Two behemoths in the cloud computing space look set to squabble over every government contract it seems. First Amazon contested Microsoft winning the Pentagon JEDI contract, now Microsoft is protesting an National Security Agency (NSA) contract awarded to Amazon.
As Nextgov reports, the NSA has decided to switch from storing its intelligence data locally to using a cloud service. A secret cloud computing contract worth $10 billion was created called "WildandStormy," and it was recently awarded to Amazon Web Services (AWS).
So how do we know about this secret contract? Because Microsoft filed a protest against it being awarded to Amazon. In a statement, Microsoft said, "Based on the decision we are filing an administrative protest via the Government Accountability Office. We are exercising our legal rights and will do so carefully and responsibly."
According to The Verge, Microsoft's protest hinges on the fact it doesn't believe the NSA conducted a proper evaluation when considering providers. In response, the NSA is giving nothing away, stating, "The Agency will respond to the protest in accordance with appropriate federal regulations." And we shouldn't expect this to be settled any time soon because a decision on the outcome of the protest won't be forthcoming from the Government Accountability Office until Oct. 29.
Nobody should be surprised that Microsoft filed a protest. It did just fail to secure a $10 billion contract after all, but it's also reeling from the US Defense Department deciding to cancel the $10 billion JEDI Cloud contract it did win. Amazon challenged that decision in court on claims then-President Donald Trump allegedly manipulated the tendering process to slight Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The legal tussle that followed made the Pentagon reassess the whole thing and ultimately decide to tear up the contract.