Microsoft invests heavily in cloud computing to not only create the most advanced functionality and highest quality services possible, but also to ensure security, compliance, privacy and transparency are provided to our cloud services customers. Products like Azure Security Center and Microsoft Transparency Hub, and activities such as our ongoing legal effort to protect privacy rights across the globe, show our holistic approach to trust and security which no other cloud service provider can match.

We continue to maintain the largest portfolio of cloud certifications. In the first half of 2016, we achieved four new international certifications as well as renewed and expanded other certifications in seven countries. Here is a quick recap of our international compliance activities:

New certifications

• Japan: We achieved Cloud Security Mark Gold Level accreditation and announced our alignment to the My Number Act on protecting personal data in Japan. Cloud Security Mark by Japan Information Security Audit Association (JASA) is the standard required by the government for cloud procurement.
• Spain: Microsoft is the first global cloud service provider that achieved the Spain Esquema Nacional de Seguridad certification, which reiterates the effectiveness of our security controls implemented to protect customer data.
• United Kingdom: We are also the first public cloud to gain the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) certification. This accreditation proves our compliance with established media-industry security best-practices, including Content Delivery and Security Association’s (CDSA), Content Protection and Security (CPS) Standard, and the Motion Picture Association of America’s application and cloud security guidelines.

Expanded certifications

• China: Microsoft Azure operated by 21vianet upgraded our Multi-Layer Protection Scheme (MLPS) classification from level 2 to level 3 and also added a new service to our Trusted Cloud Services certification.
• Canada: We announced the alignment of our approach to protect customer data with recommendations from the Canadian privacy commission on related privacy laws. Based on the shared responsibility principle, customers that want to use cloud services should also go through self-assessment to ensure proper planning and adherence to the laws.
• New Zealand: Our responses to New Zealand’s Cloud Computing Information Security and Privacy Considerations have been updated for new services in scope for the new question set.
• Singapore: Microsoft’s Multi-Tier Cloud Security Singapore Standard:584 (MTCS SS:584-2015) certification has been upgraded to the 2015 version at Tier 3 with expanded scope of services. We also published a whitepaper in the context of Singapore compliance for Azure to help our customers address questions from MTCS and PDPA.
• United Kingdom: Our UK G-Cloud has been expanded to cover all services that are in-scope for ISO 27001:2013 and updated to address the latest version of cloud security principles at OFFICIAL level.

As a potential or continuing customer, you can rest assured of our commitment to compliance and security based on our dedication to customer regulatory requirements. This dedication is evident in the success of an industry-leading certification count and its international breadth. We are achieving compliance for our customers so they can leverage our cloud services to grow their missions and businesses while knowing their regulatory needs are being met.

For access to any of the certifications mentioned above or any other compliance certifications achieved by Microsoft Azure, visit our Service Trust Portal or Microsoft Trust Center.