Windows Azure is the first public cloud platform, with infrastructure services and platform services, to receive a Provisional Authority to Operate from the FedRAMP Joint Authorization Board. Microsoft Corp. announced Monday that its public cloud platform, Windows Azure, has been granted Provisional Authorities to Operate (P-ATO) from the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Joint Authorization Board (JAB). Windows Azure is an open and flexible cloud platform that enables customers to quickly build, deploy and manage applications across a global network of Microsoft-managed datacenters.
Windows Azure is the first public cloud platform, with infrastructure services and platform services, to receive a JAB P-ATO. This level of federal compliance helps assure Microsoft customers that Windows Azure has undergone the necessary security assessments. This opens the door for agencies to quickly meet U.S. government Cloud First Computing initiatives and realize the benefits of the cloud using Windows Azure.
"Given the rigorous process involved in achieving this level of FedRAMP compliance, which includes a greater depth of review than that of an agency-level authorization, Microsoft customers using Windows Azure can trust it meets FedRAMP's rigorous standards," said Susie Adams, chief technology officer, Microsoft Federal. "This is the highest level of FedRAMP ATO available, and it is a great honor for Microsoft to receive this certification. In addition, the pragmatic and holistic approach we took in achieving the provisional ATO for Windows Azure and its underlying datacenters will help pave the way for FedRAMP P-ATOs for even more Microsoft cloud services."
"With the June 2014 FedRAMP security requirements deadline rapidly approaching, it is paramount for cloud service providers and agencies to get compliant ATOs in place," said Matt Goodrich, program manager for FedRAMP's Program Management Office at the U.S. General Services Administration. "The announcement today of Microsoft's provisional authorizations for Windows Azure demonstrates that different types of cloud services -- public to private and infrastructure to software -- can meet the rigorous security requirements for FedRAMP."
FedRAMP is a U.S. government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. The JAB is the primary governance group of the FedRAMP program, consisting of the chief information officers of the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. General Services Administration.Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Microsoft sails past Oracle in bringing Java SE to the cloud
Microsoft's Windows Azure now offers a certified version of the Java OpenSDK as a cloud service.While Oracle CEO Larry Ellison focuses his attention on the America's Cup sailing race, Oracle is rushing to keep up in another race, the one to get its Java SE (Standard Edition) in the cloud.
While Oracle is holding its annual OpenWorld user conference, Microsoft announced that Oracle's Java SE can be run on Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud service, using a newly certified implementation of the OpenJDK called Zulu, which was developed by Azul systems.
Azul, which is an Oracle Community Technology Compatibility Kit (TCK) licensee, completed the OpenJDK build for Azure, work on which was first announced in July, on behalf of Microsoft Open Technologies.
On Tuesday, Oracle launched the Oracle Java Cloud Service, which also provides Java SE as cloud service. Users of the service must access Java through a copy of the Oracle WebLogic application server.
Using the Zulu OpenJDK build on Azure, users are free to deploy any Java application server of their choice, not just Oracle's WebLogic, pointed out Gianugo Rabellino, Microsoft's senior director of open source communities. While the JVM (Java Virtual Machine) can execute Java code, an application server handles all the external intricacies of running a Java program in a full-scale production setting.
"Zulu is the most basic component to build your Java applications. Add your application server of your choice and you have a full-stack enterprise edition," Rabellino said. Out of the box, Zulu works with the Apache Tomcat and Jetty Java servlet containers, as well as Red Hat's JBoss or Oracle's Glassfish application servers. Users are also free to use any Java EE (enterprise edition) application server.
Zulu has passed all the tests over 70,000 that Oracle has set in verifying that a JDK (Java Development Kit) implementation meets Java Standard Edition 7 specifications.Oracle still has time to catch up with Microsoft, should it choose to do so. Zulu is now only available as a technology preview and still must be uploaded into Azure, using an Eclipse plug-in and a copy of Zulu downloaded from from Azul.Zulu is available under a GPLv2 open source license. No word has been given on when Zulu will be ready for full production use.
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