Microsoft logo (Photo : Reuters)
On Feb. 16, Microsoft issued a major announcement saying it's the first major cloud service provider to adopt the world's first ever international standard for cloud privacy.
This move is part of Microsoft's strategy to lure customers by providing them with secure storage on the Microsoft Cloud service. This also means Microsoft is no longer allowed to use private consumer's information for advertising.
The official Microsoft blog said the standard known as ISO/IEC 27018 was developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
The standard was developed to create a uniform and international approach to protecting consumers' personal privacy, especially those using cloud storage. The standard was first introduced in July 2014.
Internet privacy is a highly debated topic, especially after the discovery of the NSA's massive surveillance operation. This move by Microsoft could reclaim its customers' trust, as well as gain more users due to its commitment to secure its clientele's personal data.
The privacy standard adopted by Microsoft will make it a compulsory practice for the company to remind users about legal requests for any personal data, according to Technogigs. This means in case a law enforcement agency needs a personal data stored within Microsoft's database, the company will first inform the customer involved before providing the information.
Based on the latest reports, several Microsoft services have already been verified and shows everything is in accordance with the new standard issued by the ISO. These services are Microsoft Azure, Ofice 365, Dynamics CRM Online and Microsoft Intune.
The new standard also requires Microsoft to archive all security breach incidents like hacking. It also requires the company notify its customers in case a hacking attack targets its systems.
According to many analysts, this new standard set by the ISO will be the epitome of transparency and will help in providing customers with the utmost privacy.
