Microsoft Provides Dedicated Cloud Services For Government Agencies, Data Guaranteed Safe

Microsoft prepares cloud for government agencies which is claimed to be more secure. (photo: doc. Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Microsoft on Tuesday, July 19 launched a public cloud for government customers, offering greater control over their data. Microsoft also claims Italian defense group Leonardo and Belgian telecommunications company Proximus have become their customer partners.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked digital transformation in many public sector organizations, and Microsoft hopes to use "Cloud for Sovereignty" to better compete with competitors such as Amazon Web Services and Alphabet's Google.

According to market research firm Imarc Group, the global government cloud market size is expected to reach USD 71.2 billion (IDR 1.066 trillion) in 2027 from USD 27.6 billion (IDR 413 trillion) in 2021,

"We expect customers around the world ... but some of the first customers are already in Europe," said Microsoft vice president Corey Sanders in an interview quoted by Reuters. It added that the company is conducting a private preview with customers.

The European Union has been at the forefront of privacy and security law and its privacy watchdog launched an investigation earlier this year into the public sector's use of cloud-based services to check whether they comply with its privacy protection laws.

Business and government customers are increasingly using large technology enterprise data centers in the form of public clouds rather than building their own infrastructure. This is because the cost is relatively cheaper even though it's a little overriding about security.

Despite the latest technological capabilities and lower costs, Microsoft says its cloud products will meet obligations around data governance, security controls, citizen privacy, data residency, and other legal requirements.

Microsoft is also working with other local partners to provide custom-built clouds for local governments.