Azure Government

Azure Government. It is a dedicated cloud computing environment operated by Microsoft for United States government agencies and their partners. This isolated instance of the Microsoft Azure platform is designed to address the specific regulatory and security requirements of the public sector. The infrastructure is physically separated from the commercial Microsoft Azure services and is operated by screened United States personnel.

Overview

The platform was established to provide a secure foundation for federal, state, and local government entities to modernize their IT systems. Core data centers are located within the United States and adhere to stringent jurisdictional controls. Key early adopters included agencies within the United States Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. The service supports a wide range of workloads, from hosting applications for the Department of Veterans Affairs to enabling data analytics for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Features and services

The offering provides a comprehensive suite of services mirroring the global Microsoft Azure portfolio. This includes core infrastructure services like Azure Virtual Machines and Azure Storage, as well as platform services such as Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database. Advanced capabilities like Azure Kubernetes Service and Azure Machine Learning are available for building modern applications. Specialized services support Internet of Things deployments for infrastructure monitoring and Azure AI for analyzing public datasets. The environment also integrates with Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 government offerings.

Compliance and security

Security controls are foundational, incorporating features like Azure Active Directory for identity management and Azure Security Center for unified protection. The platform maintains authorizations under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program at the High impact level. It also complies with standards from the Department of Defense Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide. Additional accreditations include those from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Justice Information Services division and the Internal Revenue Service Publication 1075. Continuous monitoring is performed in accordance with National Institute of Standards and Technology guidelines.

Access and eligibility

Use is restricted to qualified United States government entities, including federal agencies, all fifty states, and authorized local government bodies. Eligible partners include government contractors holding specific contracts, such as those under the General Services Administration schedules, and solution providers serving the public sector. Prospective customers must undergo a validation process to confirm eligibility, which is managed by the Microsoft team. Access is granted only after this verification and the establishment of a dedicated subscription.

Differences from global Azure

The most significant distinction is the physically isolated infrastructure, with data centers located solely within the United States and disconnected from the commercial Microsoft Azure network. This separation enforces strict data sovereignty. The feature set may lag slightly behind the global Microsoft Azure release cycle due to additional security validation processes required for government services. Furthermore, operations and support are handled by specially vetted United States citizens, which differs from the global support structure. Billing and account management also utilize separate portals and processes tailored for government procurement.

Category:Cloud computing Category:Microsoft Azure Category:United States government