Microsoft opens first Azure cloud data center regions in the Middle East

Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Office 365 are now generally available from Microsoft’s first cloud data center regions in the Middle East, located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The opening of the new cloud regions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai marks the first time Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) will deliver cloud services directly from data cente locations in UAE.

The company highlighted that the cloud region expands upon Microsoft’s existing investments in the Gulf and the wider Middle East region.

By delivering the complete Microsoft cloud – Azure, Office 365, and Dynamics 365 from data centers in a given geography, the company revealed it offers scalable cloud services for organizations.

“Our new cloud regions adhere to Microsoft’s trusted cloud principles and join one of the largest and most secure cloud infrastructures in the world, already serving more than a billion customers and 20 million businesses,” said Tom Keane Corporate Vice President, Azure Global, Microsoft Azure.

“Microsoft has deep expertise in data protection, security, and privacy, including the broadest set of compliance certifications in the industry, and we are the first cloud service provider in UAE to achieve the Dubai Electronic Security Centre certification for its cloud services.

“Our continued focus on our trusted cloud principles and leadership in compliance means customers in the region can accelerate their digital transformation with confidence and with the foundation to achieve compliance for their own applications.”

The company is also building upon Microsoft Learn, and has trained over 150,000 IT professionals in MEA.

“We anticipate the cloud services delivered from UAE to have a positive impact on job creation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth across the region,” Keane added.

“The community will further benefit from the increased availability and performance of cloud services delivered from UAE to help realize enterprise benefits of the cloud, up-skill in migration, and more effectively manage their cloud infrastructure.”

The International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that cloud services could bring more than half a million jobs to the Middle East, including the potential of more than 55,000 new jobs in UAE, between 2017 and 2022.

Business applications tools Dynamics 365 and Power Platform are anticipated to be available from the cloud regions in UAE by the end of 2019.