After bagging Flipkart as a significant client for its Azure platform, software giant Microsoft has announced the general availability of Azure from its new cloud regions in Korea. The move is directed to strengthen cloud computing services in South Korea by capitalizing on its “data center regions” in the country.
The company had earlier added two new Azure regions in Korea, Seoul and Busan, which makes Azure a part of 13 regions in Asia, and 38 Azure regions across the globe. Microsoft also highlighted that they support replication of data in multiple regions across Korea, giving organizations reliable data protection for business continuity.
“People and organizations across the globe are increasingly powered by the cloud, which is fueling innovation on every corner of the planet,” said Yousef Khalidi, Corporate Vice President, Azure Networking, Microsoft Corp.
“The geographic expansion of Azure enables our customers to achieve higher performance and supports their requirements and preferences regarding data location to meet the growing demand for an intelligent, global, enterprise-ready cloud,” he added.
According to a Korean news agency, Alfred Koh, CEO, Microsoft Korea reportedly said that Microsoft aims to double revenues from cloud computing services by sometime next year and increase partner companies by 30 percent to establish a No. 1 market status.
Microsoft further added that the Korean data centers will also offer Office 365 from the second quarter of this year.
With the advent of Internet of Things (IoT) and big data growth in Korea, there is a thriving need for cloud computer in the country. Sensing this demand, last year, Amazon opened its new data center in Seoul.
Also IBM, in partnership with SK C&C, a South Korean IT services provider built a cluster of data centers in Pangyo, south of Seoul. Oracle also revealed interest in pushing its cloud computing services in Korea, by holding a large-scale technology fair in January.