A few thoughts on why the recent award to Microsoft is less surprising than it may seem at first.
1) Culture. Microsoft has been a stalwart DoD partner since the the dawn of the Information Age. Almost every DoD mission runs on Microsoft applications. PowerPoint, excel, and outlook are probably the most prolific tech applications in modern combat.
2). Culture (continued). Because of Microsoft’s long history working w/DoD, it also means less potential of employee protests and more vetted personnel than other companies. That’s huge for insider threats- arguably the greatest threat of a cloud strategy this centralized.
3) The tech. Azure is a good product and well poised for windows based systems/users. It offers perhaps greater potential for future hybrid cloud options.
4) Domestic politics. Take all these culture and tech considerations then pour the gasoline fire of domestic politics (ie Trump distaste for Amazon owner Jeff Bezos) on top and Microsoft ends up a good enough to win contender.
