Microsoft is easily one of the most prestigious multinational companies in the world. In 2019, Microsoft was worth over 1 trillion. There is no doubt that Microsoft is not like your just another average company. Similarly, potential Microsoft employees have to meet specific criteria and requirements before they start working.
If you’ve been thinking of working for Microsoft, you’ve probably heard about Microsoft cloud background check, pre-employment screening, and personal screening standard. What are they? Don't worry, we've got you covered.
Microsoft Cloud Background Check: What is It?
If you’re to be hired as a Microsoft employee in the United States with access to customer data, you must undergo Microsoft Cloud background Check. Which is requisite for all Office 365 services. However, if you’re a citizen of another country, the procedure can be different. For instance, Germany’s Microsoft Cloud employs a Data Trustee approval framework, which ensures that Data trustee, a German company, maintains access to customer data and not Microsoft. The Microsoft Cloud is provided through datacenters located in Germany, and even the Operation Centers (OC) accommodating the Data Trustee’s technical staff are also situated in Germany. The OC facilities and datacenter are controlled, maintained, and operated by Data Trustee.
Microsoft Cloud Background Check involves the following checks as permissible by local law and usually takes about 15 days to complete.
- If you’re a United States citizen, your social security number will be traced.
- They will also inspect your criminal history of up to seven years. This is to check whether you’ve committed any felonies or misdemeanors at the local, county, state and even federal level if deemed appropriate. If your background check expires, your access to Office 365 services will be revoked. You’ll not be able to access it until you complete the background check again. When your employment with Microsoft ceases, all data-center access will be repealed.
- Microsoft will also verify your United States citizenship. New employees are required to meet US Citizenship delegate to examine documentation needed to prove US citizenship. Microsoft requires new hires or employees to bring their required documents and sign an attestation form during a meeting with the region’s Citizenship Delegate. You must attend the meeting in person. Once you’ve met the Citizenship Delegate and submitted the requisite signatures and documents, the Citizenship Delegate will forward a copy of your documents to Staffing Operations of Microsoft, who then submit the copy for record management.
If you’re a Microsoft employee with logical access to US Government office 365 Community Cloud or with physical or logical access to US Government Azure offerings, you’ll have to comply with Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) requirements of the FBI which includes personnel screening as well. You’ll also have to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history check as decided by the adjudicator for the CJIS system for states that have registered for the Online Services CJIS support program of the Microsoft.
Microsoft Pre-Employer Screening: What Is It?
Before you commence your job at Microsoft, you’ll undergo a background check by the Microsoft Global Security Department wherever it’s allowed by local law:
- If you’re a US citizen, your social security number will be tracked for identity verification or when not available, a government-issued document in Asia, the Middle East, or Europe.
- Confirmation of professional or academic qualifications.
- Credit checks wherever appropriate.
- A criminal history check for felonies or misdemeanors.
- The employment history of the last five years.
Additional background checks and periodic re-screening can be conducted for security, management, and other roles, including United States employees that have access to customer data. If you’re a contingent staff member, the third-party contract stipulates Microsoft’s screening requirements that must be managed by the third party. For Microsoft’s background check, the third party is in charge of ensuring that verification is completed according to Microsoft’s standard.
The background checks results are generally sent via email through the third party’s department of human resources. If you’re an international employee of Microsoft’s contract staff, you might be exempted from the background checking process pertaining to your country’s law.
What Is Microsoft Personnel Screening Standard?
This screening standard is applicable to all of Microsoft interns, employees as well as contingent staff working for the operation, development, or delivery of online services to commercial and government cloud customers.
Microsoft’s personnel screening standard aligns with their corporate standards and NIST personnel screening controls. Microsoft personnel screening standard is imposed on staff members who need access to the following:
- Network management access for services and devices that deal with cloud data storage and transportation of government or commercial customers.
- Logical access for governmental or commercial cloud data from particular environments.
- Physical access to edge sites, server racks, cages, secured rooms, colocations, and datacenters that maintain the framework providing commercial could customers and government with online services.
However, some countries maintain strict privacy laws. In such countries, there is immense supervision and restriction of access to personal data. As such, Microsoft employees working in the operation, development, or delivery of online services to commercial cloud customers or to the government can be imposed with an additional inspection. Particular personnel-related incidents that may require you to undergo screening include:
- Changes to current roles that may adopt screening as a mandatory requirement.
- If an internal Microsoft employee is moved or transferred to another position which requires screening as a mandatory requirement.
- New Microsoft hires or employees that receive employment in roles where screening is mandatory.
Many companies carry out checks and inspections to make sure that their potential employee is suitable for their company. With a company as prestigious as Microsoft, it’s understandable that they’ll likely go a little overboard with their background checks in comparison to other companies. This sort of inspections is always in flux and will also vary according to the role you’re being hired for, your prior history as well as what the relevant laws allow them to do.
In a nutshell, they’ll be verifying your highest educational qualification, verify prior employment, a credit report if necessary and if you have any criminal record.
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