Azure Geo 'open for business' in Australia

Microsoft has rolled out its latest Azure Geo cloud services offering in Australia and has already signed up an impressive list of launch customers.

Azure is a cloud services platform that includes infrastructure services, data management, web applications, development and virtual machine testing, storage, backup and recovery services.

“From today, our goal is to create Australia’s best and most complete cloud, enabled by world-class technology and a world-class cloud ecosystem,” said Microsoft Executive Vice President for Cloud + Enterprise Scott Guthrie.

The newest Azure Geo brings the total number of regions to 19 globally. Locally, it includes geographically redundant regions in Victoria and New South Wales. Microsoft says it will lower latency rates and address data sovereignty considerations for its customers and partners.

“When I started at Microsoft, we had a vision to put a PC on every desk - at home and at work,” said Microsoft Country Managing Director Pip Marlow. “We believed we could help people realise their full potential. That vision hasn’t changed. We believe we can help people do more and achieve more, and help Australia be amazing, by providing the best and most complete cloud.

“With the cloud, the barriers to innovation are not just being lowered, they’re being smashed away,” she said.

ExpressRoute partnerships expand

Microsoft also announced today an expansion of its ExpressRoute offering in Australia through its global partnership with Equinix and forming a new alliance with Telstra.

The company says the expansion gives Australian customers and partners the opportunity to build private connections between the Australia Azure Regions and infrastructure located on-premises or in a co-location environment.

ExpressRoute connections do not travel over the public internet, and they offer more reliability, faster speeds and lower latencies, according the Microsoft.

“As a Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute partner, our customers who want to access Microsoft’s Cloud for scalability and cost effectiveness can now do so through our intelligent Next IP network,” said Telstra Executive Director Cloud Erez Yarkoni. “As customers increasingly take advantage of cloud infrastructure from global providers, choosing the right network remains a vital decision to run applications at peak performance.”

ExpressRoute will be generally available via Equinix later this calendar year and via Telstra in the New Year.

Customers and partners invest in Azure

Azure customers include some of the biggest business names in Australia, such as the Commonwealth Bank, which is using cloud computing to provide flexibility and elasticity for some technology services, along with taking advantage of the regulatory benefit of the local Azure Geo.

Centium Software leverages the platform to manage some of the world’s largest events, while Talentpay - a Sydney-based rights management company - is using cloud to scale its business to expand into new markets.

Audit, tax and advisory experts BDO have adopted a hybrid cloud model, while Carsales.com.au - the largest online automotive, motorcycle and marine classifieds business in Australia - handles 12 billion images a month through its Azure-enabled image infrastructure.

Local partners such as Breeze, Kloud, Readify, Sitecore, Diliginet, Janison and Ensyst are also using Azure.

Image: Microsoft's Scott Guthrie.