Microsoft has announced the general availability its Cloud Germany, bringing an Azure cloud platform to the nation that meets its strict data regulation and location laws.
Last year, Microsoft announced plans to open two German-only Azure data centres in the nation with data access and handling entrusted to Deutsche Telekom.
The launch of Microsoft Cloud Germany sees the fruition of the plans and two Azure regions have opened in the country, bolstering Microsoft’s Azure presence to 34 regions worldwide.
The data held by Microsoft Cloud Germany will be handled by T-Systems International, an independent German company and subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, meaning a company au fait with Germany’s data regulations will oversee how the Azure cloud in the region handles data residing in the nation.
T-Systems Intentional provides additional controls over the data held in Germany to ensure data is only accessed by the customers or a data trustee.
While Microsoft has a European presence with Azure, having the brace of German data centres opens up its cloud platform for better use in Germany, where the likes of major car manufactures reside, by adhering to rules where corporate data must be kept within the country’s borders.
“Microsoft Cloud Germany is our response to the growing demand for Microsoft cloud services in Germany, and across Europe. We take our commitments to customer privacy and compliance seriously,” said Sabine Bendiek, area vice president at Microsoft Germany. “Customers in the EU and EFTA can continue to use Microsoft cloud options as they do today, or, for those who want the option, they’re able to use the services from German data centres.”
Sweetening the potential appeal of Microsoft Cloud Germany is its compatibility with the SAP HANA, a major data base platform supplied by a German software giant and used by many major German companies. Offering this with the ability to keep data within Germany could see Microsoft Azure bolster its position in Germany’s cloud market.
The infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) market is a competitive one with the likes of Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure competing in the top three.
Expanding its reach in Germany could give Microsoft the bump it needs to start knocking AWS off the top spot, but other competition could come from Oracle with its push to build out IaaS offerings.
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