Microsoft has been rapidly expanding its cloud infrastructure to meet increasing customer demand in Europe and today announced the availability of new cloud services in France and the expansion of cloud services from new datacenters in Germany and Switzerland.

“As a company, we’re focused on empowering every organization and person on the planet to achieve more. We intend to be the first global provider to deliver enterprise cloud services from Swiss datacenters which will empower companies and institutions of all sizes and across industries to accelerate their innovation and increase their productivity. Through that we contribute to the digital transformation as laid out in our commitment to Switzerland,” says Marianne Janik, CEO of Microsoft Switzerland.

 

What that means for the swiss market?

Well, Microsoft plans to offer enterprise cloud services for businesses, government, and NGOs from datacenter locations in the cantons of Geneva and Zurich.

Switzerland is a special place in the heart of Europe, it is not just because of the banks, cheese and chocolate, it is also because of the (mis) understanding of the IT world and cloud security. Switzerland has many IT engineers and architects with a great know-how, but unfortunately in some management levels who are making the big decisions, they think that data which are physically located in Switzerland are saved from others.

In general, we have to look at it in two different ways, from a technical point of view it makes no difference if the data are located in Switzerland or in another datacenter in Europe. From another point of view, there is a Law point. If the data are located in Switzerland, they stand under the swiss law.

This fact and the political stability of Switzerland are reasons for companies like Banks, Pharma, Insurance, etc. to keep the data in this country. Till today the FINMA made hard restrictions to financial companies for using the cloud. With the next step of Microsoft this could be changed soon.

 

Microsoft’s global cloud services are based on the principles of security, compliance, protection of privacy, as well as transparency. The option to store data across cloud regions located in the cantons of Geneva and Zurich adds a new layer of control and will help companies and institutions comply with regulatory requirements. The cloud services including Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics 365 delivered from Switzerland are therefore especially interesting for Swiss companies and organizations handling sensitive data, such as the finance or health sector, the public sector, and the robust NGO sector in Switzerland. The new services offered from Switzerland will provide the same high standards regarding security, service and quality that apply to all of Microsoft’s cloud services.

Over a number of years, Microsoft has engaged deeply with financial institutions and their regulators in Switzerland. By investing to deliver a trusted cloud platform within Switzerland, Microsoft intends to provide financial institutions and other regulated industries with a greater ability to focus on their core competencies. By bringing unique services tailored to the industry and to the region, including blockchain, Azure’s PCI Blueprint, and our Financial Services Compliance Program, Microsoft plans to help accelerate existing work with lighthouse customers in the financial services industry and elsewhere.

 

More information about the expansion of Microsoft in Switzerland you can find HERE on the news site of Microsoft.

Or also on the Twitter chanel of Microsoft switzerland.

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