Microsoft strengthens government cloud push with skills program

Microsoft Australia’s managing director, Steven Worrall

A new Microsoft initiative aims to broaden cloud skills across the public sector ecosystem, with up to 5000 employees at government agencies, systems integrators and ISVs to receive training in the use of the company’s Azure family of cloud services by 2020.

The training program, announced today, will be conducted in partnership with DDLS, New Horizons and Advanced Training.

Some 800 people are expected to be trained over the next three months as part of the program. The nine-module training program will run in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.

“Microsoft’s investment in skills, in start-ups, in our nation’s digital infrastructure, and in our 11,000-strong partner ecosystem reinforce our very deep commitment to the success of Australia and its citizens,” said Microsoft Australia’s managing director, Steven Worrall.

It is Microsoft’s second local training-focused announcement this year, with the vendor in February launching its National Skills Program. In partnership with the South Australian government and the City of Salisbury, Microsoft is providing training to former Holden car manufacturing workers.

The company said that the new cloud skills program complemented the launch last month of the federal government’s secure cloud strategy.

The strategy, developed by the Digital Transformation Agency, advocates for Commonwealth departments and agencies to whenever possible employ public cloud services and, in general, use as much cloud as they can.

The document builds on a 2014 cloud strategy, which called for government agencies to adopt public cloud for test and dev and Web hosting and evaluate “private, community, public or hybrid cloud services for operational systems”.

Microsoft last year strengthened its cloud play in Australia by revealing plans to launch two Canberra-based Azure regions through a partnership with Canberra Data Centres.

Australia Central and Australia Central 2 are aimed at government agencies and their suppliers. Microsoft has been working towards receiving PROTECTED certification for its Azure services, which will make it easier for federal government entities to use the company’s cloud services to process classified data.