Microsoft Rolls Out Cloud for US Federal Users

The story "Microsoft rolls out cloud for U.S. federal users" that ran on Tuesday, incorrectly described the availability of dedicated data connections to Microsoft data centers. The eighth through tenth paragraphs have been updated on the wire and the corrected paragraphs follow:

Judging from the questions from the audience at the event, federal agencies may be interested in the concept but worry about a couple of potential issues including connectivity and security. "The more that's in the cloud, the more bandwidth you need," one conference attendee said during a question-and-answer period, complaining about connections from commercial Internet providers. "What's the strategy for helping us get to the cloud reliably?"

Most customers that would use the federal service are likely to use dedicated network connections to Microsoft's data centers, Markezich said.

But dedicated lines come with additional costs that often-strapped government agencies likely don't have. Other attendees asked if government programs like E-rate, which helps connect schools and libraries to the Internet, or Internet 2, a consortium of universities that works with the government to build networks, might help fund such dedicated connections. Microsoft said it has begun investigating whether that might be a possibility.