Technology will allow armed forces to securely store sensitive data within their own infrastructures
Elly Yates-Roberts |
Aerospace, defence and transportation services provider Thales has partnered with Microsoft to develop a Defence Cloud solution which is designed to allow for the storage of sensitive data within the armed forces’ own infrastructures.
Together the two groups will be the first to offer a complementary solution adapted to the changing needs of armed forces from national command centres down to individual theatres of operations.
The solution is based on the Microsoft Azure Stack – a hybrid cloud environment that will be adapted to military resilience constraints by Thales. The solution will be delivered as an integrated system and will form the foundation for Thales to integrate its connectivity and end-to-end cybersecurity and encryption solutions.
“This preferred partnership reflects the shared spirit and passion for breakthrough technologies between our two groups and our teams,” said Philippe Keryer, executive vice president, Strategy, Research and Technology, Thales. “We are glad to reinforce our strong relationship with Microsoft through this new venture. Together, we will shape this new technological construct perfectly suited to support the evolving security needs of modern armed forces as they accelerate their digital transformation.”
Each integrated system will require a level of autonomy and must be capable of working offline in case of a connection loss due to conditions on the ground. Systems must also be portable and be hardened to ensure resilience when deployed in the field.
“We are thrilled to announce our unique partnership with Thales to accelerate digital transformation in the defence sector,” said Jean-Philippe Courtois, executive vice president and president, Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing and Operations, Microsoft. “Our solution, Microsoft Azure Stack will help armed forces in the analysis of huge volumes of sensitive data in order to make break through developments. Together with Thales, we will be able to provide a flexible cloud platform with an unequalled level of security that will help overcome challenges within the defence industry.”