Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced in late September that the company plans to set up multiple India data centers to offer local businesses and government departments cloud services from its Azure and Office 365 stacks. The tech giant plans to open facilities in three different Indian cities, all of which are expected to be operational by the end of 2015.
The use of Microsoft cloud services in India has grown more than 100 percent in the last year, and the company plans to capitalize on this increase by providing local cloud services. The India data centers are part of a global "cloud first and mobile first" strategy that is beginning in India, a country that already uses 250 million smartphones to access the Internet.
Along with increased use of mobile technology in the country, Microsoft is eager to provide local solutions due to Indian government regulations that require data to be stored within the country. Creating India data centers will also provide Microsoft with the ability to reach clients in the country's growing banking and financial services sectors.
The creation of the India data centers is expected to accelerate the country's adoption of public and hybrid cloud solutions. It will also provide local companies with improved data sovereignty, lower latency and geo-redundancy.
"By offering our cloud services through local data centers, we can help make Digital India a reality," said Microsoft India chairman Bhaskar Pramanik. "This opens new possibilities in e-governance, financial inclusion, healthcare and education."
Microsoft has operated in India since 1990 and runs multiple facilities in the country, including a research lab in Bangalore and a software development center in Hyderabad.
