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Microsoft Data Satya Nadella

Microsoft addresses privacy concerns with announcement of plans to open its first UK data centres

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By Tony Connelly, Sports Marketing Reporter

November 10, 2015 | 3 min read

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella has announced plans to open the first UK data centres next year.

Satya Nadella announces UK data centres

Satya Nadella announces UK data centres

The move is in response to the recent EU ruling which banned the transferring of data from Europe to the US for storage.

The new data centres will allow businesses and government ogranisations using Microsoft’s cloud services- Azure and Office 365- to keep their data in the UK.

The move helps to address privacy watchdogs concerns of "data sovereignty" and adheres to privacy regulations that state that healthcare, national defence and public sector workloads data cannot leave the UK.

Speaking at the company’s Future Decoded conference in London, Nadella said expanding the data centre regions in the UK, Netherlands and Ireland "gives local businesses and organisations of all sizes the transformative technology they need to seize new global growth.”

Michel Van der Bel, area vice president and general manager of Microsoft UK, said: "the UK is a global leader in embracing the benefits of cloud-based solutions. Our commitment to offer Microsoft Azure, Dynamics CRM Online and Office 365 from local data centres will help meet such demand, especially for those organisations looking for solutions delivered from data centres based in the UK,”

He added that the news will create "opportunity for customers and partners alike to innovate, compete and grow their business."

The completion of the latest phase of expansion for its data centre facilities in Ireland and the Netherlands were also announced. The locations serve as key cloud computing hubs for Microsoft's European customers and the expansions will strengthen the company's ability to serve its customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Microsoft's announcement comes just days after its major rival in cloud services, Amazon, confirmed that they would be building centres in the UK in 2016.

Microsoft Azure and Office 365 will be available from local UK-based data centres in late 2016 with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online following close on the heels. One of the centres will be built near London while the location of the second has yet to be announced.

Microsoft Data Satya Nadella

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