---
title: Getting started with data residency for GitHub Enterprise Cloud
shortTitle: Get started
intro: "Set up your enterprise on {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_site %} by onboarding users, enabling billing, and migrating data."
versions:
  ghec: '*'
redirect_from:
  - /early-access/admin/using-a-data-local-enterprise-on-github/getting-started-with-a-data-local-enterprise
  - /early-access/admin/using-a-data-local-enterprise-on-github/getting-started-with-a-data-resident-enterprise
  - /early-access/admin/preview-of-data-residency-for-github-enterprise/getting-started-with-the-preview-of-data-residency
  - /early-access/admin/private-ga-of-data-residency-for-github-enterprise-cloud/getting-started-with-the-private-ga-of-data-residency
  - /early-access/admin/data-residency-for-github-enterprise-cloud/getting-started-with-data-residency-for-github-enterprise-cloud
  - /early-access/admin/preview-of-data-residency-for-github-enterprise/configuring-authentication-and-provisioning-for-your-enterprise
  - /early-access/admin/private-ga-of-data-residency-for-github-enterprise-cloud/configuring-authentication-and-provisioning-for-your-enterprise
  - /early-access/admin/data-residency-for-github-enterprise-cloud/configuring-authentication-and-provisioning-for-your-enterprise
---

When you adopt {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency %}, you can choose where your company's code and data are stored.

In this guide, you will:

* Start a trial to create an enterprise account with {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_short %} and a dedicated domain on {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_site %}
* Add users by configuring authentication and provisioning with an identity management system
* Learn about available features, including features that work differently or require additional configuration compared to {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}
* Set up billing for your enterprise
* Optionally, migrate data from another platform

After this initial setup, you'll be able to create organizations and repositories, collaborate on code, configure policies, and more.

## Prerequisites

* If you intend to pay with a Microsoft Azure subscription, you must have admin access to the Azure portal or work with someone to configure an admin consent workflow. For a full list of prerequisites, see [AUTOTITLE](/billing/managing-the-plan-for-your-github-account/connecting-an-azure-subscription#prerequisites).

* {% data reusables.data-residency.data-resident-enterprises-network-access %}

## 1. Sign up for a trial

To get started with {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_short %}, you will sign up for a trial. The trial:

* Lasts for **{% data reusables.enterprise.ghec-trial-length %} days**
* Includes access to most {% data variables.product.prodname_enterprise %} features, though not the features listed in [Features not included in the trial](/admin/overview/setting-up-a-trial-of-github-enterprise-cloud#features-not-included-in-the-trial)
* Allows you to create up to **three new organizations**

<a href="https://github.com/account/enterprises/new?ref_product=ghec&ref_type=trial&ref_style=button&ref_plan=enterprise" target="_blank" class="btn btn-primary mt-3 mr-3 no-underline"><span>Set up a trial of {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_cloud %}</span> {% octicon "link-external" height:16 aria-label="link-external" %}</a>

1. Visit the trial page by clicking the link above.
1. Select **Get started with managed users**.
1. Under "Data hosting", use the dropdown menu to select your region for {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_short %}.
1. Complete the signup form. Pay close attention to the following fields:

   * **Subdomain**: This will appear in your enterprise's dedicated domain. For example: `{% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_example_domain %}`.
   * **Identity Provider**: {% data variables.product.github %} partners with certain identity providers to provide a "paved-path" experience. Check whether your identity provider is a partner and ensure you understand the requirements for other systems. See [AUTOTITLE](/admin/managing-iam/understanding-iam-for-enterprises/about-enterprise-managed-users#identity-management-systems).
   * **Admin work email**: This is where you will receive the invitation to sign in and configure the enterprise for the first time.

1. Click **Create enterprise**.

Your enterprise can take a few hours to be provisioned. When it's ready, you'll receive a welcome email and an invitation to reset your password, delivered to the "Admin work email" address.

## 2. Add users to your enterprise

Enterprises on {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_site %} use {% data variables.product.prodname_emus %}. To create user accounts and grant access to your new enterprise on {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_site %}, you must configure authentication and SCIM provisioning. See [AUTOTITLE](/admin/managing-iam/understanding-iam-for-enterprises/getting-started-with-enterprise-managed-users).

### Sign in as the setup user

After we create your enterprise, you will receive an email inviting you to choose a password for the setup user, which is used to configure authentication and provisioning. The username is a randomly generated shortcode, suffixed with `_admin`.

Using an **incognito or private browsing window**:

1. Set the user's password.
1. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA), and save the user's recovery codes. See [AUTOTITLE](/authentication/securing-your-account-with-two-factor-authentication-2fa/configuring-two-factor-authentication).

   > [!NOTE]
   > If 2FA isn't enabled, you will need to enter your enterprise's single sign-on (SSO) recovery code each time you sign in as the setup user. You can download these codes once SSO is enabled.

