Federal government to rely on cloud-based technology at higher security levels
Microsoft has been the trusted partner enabling digital transformation through low–code solutions for the U.S. federal government for many years. Until now, the Department of Defense (DoD) workloads requiring IL4 compliance have been limited to on-premises solutions requiring the DoD to own the ongoing management and maintenance of the required infrastructure. In the coming months, the DoD will take transformation a step further and move to a cloud-based technology solution package.
In migrating to the cloud, the DoD will be able to rely more on their Microsoft partnership to provide remote security measures. In turn, Microsoft will provide even more comprehensive customer service to federal partners. One of the more common use cases of Dynamics 365 in defense agencies is workforce management. By consolidating data from different silos across the organization, our defense agencies are able to make quicker strategic decisions and better determine who is mission ready by gathering insights around readiness and requirements in one united interface.
Today we are happy to announce that Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform (Power Apps and Power Automate) have received an IL4 provisional authorization (PA). . Very soon, the DoD will migrate more of its technology infrastructure from on–premises to Microsoft Dynamics 365 and PowerApps in the cloud.
Privacy guidelines and provisions
All technology infrastructure within the DoD must meet specific privacy requirements set by the Defense Information Systems Agency, or DISA. Currently, Dynamics 365 and PowerApps have long been approved to support IL2-level information, meaning the solution could only support non-mission-critical information. As the DoD proceeds with cloud migration, these customized Azure-based solutions will have increased security compliance to more sensitive information at IL4 . At that point, Dynamics 365 and PowerApps will be able to support national security systems for the first time.
To date, the federal government has been responsible for solely managing the software on–premises, including all relative servers.
A cloud-based solution improves the customer experience
Cloud migration of the DoD’s workforce management workloads will mean that this will be the first time the agency is not only heightening security measures on a cloud-based solution with an external technology partner, but it will also transfer all technical maintenance and support to Microsoft. As a trusted partner, Microsoft will assume system maintenance and monitoring once the new updates are released. Dynamics 365 and PowerApps will provide the DoD the support it needs as it takes on additional workloads that go beyond the agency’s current bandwidth. This expanded bandwidth also allows for more agency customers to go beyond the traditional customer service to more customized, comprehensive support.
PowerApps will allow the agency’s IT team to provide more real-time interactions with customers on the go. Technology support will no longer be desktop–reliant, which is the current case with the on-premises setup. Once launched, the PowerApps integration will go beyond the first-party application that’s currently supported by PowerApps and include an automated platform. The inherent benefits will transcend what Dynamics 365 provides currently to a more customized application solution for the DoD.
Release date by year-end
There has yet to be a confirmed release date for the cloud-based solution at the DoD. Current timeline projections target that the system will meet compliance requirements and launch by the end of 2020.
Once launched, this cloud-native solution package will include many capabilities that will empower the DoD to be a more responsive and more mobile federal workforce. Dynamics 365 and PowerApps will set the stage for more innovation and transformation. Looking ahead, more of our federal agency partners will be better equipped to support internal customers faster and more effectively.
Microsoft values its long-standing partnership with the federal government and the opportunity to support national security customers to enable their digital transformation.
