Thales and Microsoft partner to help build a common Defense Cloud solution for armed forces

Thales, a European leader in defense and cybersecurity, announced it has partnered with Microsoft to help build a common defense cloud solution for armed forces. The solution is based on the Microsoft Azure Stack platform and will be designed to help drive the digital transformation of armed forces.

Under the partnership, the armed forces will be able to keep their sensitive data inside their own infrastructures. Thales will also become Microsoft’s preferred partner for developing cloud technology for demanding customers. This makes Thales and Microsoft the first to offer a complementary solution adapted to the differing needs of armed forces from national command centers.

In the words of Jean-Philippe Courtois, Executive Vice President and President, Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing and Operations, Microsoft.

We are thrilled to announce our unique partnership with Thales to accelerate digital transformation in the defense sector. 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 defense industry

Microsoft’s Azure Stack is being used as the baseline system here, and Thales will then integrate its connectivity and end-to-end solutions. This all means that sensitive data can be handled, but with it being hosted by the Ministry of Defense in the field instead. At the same time, it also combines the cloud computing power and functionalities of Azure Stack with Thales’s resilient and cybersecurity functionalities.