On-Premises Wiki for ITAR Compliance

If your company is engaged in aerospace, defense, sophisticated production, or any other industry requiring sensitive military technology, you’re likely subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). While many firms invest in physical system security and hardware access restrictions, they often overlook documentation workflows (particularly wikis and internal knowledge platforms). This could be a costly mistake.

Many popular collaboration and documentation options are cloud-based, hosted in another country, or require third-party access to function. Under ITAR, that can constitute a compliance violation, even if you never intended it. So what is the solution? Using a self-hosted on-premises wiki software like Docmost.

What is ITAR?

The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) are a set of U.S. government rules that control the export and handling of defense-related articles, services, and technical data. Administered by the U.S. Department of State, ITAR is designed to prevent sensitive military technologies from being accessed by foreign nationals or transferred outside of the United States without explicit authorization.

ITAR compliance applies not only to physical products like weapons or aircraft components but also to the underlying technical data such as engineering drawings, software, or research documentation.

For organizations in industries such as aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or advanced research, ITAR is not optional. Failure to comply can result in severe fines, loss of contracts, and restrictions on doing business with the government. Because of these stakes, companies must be extremely careful about where their data lives, who can access it, and how it is protected.

What Are the Penalties for ITAR Compliance Violations

The U.S. government takes ITAR violations very seriously, and the consequences can be devastating for both companies and individuals.

Civil Penalties (ITAR § 127.10)

• Over $1 million per violation
• Possible debarment

Criminal Penalties (AECA § 38(c), 22 U.S.C. 2778(c))

• Up to $1 million per violation
• Up to 20 years’ imprisonment, or both
• Possible debarment

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) oversees civil enforcement of ITAR, while criminal cases are prosecuted by the Department of Justice. Beyond fines and debarment, violations can trigger broader consequences such as denial or revocation of export licenses, heightened compliance oversight, and significant reputational or business impacts.

The Risk of Cloud-Based Documentation

Cloud platforms are convenient, but for ITAR-regulated organizations they introduce serious risks. Most cloud providers distribute data across global infrastructure, and even if they claim U.S. hosting, there is often limited transparency or control over where data is replicated and who can access it.

Key risks include:

• Jurisdictional exposure: data may cross borders or be accessible to non-U.S. persons, creating potential ITAR violations.
• Third-party control: you rely on the provider’s policies, subcontractors, and compliance practices, which may not align with your own obligations.
• Limited auditability: many SaaS platforms provide only minimal logging or visibility, making it difficult to demonstrate ITAR compliance during audits.
• Contractual risk: reliance on non-compliant cloud tools can disqualify your company from defense contracts or trigger costly remediation.

For organizations subject to ITAR, these uncertainties make cloud documentation a compliance liability rather than an asset.

Why Self-Hosting is Essential for ITAR Compliance

ITAR places strict limits on how and where technical data can be stored, accessed, and shared. Cloud-based collaboration tools often operate across multiple jurisdictions and data centers, creating uncertainty about whether controlled information might be exposed outside U.S. borders.

By contrast, a self-hosted wiki gives your organization full control over:

• Data residency: all information stays on servers you manage, within approved facilities.
• Access controls: you decide who can view, edit, or export technical data, with the ability to integrate with your existing identity management systems.
• Continuity: even in air-gapped or classified networks, your teams can collaborate without relying on external providers.

Protect and Secure Critical Data With Kiteworks

How Docmost Helps You Stay Compliant

Docmost offers an on-premises enterprise wiki software to help you meet ITAR compliance requirements. With Docmost, you can have full control over where and how your internal wiki and documentation is stored, keeping sensitive ITAR-controlled data on-premises within your own environment, without relying on third-party cloud providers.

Integration with SSO and LDAP allows you to apply existing identity and access policies seamlessly, while granular permissions give you the flexibility to restrict access. Combined with data sovereign, you can be confident that sensitive ITAR-controlled information remains both protected and compliant.

Docmost features​

• Air-gapped Ready: Docmost can run fully offline without an internet connection.
• Collaborative Real-time Editor: Work together on pages in real time.
• Diagrams: Built-in support for Drawio, Excalidraw, and Mermaid diagramming tools.
• Authentication: Email and password, LDAP and SSO login (SAML/OIDC) in the Enterprise edition.
• Spaces: Organize your pages by team, projects, or departments for better collaboration.
• Permissions Management: Easily control access to pages with easy-to-understand permissions.
• Groups: Easily grant unified permissions to users via groups.
• Comments: Add inline comments to pages for better communication and feedback.
• Page History: Track changes with a comprehensive version history.
• Nested Navigation: You can nest and reorder pages via the sidebar.
• Search: Quickly find the information you need with powerful search capabilities.
• File Attachment: Attach files to your pages for quick reference and sharing.
• Attachments Search: Full-text search and indexing of content in PDF and DOCX file attachments.
• High Availability: Built from the ground up with high availability from day one.