MilCloud adds Amazon Web Services

The Defense Department’s MilCloud 2.0 contract now gives DOD agencies access to cloud services from Amazon Web Services.

The addition of AWS gives agencies greater access to artificial intelligence, machine learning, cyber sensing and other emerging capabilities through a cloud infrastructure, according to General Dynamics’ IT, the prime contractor for the overall milCloud effort.

MilCloud is DISA’s main mechanism to connect DOD networks with commercial cloud hosting and other related capabilities.

“DOD customers can access leading cloud services from AWS in areas such as compute, storage, database, networking, analytics, machine learning, migration, security and more,” said Dave Levy, vice president of AWS’ business in the U.S. government, nonprofit and health care markets. “We look forward to continuing to support the department’s modernization efforts and the mission critical needs of our nation’s warfighters.”

With this, AWS apparently becomes the only cloud infrastructure provider available to milCloud 2.0 users that can get their accounts provisioned in as little as 48 hours.

MilCloud 2.0 has both unclassified and classified setups all the way to the highest levels.  Currently AWS is the only commercial cloud vendor designated to host such high-level classified data.

This article was first posted to Washington Technology, a sibling site to Defense Systems.