Microsoft Rolls Out Government Cloud In US

Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday announced the launch of its government-specific cloud computing service, which has been tailored to address the privacy, security, as well as compliance needs of the government agencies.

In its annual US Public Sector CIO Summit, the software giant has announced the service, dubbed as the “Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) Federal”, to facilitate interactive and productive communication and collaboration across the government agencies.

The service incorporates the company’s popular online suites, including SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, Live Meeting, along with Office Communications Online, in a manner similar to the standard BPOS.

The only difference this time is that it is hosted on the government-specific IT infrastructure within the company’s own secured datacentres.

Ron Markezich, vice-president Microsoft Online, said: “These enhancements raise the bar around compliance and security in our BPOS services. We've had enterprise customers on this for up to five years, and some of the most demanding multinational companies in the world on this. This is ready for the government today”.

The hosting facilities for this service would be in line with the International Traffic and Arms Regulation (ITAR), allowing access only to the US citizens who have already been through background checks that involve fingerprinting amongst others.