Microsoft Files 'Administrative Protest' After Amazon Gets $10 Billion Cloud Computing JEDI Contract

Microsoft Files 'Administrative Protest' After Amazon Gets $10 Billion Cloud Computing JEDI Contract
Microsoft Files 'Administrative Protest' After Amazon Gets $10 Billion Cloud Computing JEDI Contract Image from Unsplash Website

Microsoft is now filing an "administrative protest" after Amazon has just been awarded a $10 billion cloud computing contract. Amazon Web Services or AWS has just successfully bagged a whopping $10 billion cloud computing contract along with the U.S. National Security Agency or NSA. This move drew a formal protest from its popular rival, the massive software giant Microsoft.

Microsoft on Amazon Winning JEDI Contract

The current move made by Microsoft, as reported on Gao.gov, comes after Amazon had spent years contesting the actual software company being directly awarded the Pentagon's Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract. This was otherwise known as the Pentagon's JEDI contract.

A Microsoft spokesperson notably told the tech website Nextgov that based on the decision, the company decided to file an administrative protest through GAO or the Government Accountability Office. The company is reportedly exercising its legal rights and will also do so quite carefully and responsibly as well. Apple has just been hit with a patent infringement lawsuit by Bell Northern Research for the company's basic mobile wireless technology.

Microsoft Files Protest with GAO

Microsoft initially filed its protest on July 21 with the GAO. According to the news website Washington Technology report, the company claimed that the NSA did not actually conduct a proper evaluation before awarding the full contract for its project and was given the code name WildandStory.

The GAO's decision is due this coming Oct. 29. An NSA spokesperson reportedly confirmed the actual protest in a statement towards Nextgov. The statement reportedly stated that the agency will respond directly to the protest in accordance with the appropriate federal regulations.

NSA Switching from Local Data to Cloud Service

According to the story by Independent.co.uk, the NSA had reportedly decided to make a switch from storing intelligence data locally towards using a cloud service. Amazon could gain an advantage in the fast-growing cloud service market in the United States should GAO rule in its favor.

Intelligence officials in the NSA have reportedly sought to meet the challenging demands of exponential growth of data and massive requirements for processing and analytics through moving the data. The data would be moved from its very own servers to those that a commercial cloud provider operated in an effort which is called the Hybrid Compute Initiative.

Other Amazon Contracts

AWS currently holds a number of government cloud contracts like the $600 million cloud contract and the CIA called the C2S and its very own multi-billion follow-on C2E contract. On the other hand, the JEDI project revealed Microsoft to be a significant competitor on the whole cloud service front. Apple repair prices could go down should a new FTC ruling be actualized.

The software giant has also reportedly sought to expand its own cloud capabilities centered for the U.S. government along with its own Azure Government Secret cloud project. This is another service for customers with top-secret classified data called the Azure Government Top Secret project that was actually announced last 2020.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian B.

ⓒ 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics