Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) — International Business Machines Corp., the largest computer-services provider, is testing cloud computing for the U.S. Air Force, aiming to quell concerns that the technology poses security risks.

IBM will create a cloud that holds and automates the agency’s network, Robert Ames, deputy chief technology officer of IBM’s federal division, said in an interview yesterday. The so-called cloud model lets clients store and access data on an external server to avoid the cost of maintaining their own.

The Air Force’s version will have an added layer of analytics to detect unauthorized access or potential threats, Ames said. Improving protection for the technology may help IBM win more contracts in the public sector, which contributes more than 15 percent of the company’s almost $100 billion in sales and was the only unit to increase revenue last year.

“You don’t want somebody to get in and manipulate the information,” Ames said. “It will certainly give us direct experience with these government requirements and the ability to shape our offerings.”

President Barack Obama’s latest budget, which includes $80 billion for federal technology spending, calls for use of cloud computing to help curb costs. IBM has 10 months to create and test the model, Ames said. He declined to disclose terms of the deal, saying there is no guarantee the Air Force will keep IBM’s cloud after testing.

Global spending on cloud computing will more than double to $44.2 billion in the next three years, according to Framingham, Massachusetts-based researcher IDC.

IBM, based in Armonk, New York, rose 13 cents to $125.66 yesterday in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. It climbed 56 percent last year.

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