Microsoft Azure & Office 365 Available from Local UK-based Data Centers BY 2016

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced plans to offer cloud services from the UK. Microsoft Azure and Office 365 will be available from local UK-based data centers in late 2016 with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online following shortly thereafter.

Microsoft also announced completion of the latest phase of expansion for its data center facilities in Ireland and the Netherlands.

Satya Nadella, chief executive officer of Microsoft, said: “By expanding data center regions in the UK, Netherlands and Ireland we aim to give local businesses and organizations of all sizes the transformative technology they need to seize new global growth.”

The new local Microsoft cloud regions will enable data residency for customers in the UK, allowing data to be replicated within the UK for backup and recovery, reduced network distance and lower latency. Services delivered from these UK data centers will create new opportunities for innovation and local economic growth for Microsoft UK’s 25,000-plus partners.

Availability of Microsoft Azure and Office 365 is anticipated in late 2016, with Dynamics CRM Online following shortly thereafter. Microsoft will also offer Azure ExpressRoute to provide customers with the option of a private connection to the cloud.

With a cloud adoption rate of 84 percent, the UK is a global leader in embracing the benefits of cloud-based solutions.

UK customers such as Confused.com, Glasgow City Council, Marks & Spencer, Natural Resources Wales, Pizza Hut Restaurants and Virgin Atlantic already use Microsoft cloud solutions like Azure, Office 365 or Dynamics CRM Online.

Some customers have already expressed desire to embrace Microsoft’s future trusted cloud services to be delivered from the UK.

Microsoft announced the completion of the most recent expansion of its Ireland site and that its data center facility in Middenmeer, the Netherlands, is now operational.

Both locations serve as hubs for Microsoft cloud services, including Microsoft Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics CRM Online, and will provide additional capacity for customers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Microsoft has invested more than $15 billion in building a cloud infrastructure and cloud services. The US-based software firm has 24 Azure regions around the world — more than any other major cloud provider to expand its cloud infrastructure.

Agencies