Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) has made a deal with the Central Intelligence Agency to help the agency stay up to date with new technologies in a cost-effective way, according to one source. Federal Computer Week reports that the agency has contracted Amazon Web Services to help it “build a private cloud infrastructure.” The contract is reportedly valued at up to $600 million and will last for the next 10 years.
FCW apparently contacted Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) for comment on the tip provided by its source, but the company would not confirm that such a deal had been made. The site also contacted the CIA, but a spokesperson declined to make a comment on the supposed contract.
Although the CIA said it does not disclose publicly the names of its contractors, it has not been as secretive about its efforts to police the tech sector. CIA representatives have spoken in various venues about software procurement and the use of big data analytics. FCW also reports that CIA Chief Technology Officer Gus Hunt mentioned Amazon last month in connection with buying software services through a metered model, which is something the company is known for. Hunt has also talked in the past about how public cloud infrastructure can be used for non-classified information.
Although the CIA said it doesn’t disclose publicly the names of its contractors, it hasn’t been as secretive about its efforts to police the tech sector. CIA representatives have spoken in various venues about software procurement and the use of big data analytics. FCW also reports that CIA Chief Technology Officer Gus Hunt mentioned Amazon last month in connection with buying software services through a metered model, which is something the company is known for. Hunt has also talked in the past about how public cloud infrastructure can be used for non-classified information.
Of course at this point there is no definite proof that Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) has really signed a deal with the CIA, but it certainly is an interesting rumour. In addition, that is a decent chunk of change for the company to add to its revenue over the next decade.
Shares of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) are down more than 1 percent in Tuesday afternoon trading.
