Microsoft yesterday announced that it would be adding new data centers and expanding its cloud services in Europe and the Middle East. The expansion is the result of customer demand, showing Microsoft is following their money and further pushing to compete with Amazon and Google in the cloud wars.
Switzerland will get two new datacenters in Geneva and Zurich, which are primarily due to Microsoft’s engagement with financial institutions in the region. Microsoft also said that it plans to deliver its first datacenters in the United Arab Emirates, which will be located in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Additionally, the company will offer Germans access to Microsoft Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics 365 from new data center locations, as we reported yesterday. The offerings provide enterprise-grade reliability and complement what was already delivered from outside of Germany and via the Microsoft Cloud Germany. This makes Microsoft the first global cloud operator to introduce cloud regions in the country.
Lastly, Microsoft also opened new datacenters in Paris and Marseille, helping open the Microsoft Cloud to thousands of customers and partners in France. In this region, Azure and Office 365 are now available, with Dynamics 365 coming in early 2019. “We are convinced that this opening is the beginning of a new adventure – one in which we want as many French organizations and companies as possible to embark on, in order to accelerate the digital transformation of our ecosystem,” said Carlo Purassanta, General Manager, Microsoft France.
