Microsoft has bolstered its Cloud options through the Microsoft Azure service, enhancing its cloud services in the United States, Canada, and Germany.
The expansion means Microsoft cloud services is now available in 30 countries, and in its homeland (USA) the company is splitting the Azure platform into two different entities.
Cloud services are a big business for Microsoft these days, and Azure is now isolated into Government regions for Department of Defense and DISA Impact Level Impact 5 in the United States.
With these two regions, Microsoft has created the Azure cloud service to comply with the Department of Defense for data Level 5 protection.
Architected to meet stringent DoD security controls and compliance requirements.
Azure Deutschland and Azure Canada will not be getting these isolated regions, but are getting an expanded cloud service from Redmond. Microsoft will launch a preview through data residency within the country, allowing customers to discover the cloud services on offer for enterprises, with select customers chosen for the preview.
Azure U.S. Expansion
Microsoft announced last year that its cloud computing platform would be hosted in local datacenters, which means the company has had to partner with regional carriers. In the case of Germany, Deutsche Telekom’s T-System subsidiary will serve as the local data trustee.
The newly announced United States Azure services for governmental organizations will never be seen by normal consumers of course. Built to handle the DoD’s Level 5, meaning the Azure cloud service will be able to safely manage and store classified information below a Level 6 grading.
In other cloud news, Microsoft also announced on Tuesday that it is a step closer to securing key certifications within the government. The company has been looking to expand contracts with U.S. government institutions, one of the sure fire ways to guarantee success of a product, on the cloud or not.
“Selecting Microsoft Azure Government to participate in FedRAMP’s High Impact baseline pilot and its forthcoming Provisional Authority to Operate (P-ATO) from the FedRAMP JAB are testaments to Microsoft’s ability to meet the government’s rigorous security requirements,” – Matt Goodrich, the director for FedRAMP’s Program Management Office.
Microsoft’s pilot in the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) High Impact Baseline, which aims to detail exactly what companies need to do to comply with government criteria for safety and security. A certification through FedRAMP will mean Azure is capable of managing highly classified data.
SOURCE: Microsoft Blog
