Microsoft floats high-security cloud for federal government |
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Microsoft floats high-security cloud for federal government
Ron Markezich
Microsoft says it's creating separate data center facilities -- protected by biometric controls and accessible only by U.S. citizens -- in an effort to win business from federal government agencies with needs for extra security. The company plans to use the facilities to offer a high-security version of its Business Online Productivity Suite, which includes cloud-based versions of its Exchange messaging and SharePoint collaboration servers.
The facilities will be designed to comply with International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which apply to many federal agencies and suppliers, said Ron Markezich, corporate vice president of Microsoft Online, in an interview this afternoon. The small number of workers who are granted access will have gone through background checks and fingerprinting, Markezich said.
Markezich said Microsoft "will be the first and only cloud provider to offer this level of protection for governments."
Security concerns are often raised by government agencies as they contemplate shifting services to cloud computing, in which programs and data are stored and delivered from remote data centers. At the same time, cloud computing seems to be gaining broader acceptance in the Obama adminstration, Markezich said.
"This administration in Washington actually has a much more open tone around going to the cloud, using new technologies," he said, crediting that in part to the tone set by Vivek Kundra, the federal chief information officer. "Where you might have said in the past that the public sector is a laggard in new technology, I would actually argue in the cloud they're one of the leaders."
Microsoft announced the plan this morning at its Public Sector CIO Summit in Redmond. The company also said it's taking a series of steps to certify the security of its standard Business Productivity Online Suite offerings, including pursuit of Federal Information Security Management Act certification.
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