Microsoft to offer cloud services from local data centres in India
Tue 30 Sep 2014
Microsoft has today announced plans to deliver its Azure and Office 365 cloud services from data centres in India.
In what it calls a move into a booming $2trillion cloud market, Microsoft revealed that its interest in India was sparked by an “incredible” national demand for cloud services.
“Last year, our cloud business in India grew by over 100 percent,” said Microsoft chief executive, Satya Nadella.
“Buoyed by that success, we have now decided to offer cloud services from local data centres,” he added in today’s presentation to India’s government and banks.
According to the tech giant, this move to local data centres will help to drive public and hybrid cloud adoption across India and provide its companies with data sovereignty, reduced latency, as well as geographic redundancy with a choice of local infrastructure.
“With more than 250 million Indians using Internet-connected devices today, there is incredible demand and opportunity for India with Microsoft’s cloud services,” Nadella said.
The Indian-born CEO did not disclose the amount of investment involved in the move, however he assured reporters that “when we get started you will see the scale.”
Microsoft plans to offer its Azure and Office 365 commercial cloud services from new data centres located in three Indian cities by the end of 2015.
Asked about the effect on the Indian economy, Nadella said “I believe that the cloud infrastructure, especially world-class cloud infrastructure, is going to help Indian companies, Indian Government and every Indian entrepreneur, to be able to really revitalise […] productivity.”
Microsoft India Chairman Bhaskar Praminik, also emphasized the importance of the move: “It is a significant milestone in terms of the investment we have made in the country, for the citizens of India, for the businesses in India, for the small and medium enterprises, for the developer ecosystem.”
