Huddle figures it's the first cloud-based collaboration and content management service to offer an eyes-only private collaboration service to government customers with highly classified clearance that they can use to access and share their very private data stores.

It seems that the only way spooks on both sides of the pond can collaborate is still through couriers, the all-purpose drop box, phone calls and e-mail. Huddle means to bring them in out of the cold but its solution, which resembles Microsoft's SharePoint, isn't just meant for three-letter agencies like the CIA and MI6.

It's also meant for the folks who write those turgid but hush-hush policy statements governments are ever so fond of, folks who might like to interact more easily with fellow agencies let alone their own people. And they could still use Huddle's public cloudware to interact with third parties and suppliers.

The new stuff is called Huddle IL3, a private instance of the company's widgetry, that's being implemented in the UK with FCO Services, the government unit - sort of like America's National Security Agency (NSA) - responsible for secure ICT services.

It's hosted on FCO Services' Government Secure Application Environment (GSAE) cloud infrastructure and will let UK government organizations collaborate securely on classified content up to and including IL3 (also known as RESTRICTED). (Note the we-mean-it capital letters.)

It meets US Common Criteria 3 standards, according to Huddle CEO Alastair Mitchell, who will bring the widgetry to the states next year. (He's already flying back and forth to the beltway.)

He said 30%-50% of government work is done at this level.

The service might get a fillup from Microsoft's admission earlier this month that it might have to hand over European customer data on its cloud to US authorities if demanded under the Patriot Act.

Mitchell also expects the service to satisfy multi-nationals.

Huddle is reportedly used by more than 90,000 organizations worldwide including Disney, HTC and Kia Motors to securely manage projects, share files and collaborate with people inside and outside of their business.

It can be access online, on desktops via Microsoft Office applications, on the mobiles with BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad apps and on social networks such as LinkedIn and Ning. It's currently available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Japanese.