Microsoft is aggressively targeting government business.

The company has announced it will open new regions of its Azure cloud data centres within Canberra Data Centres (CDC), which houses the cloud services for more than 40 government agencies and departments.

It has also offered to provide subsidised training in its Azure technology to 5000 public servants over the next two years.

The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) recently published a secure cloud strategy that urges a move to cloud computing to “generate a faster pace of delivery, continuous improvement cycles and broad access to services”.

“It's not just about the technology platform, it's not just about us bringing a cloud to Canberra, it's about the possibilities of working with CDC as a partner, the possibilities of all of these 45 partners who are right now delivering services into government and how as an eco-system together we are going to serve that market and drive a big step change,” Microsoft Azure engineering lead James Kavanagh said.

Microsoft’s regions within CDC are built to the specifications for holding top-secret data, and the company is attempting to gain certification from the Australian Signals Directorate to hold protected data.

In the meantime, but Mr Kavanagh says the company will keep pushing for government business.

“The DTA's secure cloud strategy that was published last month was pretty explicit in saying agencies should not wait for the ASD certification, the rules of government, the rules of security do not require an agency to wait for ASD certification. They're able to do that themselves, and make that risk management,” he said.

Microsoft says it has taken serious measures to ensure security.

“For us the security of our customers data is absolutely critical. Our license to operate is based on trust from a customer perspective. We invest in security foundations, compliance, we make investments and innovations in order to globally prove that we can be trusted,” Mr Kavanagh says.