
FHIR/HL7v2/DICOM storage
Healthcare-specific, HIPAA-compliant by default
BigQuery
PHI analytics and reporting
Petabyte-scale, SQL interface, ML integration
Cloud Storage
Medical imaging and documents
Durable, encrypted, lifecycle management
VPC Service Controls
Data perimeter security
Prevent data exfiltration, context-aware access
Build It Right
GCP HIPAA Architecture Best Practices
- Use VPC Service Controls for data perimeter
- Enable encryption at rest with CMEK
- Enable encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+)
- Implement Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP)
- Enable Cloud Audit Logs for all services
- Use Cloud Monitoring for alerting
- Implement Cloud Armor for DDoS protection
- Use Cloud KMS for key management
- Enable Binary Authorization for containers
- Implement least privilege with IAM
Indicative Spend
GCP HIPAA Cost Estimates
Typical monthly costs for a serverless healthcare application on GCP:
| Service | Estimated Cost | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Run (1M requests) | $0.40/month | Serverless API |
| Cloud SQL (db-n1-standard-1) | $25-40/month | Database |
| Cloud Storage (Standard) | $20/TB/month | PHI storage |
| Cloud Logging | $0.50/GB ingested | Audit logs |
| Cloud KMS | $0.06/key/month | Encryption keys |
| Healthcare API | $0.01/GB stored | FHIR data |
Total Estimated Cost: $100-300/month for a serverless HIPAA-compliant application. GCP's serverless offerings can be significantly cheaper than traditional VM-based architectures.
8-Week Plan
GCP HIPAA Implementation Timeline
Week 1-2: Planning & BAA
Sign GCP BAA, design serverless architecture, select services
Week 3-4: Infrastructure Setup
Configure VPC Service Controls, set up encryption, implement IAM, enable logging
Week 5-6: Application Deployment
Deploy Cloud Run services, configure monitoring, set up Healthcare API, test workflows
Week 7-8: Security & Compliance
Security assessment, penetration testing, compliance documentation, training
Proof
In their words.
Quotes verbatim from G2. Company names added where the client confirmed them.
Instead of simply providing generic templates or checklists, their team took the time to understand our environment and requirements.
Anand .Market Risk Analyst · Mid-MarketCompliance readiness · September 2026
The team’s willingness to work with us and ease of communication.
sam v.CEO · Small-BusinessSOC 2 Type I + ISO 27001 · August 2026
They delivered the project with speed, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness.
Maneet P.Mid-MarketSOC 2 · August 2026
My only regret is that we didn’t engage them sooner in our compliance journey, which would have saved us even more time.
Mahesh Raju C. · XonarSmall-BusinessSOC 2 · GRC · August 2026
They were always responsive and willing to go the extra mile whenever we had questions or needed guidance.
Chandan J. · DsiderSmall-BusinessSOC 2 Type I · August 2026
Managing the auditor relationship on our behalf was especially valuable — it took a lot of pressure off our internal team.
Achyut B.Senior Software Engineer · Small-BusinessSOC 2 + ISO 27001 · September 2026
Their focus on ensuring that we were genuinely audit-ready rather than simply completing documentation.
Ravi V.Founder & CEO · Mid-MarketSOC 2 Type II · August 2026
The guidance was not generic or simply based on a standard checklist — they suggested practical approaches that made sense for our business.
Verified UserInternational Trade and Development · Small-BusinessSOC 2 + ISO 27001 · September 2026
What I like best is the hands-on support and clear guidance throughout the SOC 1 and SOC 2 process.
Sai Sudha S. · ExcersSmall-BusinessSOC 1 + SOC 2 · September 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I sign the Google Cloud HIPAA BAA?
A Google Cloud customer can request and accept the HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) through the Cloud Console (or via their Google Cloud account team for larger organizations). Once accepted, the BAA covers the in-scope GCP products, which is a broad set — including serverless services. Keep a record of the accepted BAA and restrict PHI to covered products.
Is Google Cloud HIPAA certified?
Google Cloud is not "HIPAA certified" — HIPAA has no certification scheme. Google signs a BAA and supports HIPAA across its covered products. Compliance is shared: Google secures the infrastructure, and you are responsible for configuring services correctly and documenting your controls through a Security Risk Assessment.
Does the GCP BAA really cover all services, including Cloud Run?
Google Cloud's BAA covers a broad set of in-scope products, and that scope notably includes serverless services such as Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, and BigQuery alongside Cloud Healthcare API, Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, and GKE. Coverage can change, so always confirm a specific product against Google's current list of HIPAA-covered products before placing PHI on it.
What is my responsibility under GCP's shared responsibility model?
You own the security of your configuration and data: customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK), IAM least-privilege roles, Identity-Aware Proxy, Cloud Audit Logs, VPC Service Controls to prevent data exfiltration, guest-OS patching on Compute Engine, and your application code. Google secures the physical infrastructure and hypervisor.
Is GCP good for serverless HIPAA architectures?
Yes. Because Google Cloud's BAA covers serverless products like Cloud Run and Cloud Functions, GCP is well-suited to fully serverless, HIPAA-eligible architectures that auto-scale and bill per use. You still apply the same controls — CMEK encryption, IAM, audit logging, and a Security Risk Assessment — but you avoid managing and patching servers.
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