Microsoft has today announced some significant expansions to its operations in Spain. In a blog post, the Redmond giant confirmed it will open an Azure datacenter region in the country. Furthermore, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also revealed the company has expanded its collaboration with telecommunications company Telefonica.
Starting with the new Azure region, Microsoft says the location will help organizations in Spain meet compliance and requirements within the country. Cloud services such as Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Microsoft 365, and Azure will be delivered to Spanish customers from the datacenter.
In terms of its partnership with Telefonica, Microsoft is moving to the next phase. The company says it will co-develop go-to-market plans with the company. This will happen in all countries where Telefonica has operations.
“Telefonica and Microsoft share a commitment to helping Spanish organizations of all sizes, in every industry, thrive in a world of rapid technologic change,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “Together, we will deliver comprehensive, intelligent, secure and trusted cloud services – spanning Azure, Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 – from datacenters in Spain, helping our customers accelerate their digital transformations.”
Details
Under the joint developments, Microsoft will leverage its new Spanish Azure datacenter and integrate it with Telefonica’s infrastructure. Customers of both companies will access low latency services with assured bandwidth. The goal is to create a framework to manage 5G and edge computing.
As for Telefonica, the company will now use Microsoft cloud services for internal operations. Furthermore, the company has already deployed Microsoft 365 to its global employees in 14 nations. Microsoft will provide training for employees in using the cloud services it provides.
“The opening of a Microsoft datacenter region in Spain is a game changer. A key milestone in our strategic partnership that will boost Spain’s industrial fabric and digital economy”, said José María Álvarez-Pallete, chairman and CEO of Telefónica. “Cloud is one of the key priorities in Telefónica, as we announced in November, with the launch of Telefónica Tech, the new unit to boost the solid growth of digital services. This global strategic partnership with Microsoft will certainly help to achieve that objective.”
Last week, Microsoft pledged a $1.1 billion investment in Mexico, including the creation of a new local Azure datacenter.
