The UK government is pushing a cloudy vision of the future based around Microsoft’s Office 365.
The Microsoft app is being touted as a way to escape the clutches of the government’s Public Services Network, the ancient internal intranet service.
In a tweet, Microsoft UK boss Cindy Rose said the push isa “great example of how public sector organisations can embrace the benefits of the cloud”.
Vole has published a paper explaining how Office 365 follows National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) cloud security principles and another on how the software’s capabilities “can be used to ensure that a common bar can be achieved for their Office 365 tenant”.
A spinner for the NCSC said: “This guidance has been developed through the shared expertise and successful collaboration between the NCSC, Microsoft and the Government Digital Service. The advice aims to help private and public sector colleagues check and improve the security stance of their Office 365 deployments.”
Michael Wignall, Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft UK, said: “This documentation provides a thoughtful and detailed outline of how to secure your Office 365 tenant in line with the Government’s security principles and offers practical guidance to ensure users stay safe right now, and helps support organisations compliance efforts with GDPR.”
The Government’s latest move comes after the NCSC released guidance on the public sector’s use of Windows 10 and Microsoft InTune, which allows management of mobile devices in an organisation.
The document’s recommendations include logging into computers using Windows Hello and updating Windows 10 regularly, as well as advising on devices and applications.
Microsoft is one of the world leaders in cloud computing, with more Azure regions than any other cloud provider.
Around 95 percent of the largest 500 companies in the US use Azure, which boasts more than 70 compliance offerings and over 100 services.
