Amazon Launches Cloud Service for U.S. Intelligence Community

Amazon Web Services on Monday launched a new "secret" cloud service for the U.S. Intelligence Community.

"Today we mark an important milestone as we launch the AWS Secret Region," Teresa Carlson, Vice President of Amazon Web Services Worldwide Public Sector, said in a statement. "AWS now provides the U.S. Intelligence Community a commercial cloud capability across all classification levels: Unclassified, Sensitive, Secret, and Top Secret. The U.S. Intelligence Community can now execute their missions with a common set of tools, a constant flow of the latest technology and the flexibility to rapidly scale with the mission."

In 2013, AWS and the CIA agreed to a contract worth $600 million to build a private cloud network for the U.S. Intelligence Community, according to FCW.

"The AWS Top Secret Region was launched three years ago as the first air-gapped commercial cloud and customers across the U.S. Intelligence Community have made it a resounding success. Ultimately, this capability allows more agency collaboration, helps get critical information to decision makers faster, and enables an increase in our Nation's Security."

AWS's news release also includes a quote from John Edwards, the Chief Information Officer at the CIA, who said: "The AWS Secret Region is a key component of the Intel Community's multi-fabric cloud strategy. It will have the same material impact on the IC at the Secret level that C2S has had at Top Secret."

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