Microsoft Azure Expansion Offers More Partner Opportunities
Cloud-centric channel partners targeting EMEA have additional opportunity in some Microsoft Azure expansion. They also should look at specific ways to help organizations make the most of their hybrid and multicloud deployments, given the results of a recent vendor survey. Read on for the details.
Microsoft Beefs Up in UK With 10 New Azure Services
Microsoft has added 10 new cloud computing services across its Azure regions in the U.K.
Here’s a rundown of the lineup of the Microsoft Azure expansion:
- Azure Bastion: Limits threats by letting users securely connect to virtual machines in Azure without using public IP addresses. Microsoft says this reduces exposure to the public internet and risks such as malware that could target virtual machines.
- Azure Confidential Computing: Lets Azure secure information while that information is in use. Typical practice, as Microsoft notes, is to encrypt and protect data while it sits in a data center and moves across a network. Microsoft’s approach means multiple organizations may combine their data sets and analyze them, without being able to access each other’s data. Microsoft points to banks as a prime potential user. These firms could use Confidential Computing to combine transaction data to detect fraud and money laundering, for example.
- Azure Private Link: Offers a secure connection to Microsoft’s cloud with no public internet access. Private Link also helps users meet compliance regulations in certain markets, Microsoft said.
- Azure App Configuration: Allows central management of application settings.
- Azure Bot Service: Development service that helps organizations connect to users via popular channels.
- Consumption Plan Linux: Automatically allocates compute power when code is running.
- Azure IoT Central: Connects users with devices, partners, app templates and problem solvers.
- Premium Plan Linux: Provides enhanced performance for production apps.
- Time Series Insights: Collects, processes, stores, analyzes and queries data.
- Virtual Network NAT: Simplifies outbound-only internet connectivity for virtual networks.
In addition to the Microsoft Azure expansion, the software giant said it continues to invest in its Azure network across Europe. The company recently announced a $1 billion investment plan in Poland that includes a new Azure region in the country. The expanded portfolio of cloud computing services further comes on top of the recently unveiled $1.5 billion, five-year investment plan in Italy.
Sign up for Channel Futures’ new EMEA newsletter, where we feature news and analysis involving companies based in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as well as those doing business in that region. |
“Azure is helping organizations, both large and small, adapt to a new way of working, and our cloud experts continue to help them at this challenging time,” Michael Wignall, Azure business lead at Microsoft U.K., wrote in a May 22 blog.
Microsoft so far has announced more than 60 Azure regions across the world; the cloud computing platform is available in more than 140 countries.
Hybrid, Multicloud Still Leading the Pack
More than half (53%) of organizations are embracing hybrid and multicloud architectures as their standard cloud configurations.
The findings come from Denodo, a data virtualization provider, in its third annual cloud usage survey. The company polled more than 250 executives and IT professionals throughout the world: Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa and North America.
Above all, Denodo discovered that hybrid cloud makes up 42% of deployments. Public cloud came in a distant second at 18%, with private cloud following closely at 17%.
Respondents told Denodo they like hybrid and multicloud’s ability to diversify spend and skills, build resiliency, and choose features and capabilities depending on …
- Page 1
- Page 2