Express Computer
Home  »  Cloud  »  Microsoft to keep German customers’ cloud data in country

Microsoft to keep German customers’ cloud data in country

0 472

Microsoft Corporation may soon be one of the first U.S. cloud-computing companies to let Europeans store their online data closer to home, a response to fears that U.S. data centers are more vulnerable to snooping by the U.S. government.

Microsoft Corporation may soon be one of the first U.S. cloud-computing companies to let Europeans store their online data closer to home, a response to fears that U.S. data centers are more vulnerable to snooping by the U.S. government.

The company said Wednesday it will give German customers of its online services the option of storing their data in new data centers it plans to build in Germany. The new option will be available in the second half of next year.

European consumers, privacy advocates and lawmakers have cited reports based on leaks by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden to claim that data stored by U.S. companies isn’t safe from U.S. government eavesdropping. Such concerns pose a threat to firms such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon, whose business model is increasingly built around data storage and so-called cloud services such as Microsoft’s Office 365.

Microsoft’s chief executive said the company will start next year using data centers in Magdeburg and Frankfurt that are managed by T-Systems, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom.

”These data centers will ensure that customers’ data remains in Germany and that a German company controls access to data in accordance with German law,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said at a presentation in Berlin.

In practice this would mean that U.S. authorities trying to access a German customer’s data would have to work through authorities in Germany, where privacy laws are strict.

”I would be hard-pressed to think that this would have been Microsoft’s first choice had they not had pressure from the Europeans and especially from the Germans,” said Robert Atkinson, founder and president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. ”They had no choice but to make this deal, with a telecom who frankly is a competitor of Microsoft.”

Microsoft’s announcement comes a month after the European Court of Justice sunk a trans-Atlantic privacy agreement known as the ”U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework” that had regulated the transfer of data to the United States.

It’s unclear whether, in the absence of a new data-sharing deal between Europe and the U.S., Microsoft’s move might become the new norm for technology companies.

”Microsoft is putting the bar higher with this model,” said Carsten Casper, managing vice president at Gartner Europe.

Among the outstanding questions is whether such an arrangement would work in other European countries and how much it might cost.

”From a German standpoint, this is a good move – but the overall market is obviously bigger than just Germany,” said Casper.

Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.

LIVE Webinar

Digitize your HR practice with extensions to success factors

Join us for a virtual meeting on how organizations can use these extensions to not just provide a better experience to its’ employees, but also to significantly improve the efficiency of the HR processes
REGISTER NOW 

Stay updated with News, Trending Stories & Conferences with Express Computer
Follow us on Linkedin
India's Leading e-Governance Summit is here!!! Attend and Know more.
Register Now!
close-image
Attend Webinar & Enhance Your Organisation's Digital Experience.
Register Now
close-image
Enable A Truly Seamless & Secure Workplace.
Register Now
close-image
Attend Inida's Largest BFSI Technology Conclave!
Register Now
close-image
Know how to protect your company in digital era.
Register Now
close-image
Protect Your Critical Assets From Well-Organized Hackers
Register Now
close-image
Find Solutions to Maintain Productivity
Register Now
close-image
Live Webinar : Improve customer experience with Voice Bots
Register Now
close-image
Live Event: Technology Day- Kerala, E- Governance Champions Awards
Register Now
close-image
Virtual Conference : Learn to Automate complex Business Processes
Register Now
close-image