Transforming Defense for the Age of AI: Microsoft’s mission infrastructure

The world is entering a new age, driven by AI and the abundance of data. Data and AI are fundamentally transforming the mission requirements of defense agencies worldwide. These changes amplify the critical importance of both digital infrastructure and connectivity and are motivating governments and their private sector partners to evaluate the ability of existing technology stacks to move at mission speed.  

Microsoft has spent the last few years working closely with U.S. Government organizations on new solutions for some of the most technically demanding real-world use cases. A portfolio of products is emerging that not only meets mission needs, but also enables a new IT paradigm, unburdened from bespoke technology and compliance issues of the past.

Listening to our customers

Our collaboration with key stakeholders in the U.S. Government and the defense industrial base has revealed that while most users want to leverage cutting-edge technologies like AI, they are blocked and delayed by legacy systems purpose built on decades-old technology and policy. At a security level, they lack the capabilities needed to handle today’s evolving threats.

This reality also complicates the effort to modernize the technology stack. New technology often needs to be customized – at significant expense – to integrate with older technologies. Even after making these investments, they face lengthy delays, sometimes years, to achieve full accreditation and deployment.   

Solving these challenges requires a new technical approach that delivers world class technology with security built in from the start. Through our work with government customers, we have identified a set of three core capabilities that can achieve these goals. We call this suite Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Services for U.S. Government.

This portfolio aims to bridge some of the most significant gaps in the legacy IT stack, reducing the amount of time spent architecting and accrediting technology to meet mission needs, even for workloads with the highest protection requirements. Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Services for U.S. Government provides:

• Secure endpoint capabilities at your desk to access multiple workloads at different classification levels securely from a single device.
• High bandwidth, secure, resilient, and accredited network infrastructure to quickly and securely move your data to and from the Azure Clouds for U.S. Government – including air-gapped clouds.
• Fully authorized Isolated Virtual Environments, also known as “enclaves,” for teams to quickly deploy software and move data at mission speeds.

This suite of capabilities can be leveraged to operate in Microsoft’s commercial, government, and air-gapped cloud environments. Microsoft’s air-gapped clouds are accredited as secure environments, ensuring compliance with the highest standards required by government and industry. Our teams work closely with customers and authorizing officials to help make sure they pass the rigorous compliance requirements. Starting with these environments significantly lowers the barrier to cloud adoption by providing authorized and secure by design foundations.

Designed with scalability and security at their core, the architecture established with Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Services for U.S. Government allows organizations to maintain compliance as they evolve and adopt new technology capabilities, such as Azure OpenAI, within the cloud.

Secure by Design

The Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Services for U.S. Government has been designed from the ground up with security as its top priority. Microsoft is committed to security by design, embedding rigorous security protocols throughout the entire cloud journey. We recognize that in highly regulated sectors, end-to-end security is essential to protect against evolving threats. Our portfolio of products addresses each step of the security journey, which includes hardened end-user devices, secure and resilient global transport, and collaborative environments. By focusing on infrastructure, we are solving shared security challenges faced by all our government and industry customers, enabling growth and continuous innovation.

Scaling Across Industries

Our approach to building and deploying mission infrastructure services is shaped by ongoing collaboration with government and industry. These partnerships provide invaluable insights into the real-world challenges our customers face, allowing us to iterate and enhance our products in real-time.

But these products aren’t only limited to the government sector. They have broad applications in other commercial markets such as global finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. These industries face similar challenges around security and compliance, and the lessons we have gained from our government partnerships are directly applicable to their needs.

Looking ahead, Microsoft’s strategy is designed with flexibility to accommodate emerging technologies, new customer demands, and dynamic strategies. Our cloud environments are built to evolve, providing customers with the agility needed to respond to new threats and opportunities. Whether it is integrating AI for enhanced decision-making or supporting multinational coalitions, Microsoft’s cloud solutions are prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

As technology continues to evolve, Microsoft’s commitment to partnering with government and industry remains steadfast. We are dedicated to not only understanding the unique challenges that organizations face, but also translating those challenges into innovative products that drive meaningful results. The future will be won by those who can innovate quickly while maintaining the highest standards of security. With Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Services for U.S. Government, we are working alongside our partners to unlock the full speed, scale, and security of the cloud and laying the foundation for a more connected, secure, and innovative future.

To learn more about how this portfolio could meet your mission needs, please contact the team at infraforusgov@microsoft.com.