Microsoft has publicized the launching of its pioneer data centers in Africa that will enable the accessibility of Azure from the new cloud regions in Johannesburg and Cape Town. This centers will make Microsoft the first global provider of cloud services from data-centers in Africa that will aid companies as they securely and consistently move their businesses to the cloud.
Yousef Khalidi, corporate vice president, Azure Networking, Microsoft said, “Microsoft Azure is now available from our new cloud regions in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The combination of Microsoft’s global cloud infrastructure with the new regions in Africa will create greater economic opportunity for organisations in Africa, accelerate new global investment, and improve access to cloud and internet services.”
“Microsoft has deep expertise in protecting data and empowering customers around the globe to meet extensive security and privacy requirements, including offering the broadest set of compliance certifications and attestations in the industry. We look forward to supporting more African enterprises in their cloud journeys and offering a trusted path to digital transformation,” he also said.
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Ibrahim Youssry, general manager, North, West, East, Central Africa, Levant & Pakistan, Microsoft said, “Today is a milestone moment in bringing the global cloud closer to home for African citizens and businesses. Enterprises across Africa can now take full advantage of the many benefits of Microsoft Azure, using cloud services to maintain security and meet compliance standards.”
According to the Cloud Africa 2018 report, the use of clouds have doubled between 2013 and 2018 amongst medium to large organizations in Africa. More than 90 percent of surveyed companies in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria plans to increase their spending on cloud computing in the next year due to the benefits of cloud in offering efficiency and scalability.
Intelligent cloud services, Azure is the first from Microsoft to be delivered from the new data centers in South Africa. Office 365, Microsoft’s cloud-based productivity solution will be available by the third quarter of calendar year 2019, while Dynamics 365, the next generation of intelligent business applications, is expected in the fourth quarter. The new datacenters is part of Microsoft’s ongoing investment to enable digital transformation across Africa.
“We’re working with partners to accelerate cloud readiness and adoption in Africa, ensuring enterprises can deliver services to market faster, businesses can make more data-driven decisions, and governments can better connect with citizens,” adds Youssry.
“As we connect more businesses to Azure, we’re seeing heightened innovation in the cloud and start-ups expanding their services to new markets. The combination of Microsoft’s global cloud infrastructure with the new regions in Africa will now connect businesses with even more opportunity and customers across the globe.” He also said.