Visual Studio Online was released on November of 2013 as a software as a service product offering Visual Studio services and features based on Team Foundation Server (TFS) with additional cloud services. As to be expected, VS Online connects to regular version of Visual Studio, but it also works with Eclipse, Xcode, and other Git clients.
Like the standard editions of Visual Studio, there is a free version of VS Online that can be used by up to 5 people. To use VS Online, you create an account. You can find out more about Visual Studio Online on the Visual Studio site
Certification of the product simply helps provide acknowledgement that the product is solidifying. Microsoft has actually received the ISO 27001 certification and as a result has added the European Model Clause to their service terms. The end result is that this helps confirm that Microsoft is working to ensure that they are protecting customer data. As Brian Harry states,
We take protection of customer data very seriously and work hard to ensure your data is safe and that we comply with expected policies in all the regions in which we operate. These two milestones are important steps on a journey of increasing our guarantees and documenting our adherence to our policies.
Representatives for Microsoft commented on the ISO certification as well. The highlighted that the ISO evaluation was independent when it came to certifying Visual Studio Online’s current data protection practices and procedures. They went on to state, “The certification showcases that Microsoft has developed practices and measured them against its customer/business requirements, covering a range of customer data protection aspects. It also ensures the Visual Studio Online team has developed processes in line with ISO and demonstrates Microsoft’s resolve to improve customer data protection.”
Looking to the future, Brain Harry commented that the ISO 27001 Certification is just the beginning. With Microsoft focusing on moving to the cloud, you can expect even more out of Visual Studio Online. To learn more about the current certification, check out Brain Harry’s blog post here. You can learn more about the ISO Certification process here.