Microsoft has announced the upcoming launch of two new Azure regions in Australia. They will go online in the first half of 2018, making Microsoft - in its own words - "the first major cloud provider to offer regions specifically focused on the needs of the government and their partners in Australia."
Including its two new additions in Australia, Microsoft has announced or launched 42 Azure regions around the world, which it says is "more than any other cloud provider."
The new Azure regions will be able to handle "sensitive Unclassified data" in addition to "Protected data". The latter, as Microsoft explained, "is a data classification for the first level of national security classified information in Australia."
Microsoft said that it"s working with domestic firm Canberra Data Centres (CDC) - the country"s top datacenter specialist for handling secure government data, including Top Secret classified data - to ensure that Australian government customers will be able to securely connect directly to Azure in Canberra.
"Along with Australian certifications for Office 365 and Dynamics 365, Microsoft is recognized as the most complete and trusted cloud platform in Australia," the company said today. "By comparison, other major cloud providers are only certified for basic infrastructure services or remain uncertified for use by the government."
Source: Microsoft