- Microsoft Azure Local can now run completely offline without the need for the cloud
- European clients increasingly demand sovereign options
- CISPE welcomes the changes and seeks to test them
Microsoft has announced three new updates to the company’s sovereign offerings, including improvements to Azure Local, Microsoft 365 Local, and Foundry Local.
The additions come as trade tensions between the United States and the EU continue, as Europe pushes for more digitally sovereign options.
European customers are increasingly demanding more on-premise infrastructure, protection against potential data access from the US CLOUD Act, and less reliance on hyperscalers.
Microsoft offers three new sovereign options for companies like Europe
While Microsoft’s on-premise additions don’t address a desire to move away from hyperscalers, they do address demands for data sovereignty and infrastructure while offering already familiar experiences for existing customers.
In a blog post, Microsoft Specialized Clouds president and CTO Douglas Phillips explained that organizations can now use on-premises infrastructure with the policy and governance controls of Azure, all without connectivity to the cloud, in the form of the new Azure Local.
“Disconnected operations, management, policies, and workload execution remain within customer-operated environments,” he wrote.
Previously, Azure Local required regular connectivity to the cloud. Staying offline for too long reduced functionality, but with the latest update, it can now operate completely offline, making it ideal for highly regulated industries, including defense and critical national infrastructure.
CISPE, the European body representing cloud infrastructure companies, welcomed the changes and promised to test Microsoft’s changes with its upcoming Sovereign Cloud Services Framework to see if they are approved.
Microsoft doesn’t even stand out in the world of hyperscalers: Google offers its own Google Cloud Airgapped solution and AWS sells its equivalent, the European Sovereign Cloud.
“Our approach helps customers meet stringent sovereign requirements in fully disconnected scenarios without compromising simplicity, while maintaining flexibility where connectivity is possible,” Phillips concluded.
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