Microsoft gears up for government cloud services
Microsoft has extended its Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) with the launch of a cloud offering for the US government. Microsoft BPOS Federal offers increased security and privacy for the public sector and is reportedly the first of its kind. Microsoft was late to get started with cloud computing but with this move it has taken the initiative in the public sector. The offer addresses one of the big barriers to government organisations moving to the cloud and opens up opportunities for Microsoft in other countries.
The package that is on offer from Microsoft is aimed at US government departments that require increased security. It extends to dedicated versions of Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online and Microsoft Office Communications Online. It offers security features such as two-factor authentication that complies with the US Department of Defense’s standards for smartcard authentication. The encryption is FIPS 104-2 compliant, and the service can provide operational certification and accreditation to comply with the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA) on customer request. That means that customers can authorize Microsoft Online to provide the required compliant services. Other features include adherence to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), ensuring that only staff who are US citizens can access customer data and that all customer data is held in US-based data centers.
Microsoft lifts the security barrier to cloud computing
Security in cloud computing environments has been a big concern for customers since the early days of the paradigm. For the private sector, there are concerns around security of commercial, product and customer information. For the public sector, the need for security is heightened with government communication and information that often deal with matters of national security and policy issues or sensitive customer data. For most government departments this is a constant requirement on top of all their other service delivery needs. A new option in the form of a secure cloud should help them enormously – particularly in this age of austerity and the pressure for more cost-effective and efficient IT services. Cloud computing promises to cut costs significantly, with economies of scale and the delivery of defined, scoped and managed services. Furthermore, with Microsoft doing the vetting of staff and dealing with security certification of services, the customer is relieved of some administration overhead too.
Microsoft usually has a number of early adopters lined up for its new releases and this one is no exception, with the City of Newark listed as a new customer. However, these are still early days for Microsoft’s federal cloud service and the service will no doubt be subject to close scrutiny by potential customers.
There are more opportunities up for grabs but no mention of green IT
There are further opportunities for secure and local cloud offerings for the public sector globally. In Europe, for example, the public sector is one of the biggest sectors, accounting for expenditure approximately equal to 40% of GDP and a large workforce. Delivering IT to that workforce offers many opportunities for software and infrastructure vendors. Security in the cloud is again one of the biggest barriers in Europe – often cited as an issue with software as a service by Ovum customers. Moreover, in some European countries (such as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) personal data cannot be hosted outside the geographic border. In the UK also there is pressure on the public sector to have data hosted within its borders.
With many thanks to Ovum.
