Microsoft sets up 3 data centres in India

With these, firm expects to be better equipped to target sectors like govt and financial services, where data privacy is always at risk

Microsoft on Thursday said it had set up three data centres in this country.  With these, the Redmond-headquartered software major expects to be better equipped to target sensitive sectors like government and financial services. where there is always fear on data privacy.

Every year, Microsoft invests around $5 billion in setting up data centres and towards their operations. The  centres have the ability to scale up further without much of physical expansion.

Microsoft intends to host its Azure (its cloud platform), Office 365 and CRM Online out of these centres. The company said starting next month, customers will be able to participate in the private preview of Microsoft Azure from its India data centres. The private preview is expected to introduce about 150 customers to run trials of their apps on Microsoft Azure, to start with, from local infrastructure. This will be followed by the private preview of Office 365 and CRM Online. Commercial cloud services from the local data centres are expected to go live by the end of 2015.

“The growing interest in the cloud space from India, coupled with the huge potential for cloud services in the country, drove us to open these data centres at two distinct locations here,” said Scott Guthrie, executive vice-president, Microsoft Cloud and Enterprise Group. “Services from local data centres will open infinite computing capacity for Indian government departments, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), health care and manufacturing sectors.”

The availability of local data centres is expected to scale up public and hybrid cloud adoption in India, especially with more and more start-ups.

Githrie said the data stored in these data centres would not be taken out of the country. The company is already working with the government in cloud space and the Digital India campaign.

According to Microsoft, its cloud services in India have doubled in revenue the past financial year.

THE ROAD MAP

• Microsoft to host Azure cloud platform, Office 365 and CRM Online out of these centres
   
• From July, customers will be able to participate in the private preview of Azure from the centres
   
• The data stored in these data centres will not be taken out of the country
   
• Preview would introduce 150 customers to run trials of their apps on Azure, from local infrastructure
   
• This will be followed by the private preview of Office 365 and CRM online
   
• Commercial cloud services from the centres are expected to go live by the end of 2015