Microsoft becomes the first global public cloud provider in China with the general availability of Microsoft Azure in the region

In May of last year, we announced that Microsoft Azure would be coming to China, launching a public preview to support the growing appetite for cloud services in this important region. Today, I am pleased to share that Microsoft Azure, operated by 21Vianet, is now generally available for our customers in China. This significant milestone makes us the first global company to make onshore public cloud services available to customers in China, through 21Vianet.

IDC reports a sustained growth rate of more than 40 percent in the public cloud service market in China since 2012, making the market a particular hot spot for cloud. Microsoft has more than 20 years of experience delivering our products and services to China. Now through our unique partnership with 21Vianet, we are delighted that customers throughout China will be able to experience world-class public cloud services powered by Microsoft Azure.

To ensure a compliant, enterprise-grade public cloud experience, Microsoft has partnered with 21Vianet within China to deliver Microsoft Azure to our customers in the region. 21Vianet is a trusted and reliable partner who can deliver the quality and reliability that Microsoft Azure customers require, delivering Azure service from multiple locations in China to enable critical disaster recovery scenarios. In fact, 21Vianet has already delivered fully functional cloud services to more than 3,000 customers in China, including CNTV, LineKong, GMW.cn and Coca-Cola China.

Coming on the heels of the general availability of Microsoft Azure for Japan just last month, this is yet another rapidly delivered milestone in our strategy to bring the benefit of Microsoft’s enterprise-grade cloud technologies to people and businesses around the world. Cloud computing is a big part of the future for China, and we are thrilled to play a role in bringing this future to our customers.

For more information on Microsoft Azure operated by 21Vianet in China, please consult our official FAQservice commitment , data compliance, as well as our feature list.

Editor’s Note: This post was updated with new information on July 16, 2014.

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