Amazon Web Services’ cloud services are approved for use by all NATO member nations when handling information classified as NATO RESTRICTED, the company announced.
The approval covers designated AWS services in regions located within NATO member nations. It gives NATO members and partners a common pre-assessed security baseline as they pursue accreditation through their own national processes.
This helps reduce the time, effort, and cost of meeting security and compliance obligations.
“Strengthening NATO’s ability to securely leverage commercial technology is key to build a more resilient and agile Alliance,” said Dylan Browne, general manager, NATO Communications and Information Agency.
“The availability of commercial products that meet NATO’s security requirements expands the technology options available for the Alliance and supports our ability to adopt modern technologies while maintaining the security and resilience on which our operations depend.”
To obtain the approval, AWS documented its compliance with NATO’s D32 technical directive, which sets security requirements for handling NATO RESTRICTED information in the public cloud. Spain’s National Cryptographic Centre evaluated the AWS capabilities, and NATO published the approval to its allies.
“This first-of-its-kind approval is the culmination of a sustained, multi-year effort. It reflects our commitment to helping defense, public sector, and NATO-affiliated customers and partners achieve their critical missions,” said David Appel, acting vice president of Worldwide Public Sector at AWS.
“We believe governments, and the citizens they serve, deserve access to the same infrastructure and services driving innovation in the private sector. We will continue working to provide the interoperability allied nations need to strengthen their resilience and protect their citizens.”
Approved AWS services can now be used to build systems that handle NATO RESTRICTED information in AWS regions located within NATO member nations. AWS said it has 15 such regions, including seven in mainland Europe. Each system must still go through an accreditation process led by a NATO member nation or the NATO Communications and Information Agency.
AWS said its AWS Trusted Secure Enclave – Sensitive Edition can serve as a starting point for defense customers building those systems.