Amazon pauses $1bn Microsoft 365 rollout following Russian security concerns

Date:
Fri, 13 Dec 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Description:
Amazon and Microsoft engineers have been working together to tackle a list of M365 security concerns.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Amazon has paused its Microsoft 365 deployment The deal, worth $1 billion, will see 1.5 million Amazon employees get access to Microsoft Office Engineers from
the two companies have been working to resolve issues

Amazon has reportedly delayed its deployment of Microsoft 365 following a Russia-linked cyberattack where threat actors were believed to have accessed some employees email accounts.

The deal, announced in October 2023, saw Amazon commit to a $1 billion spend over a five-year period to get access to Microsoft 365 applications like
Word, Excel and Outlook for 1.5 million of its employees.

Amazon has asked Microsoft to make some changes to its software to protect against unauthorized access, including more detailed user activity tracking within the apps. Amazons M365 rollout has been paused

The delay follows Russian hacker group Midnight Blizzards breach of
Microsofts systems, which the company disclosed in January 2024. Amazon Chief Information Security Officer CJ Moses said (via Bloomberg ): At that time still, Microsoft wasnt able to tell us if they had gotten the [hackers] out
of their environment.

Moses added: We wanted to make sure that everything was logged, and that we had access to that logging in near-real time.

The CISO reportedly gave Microsoft Security EVP Charlie Bell, who is handily an ex-Amazon engineering executive, a list of requests several months ago,
and engineers from both companies are said to have been working together in
an unlikely collaboration to address Amazons concerns.

Moreover, the delay reflects growing concern surrounding the security of cloud-based tools amid rising cyber threats, particularly as nations like Russia and China increase retaliation against Western restrictions like US chip sanctions.

Up until now, Amazons usage of Microsoft products has mostly revolved around installed copies of Office, rather than cloud-based and connected subscriptions.

Although some progress is believed to have been made, Amazon is yet to announce a new deployment timeline, however the companys CISO has confirmed that the deal is unlikely to bew off: We believe were in a good place to
start redeployment next year.

We havent heard anything about any regulatory action or approval process regarding the massive deal, but both Amazon and Microsoft have been treading carefully recently after facing numerous antitrust investigations and allegations of monopolistic behavior. You might also like Cut the costs with the best free office software Amazon is set to sign a billion-dollar deal...with Microsoft 365 Keep your data online by using the best cloud storage solutions



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/amazon-pauses-usd1bn-microsoft-365-rollout-follo wing-russian-security-concerns


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