Microsoft Cloud launched two of its datacentres in the UAE in 2019, and having the first global hyper-scale cloud in the country and the Middle East, helped the UAE join a network of more than 60 datacentre regions, to provide local presence and global reach, connected by more than 170 global network POPs and 130,000 miles of lit fibre optic and undersea cable systems.
The Microsoft Cloud is encouraging a period of accelerated digital adoption, renewed innovation, fast recovery and economic resilience for the country and the region at large. The two datacentres, based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, continue to empower customers and partners to accelerate their digital transformation journeys, re-imagine new ways of working, optimise operations and reinvent business models, as part of Microsoft’s more than thirty years of commitment to the country’s growth.
“The UAE datacentres have brought high reliability, operational excellence, cost-effectiveness, and a trustworthy digital experience to customers and partners across the region,” said Sayed Hashish, General Manager, Microsoft UAE.
“These facilities will continue to help public and private enterprises to achieve entrepreneurial excellence as they develop and implement smart cities, telemedicine, digital agriculture, and a range of other use cases. Crucially, they will continue powering the country’s AI ambitions and support the export of innovative ideas and solutions from the UAE to the world.”
The facilities have also been pivotal in eliminating barriers to market entry for many start-ups, especially those that seek to operate in highly-regulated industries such as finance. Microsoft has worked closely with regulatory authorities to enable compliance-focused cloud services for these businesses, and the company’s $1 billion annual global investment in cybersecurity R&D has supported these efforts.
“These datacentres continue to ensure security and privacy are built into every layer of our cloud’s infrastructure,” added Hashish. “And they have also greatly bolstered our ongoing initiatives in job creation and skilling, which have enabled organisations to build capabilities and prepare for the jobs of the future.”
With the aide of Microsoft engineers, data scientists and experts, Microsoft will continue contributing to the digital transformation journeys of Middle East customers and their migration to the cloud. The UAE datacentres are planning on bridging the skills gap amongst the IT community in the region and enhancing their technical acumen in the cloud.
