Data Backup Digest

Microsoft Azure is one of the most popular cloud platforms thus far. With uses that pertain to mainstream businesses, small- and medium-sized businesses and consumers alike, they’re attracting interest from all across the industry. Azure has become so popular that they’re even attracting the attention of the United States government – and it’s a good thing.

Strengthening Support for the Government Cloud

The Azure Government cloud isn’t exactly new. Originally launched in 2016, it’s been hosting highly sensitive data for well over a year; but Azure only recently gained approval to host secret-level and classified information on behalf of the U.S. government. Azure is expected to see an influx of new users, particularly in the governmental sector, as a result.

Tom Keane, head of global infrastructure with Azure, explained some of the features of Azure’s new format, dubbed Azure Government Secret, by stating: “Azure Government Secret will deliver multi-tenant cloud infrastructure and cloud capabilities to US Federal Civilian, Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, and US Government partners working within Secret enclaves. Customers with Secret requirements can expect to gain access to new technologies at scale, including services such as cognitive capabilities, artificial intelligence, and predictive analytics.”

Adding the Necessary Support Structure

But the process of preparing to host classified information isn’t as simple as building a few new servers. To support their new format, Microsoft is also introducing support for blockchain technologies and additional functionality to the Azure Security Center. Considering some predict sales of blockchain technology surpassing $100 billion by 2019, this is a smart move with the potential for high profitability in the near future.

Some of these obstacles were addressed in a recent blog post, which stated, in part: “The challenge, however, lies in ensuring the relevance of the intelligence delivered. Data insights must be delivered securely, in near real-time, and must also be available and consistent regardless of the communications posture. Addressing these logistical and security concerns requires a hybrid cloud platform that provides a common set of tools, services, and techniques across on-premises resources and the cloud.”

And the team with Azure has a host of tools and technologies ready to deploy. For starters, the Azure Stack provides the reliability and consistency needed to support the Internet of Things, advanced machine-learning, next-gen artificial intelligence and big data analytics.

Microsoft Azure Government Secret also supports high-performance, H-series instances as well as support for Citrix VDI server instances on Windows 10. This gives all Azure customers – both current and new – greater flexibility and control over their data within the cloud.

Users can also benefit from Azure’s cognitive services potfolio, which includes a collection of SDKs and APIs that are meant specifically for DoD applications. With integrated support for speech and language translation, facial recognition and more, Azure provides all of the tools needed by developers in the government sector.
To find out more information on Microsoft Azure, Azure Government Secret or any of their other solutions, please visit their official website at {{https://azure.microsoft.com/|azure.microsoft.com}}.