Microsoft is building a CRM cloud for U.S. government users
Like it already has done with Azure and Office 365, Microsoft is developing a version of its Dynamics CRM Online cloud offering specifically for U.S. government customers.
Microsoft plans to make Dynamics CRM Online for Government available in "early 2015," company officials disclosed on July 9. The offering will be available to federal, state and local government users in the U.S. Microsoft officials plan to share more about CRM Online for Government during the company's Worldwide Partner Conference in Washington, D.C., the week of July 14.
Dynamics CRM Online for government will be a separate, multi-tenant instance for government customers in compliance with FedRAMP and operated by U.S. Citizens. It will support integration with Microsoft's Azure and Office 365 government cloud offerings.
Microsoft officials didn't say when the CRM Online for Government service will be available for private (or public testing). I've asked to see if I can get more information.
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Speaking of the Azure Government Cloud, which Microsoft launched officially in October 2013 and made available in private preview form in March 2014, Microsoft is "one step closer to general availability" with that offering. Microsoft is expanding the private preview to "more partner and customer solutions and workloads," according to a July 9 blog post.
The Azure Government Cloud, codenamed "Fairfax," operates in specially constructed datacenters (Virginia and Iowa) close to government customers. These datacenters are isolated from Microsoft's Azure public cloud.
The Office 365 Government Cloud, which Microsoft rolled out in May 2012, also stores U.S. government customer data in an isolated multi-tenant cloud that's separate from Microsoft's public Office 365 cloud. As is the case with the Azure Government Cloud, the Office 365 Government Cloud is operated by pre-screened U.S. citizens.
Microsoft officials said more than 2,200 government customers in the U.S. are using the Office 365 Government Cloud. They also said that in the last 90 days, more than 750 state and local governments and more than 60 federal government agencies have purchased seats of Office 365.