{% data reusables.enterprise-accounts.emu-recommend-password-manager %}

{% data reusables.enterprise-accounts.emu-password-reset-session %}

### Create a {% data variables.product.pat_generic %}

{% data reusables.enterprise-accounts.emu-create-a-pat %}

### Configure authentication

{% data reusables.enterprise-accounts.emu-configure-authentication %}

### Configure provisioning

{% data reusables.enterprise-accounts.emu-configure-provisioning %}

### Manage organization membership

{% data reusables.enterprise-accounts.emu-manage-org-membership %}

## 3. Learn about {% data variables.product.github %}'s features

When you have completed the initial setup of your enterprise, you and your enterprise's members can start using {% data variables.product.github %}'s features.

{% data reusables.data-residency.data-resident-enterprise-feature-availability %} Some features work differently or require additional configuration compared to the equivalent feature on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}. See [AUTOTITLE](/admin/data-residency/feature-overview-for-github-enterprise-cloud-with-data-residency).

## 4. Purchase {% data variables.product.prodname_enterprise %}

You can purchase {% data variables.product.prodname_enterprise %} at any time during the trial. To do so, click the **Activate enterprise** button displayed on your enterprise account.

To pay for licenses and services, you can use a credit card, PayPal, or a Microsoft Azure subscription.

* To add a credit card or PayPal details, see [AUTOTITLE](/billing/managing-your-billing/managing-your-payment-and-billing-information#viewing-payment-information).
* To link an Azure subscription, see [AUTOTITLE](/billing/managing-the-plan-for-your-github-account/connecting-an-azure-subscription#connecting-your-azure-subscription-to-your-enterprise-account).

## 5. Migrate data

To migrate existing data to your new enterprise on {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_site %}, you can use {% data variables.product.company_short %}'s migration tools.

Optionally, you can migrate data to {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_site %} during your trial. However, migrated organizations will count towards the limit of three new organizations during the trial.

* If you're migrating from {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}, {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %}, Azure DevOps, or Bitbucket Server, you can migrate source code history and metadata with {% data variables.product.prodname_importer_proper_name %}. See [AUTOTITLE](/migrations/using-github-enterprise-importer/understanding-github-enterprise-importer/about-github-enterprise-importer).
* If you're migrating from a different platform, see [AUTOTITLE](/migrations/overview/migration-paths-to-github#migrations-to-ghecom).

### Example script for {% data variables.product.prodname_importer_proper_name %}

The following script demonstrates the use of {% data variables.product.prodname_importer_proper_name %} for migration of an individual source repository from {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %} to a target repository on {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_site %}. The `--target-api-url` parameter sets your enterprise on {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_site %} as the destination of the migration.

You can use the environment variable definitions in the script as an example to create additional commands that migrate data using {% data variables.product.prodname_importer_proper_name %}.

In the following script, **replace the following placeholder text** with actual values.

| Placeholder | Description |
| :- | :- |
| TARGET-TOKEN | {% data variables.product.pat_generic_caps %} (PAT) for accessing the target enterprise on {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_site %} |
| SOURCE-TOKEN | PAT for accessing the source resources on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %} |
| TARGET-GHE-API-URL | The URL for accessing API endpoints for your enterprise. For example, if your enterprise's subdomain is `octocorp`, this value must be `https://api.octocorp.ghe.com`. |
| SOURCE-GH-ORGANIZATION-NAME | The name of the source organization on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}. |
| SOURCE-GH-REPOSITORY-NAME | The name of the source repository on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}. |
| TARGET-GHE-ORGANIZATION-NAME | The name of the target organization on {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_site %}. |
| TARGET-GHE-REPOSITORY-NAME | The name of the target repository on {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency_site %}. |

```bash copy
#!/bin/sh

export GH_PAT="TARGET-TOKEN"
export GH_SOURCE_PAT="SOURCE-TOKEN"
export TARGET_API_URL="TARGET-GHE-API-URL"
export GITHUB_SOURCE_ORG="SOURCE-GH-ORGANIZATION-NAME"
export SOURCE_REPO="SOURCE-GH-REPOSITORY-NAME"
export GITHUB_TARGET_ORG="TARGET-GHE-ORGANIZATION-NAME"
export TARGET_REPO="TARGET-GHE-REPOSITORY-NAME"

gh gei migrate-repo --target-api-url $TARGET_API_URL --github-source-org $GITHUB_SOURCE_ORG --source-repo $SOURCE_REPO --github-target-org $GITHUB_TARGET_ORG --target-repo $TARGET_REPO --verbose
```

## Further reading

* [AUTOTITLE](/admin/data-residency/resolving-issues-with-your-enterprise-on-ghecom)