REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq "MSFT") today announced availability of cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics business solutions designed to meet the unique security and functionality requirements of U.S. federal government agencies. Delivered in a Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)-compliant, federal-only, infrastructure environment, these solutions enable government organizations to collaborate, manage data, improve processes and access actionable business intelligence while taking advantage of the flexibility, security features, performance and cost savings of a cloud-based delivery model that is hosted by Microsoft partner Layered Technologies Inc.

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Designed to meet the rigorous National Institute of Standards and Technology security and control standards required of federal government agencies for FISMA compliance, the Layered Tech environment includes a single-tenancy private cloud with dedicated hardware and physical storage for the tightest security requirements, as well as a federal-only infrastructure environment to take advantage of increased scalability and efficiency and reduced costs associated with public cloud computing.

"Government customers can feel confident in a cloud delivery model that meets federal government mandates such as FISMA and the 'cloud-first' policy," said Amir Capriles, general manager, U.S. Public Sector for Microsoft Dynamics. "This environment allows them to achieve the business benefits of cloud computing while meeting even the most stringent security requirements."

"Our proven success working with government organizations and close collaboration with the Microsoft Dynamics team has allowed us to deliver a truly innovative cloud platform," said Brad Hokamp, president of Layered Tech. "We can now extend security compliance far past the FISMA Moderate solutions offered by other cloud providers, to keep in step with the government's intensifying need for the benefits of business solutions delivered through secure cloud computing."

A diverse set of Microsoft Dynamics solutions will be available on this new infrastructure, which will enable government agencies to meet their needs, including case management, workforce management, onboarding, correspondence and targeted outreach, task management, field inspection, intelligence gathering, call center interactions, financial management, grants management, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) management, emergency response, economic development, jail and offender management, and 311.

Federal government customers are already taking advantage of Microsoft Dynamics business solutions hosted in the cloud by Layered Tech. One solution enables federal government customers to effectively fulfill their missions and remain in compliance with FOIA and the Privacy Act. The solution for tracking public records requests is one of the only FISMA-certified cloud solutions available on the market to manage FOIA requirements.

Layered Tech Solutions Advisory Committee
With the launch of a Microsoft Dynamics government cloud solution, Layered Tech established a Solutions Advisory Committee to enable certified Microsoft Dynamics partners with years of government experience to rapidly deploy government cloud solutions, maximizing best practices and lessons learned to meet the unique needs of government agencies. Several partners are witnessing the value of Microsoft Dynamics cloud solutions for their customers:

"Layered Tech's new FISMA-compliant Microsoft Dynamics cloud offering is really exciting for us at Catapult Systems and aligns with a core mission of providing greater customer value at a lower cost," said Jim Booth, general manager, Catapult Systems Federal. "By partnering with Layered Tech, Catapult can now offer a secure and compliant enclave to our government customers. As security concerns have increased and cost reduction efforts are at the forefront of every agency, the technology advances at Layered Tech can address both in a compliant cloud environment. Coupled with the Microsoft Dynamics application platform for rapid development and Catapult's preconfigured COTS solutions, lower-cost, more robust complete offerings can be provided to government agencies for a wide range of solutions, from correspondence to security escalation and case management."

"This cloud solution provides federal independent software vendors with the advantage of optimizing 'as-a-service' computing resources to quickly and cost-effectively build out targeted solutions to support specific federal agency requirements while reducing infrastructure maintenance and support costs and delivering a high level of security and regulatory compliance," said Tom Berger, vice president, Green Beacon. "By offering federal agencies flexible cloud computing solutions that meet a variety of requirements for provisioning and acquiring IT services, federal agencies are now able to optimize their IT spending while improving overall agility."

"The Microsoft Dynamics Government Cloud provides the opportunity to optimize 'as-a-service' computing resources to quickly and cost-effectively deliver targeted solutions to support specific federal agency requirements," said Annette Rippert, Federal Services senior executive, Accenture. "Being able to provide solutions like Accenture's Task Management Tool (TMT) as a service will reduce infrastructure, maintenance and support costs, while delivering a high level of security and regulatory compliance."

More information on the availability of new cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics business solutions built specifically for federal government agencies can be found here.

About Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Dynamics solutions empower your people to be more productive and your systems to last longer and scale as your organization grows, while enabling you to derive the insights necessary to respond quickly in an ever-changing world.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.