HIPAA & BAA · CRM

Is Salesforce HIPAA compliant?

Conditionally. Salesforce will sign a BAA for its HIPAA-eligible services (notably Health Cloud and Enterprise-edition Sales/Service Cloud), but not for products like Marketing Cloud or Pardot.

Key facts

  • BAA available: Conditionally — on specific plans
  • What it takes: BAA available for HIPAA-eligible products (notably Health Cloud, and Enterprise editions of Sales/Service Cloud); request via your account rep. Marketing Cloud, Pardot, and lower editions are not eligible.
  • Official source: Salesforce Compliance — HIPAA — https://compliance.salesforce.com/en/categories/hipaa (verified 2026-06)

How to use Salesforce in a HIPAA-compliant way

  • Contact your Salesforce account representative to request a Business Associate Addendum covering the HIPAA-eligible products you use.
  • Use a HIPAA-eligible product/edition such as Health Cloud or an Enterprise edition of Sales/Service Cloud for PHI.
  • Execute the BAA before storing or processing any PHI.
  • Configure encryption at rest and in transit, least-privilege access, monitoring, and incident response.
  • Keep PHI out of non-eligible products like Marketing Cloud and Pardot.

Important caveats

  • Not all editions/products are HIPAA-eligible; confirm which of your specific Salesforce services the BAA covers.
  • Marketing Cloud and Pardot are excluded, so marketing automation with PHI is a common pitfall.
  • A documented HIPAA risk-management program and correct configuration are required beyond the BAA.

The bottom line

No software is "HIPAA compliant" on its own. HIPAA compliance is a property of your organization, not a tool. Even with a signed BAA, you remain responsible for configuring Salesforce correctly, limiting access to PHI, training staff, and maintaining your own safeguards. This page is general information, not legal advice; confirm current terms with Salesforce.

Related tools: CRM & sales

BAA availability for tools healthcare teams commonly evaluate alongside Salesforce.

ToolWill the vendor sign a BAA?
Is HubSpot HIPAA compliant?Conditionally — on specific plans
Is Zoho CRM HIPAA compliant?Conditionally — on specific plans
Is Pipedrive HIPAA compliant?No — vendor will not sign a BAA
Is Zendesk HIPAA compliant?Conditionally — on specific plans
Is Notion HIPAA compliant?Conditionally — on specific plans
Is Google Analytics HIPAA compliant?No — vendor will not sign a BAA
Is Epic HIPAA compliant?Yes — with a signed BAA
Is Oracle Health (Cerner) HIPAA compliant?Yes — with a signed BAA
Is athenahealth HIPAA compliant?Yes — with a signed BAA

Frequently asked questions

Does Salesforce sign a BAA?

On specific plans. BAA available for HIPAA-eligible products (notably Health Cloud, and Enterprise editions of Sales/Service Cloud); request via your account rep. Marketing Cloud, Pardot, and lower editions are not eligible. A signed BAA is required before any PHI is involved.

Is Salesforce HIPAA compliant out of the box?

No software is "HIPAA compliant" by itself. Even when Salesforce offers a BAA, you are responsible for signing it, configuring the product correctly, restricting access, and maintaining your own administrative, physical, and technical safeguards.

What should I check before using Salesforce with PHI?

Not all editions/products are HIPAA-eligible; confirm which of your specific Salesforce services the BAA covers.