Amazon Web Services gets DoD security authorization

SEATTLE, March 26 (UPI) -- Amazon Web Services, the company's cloud services company, has received authorization to work with all agencies within the DoD, the company announced Wednesday.

Under the new authorization, all Department of Defense agencies will be able to use Amazon Web Services' cloud infrastructure to host projects like public-facing Web sites or open data sets that don’t require DOD’s internal data centers.

The authorization, which means the company passes the DoD's strict security and compliance requirements, was given under the department's Cloud Security Model for Impact Levels 1-2.

“After receiving an overwhelming response from defense agencies interested in leveraging our FedRAMP Authority to Operate (ATO), we’re very excited to further extend our services to the government community by meeting the additional requirements of the DoD,” said Teresa Carlson, the vice president of worldwide public sector at AWS.

FedRAMP, short for Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, provides a standardized system for security assessment and monitoring of cloud products throughout the federal government.

AWS currently has contracts with DoD agencies such as the Navy and the Air Force, but the new authorization gives it access to all agencies under the department.

“Today, more than 600 government agencies use AWS services, and we look forward to continuing to demonstrate the security and reliability of the AWS Cloud so that an even broader set of DoD customers can use our services to reduce costs and innovate for their missions," said Carlson.

[Amazon] [Washington Post]