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In today’s global economy, commercial and public sector customers continue to look for ways to advance their goals, protect their data and scale for improved efficiencies. To support these changing requirements, Microsoft is committed to providing trusted cloud services that are designed to take advantage of the full power of the public cloud while respecting European values and sovereignty needs.
Today, we are announcing that, on January 1, 2023, Microsoft will begin a phased rollout of our EU Data Boundary solution to public sector and commercial customers in the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
Microsoft’s on-going commitment to Europe
Microsoft remains deeply committed to supporting European digital needs and has adopted five European Cloud Principles that guide our cloud business across Europe. Microsoft offers data residency and proximity in more locations than any other cloud provider, enabling residency options for the entire Microsoft Cloud suite of online services, including Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Azure.
We provide Microsoft Cloud services to customers in nearly every country around the world. To support the requirements of customers across the EU and EFTA, we have opened and are constructing datacenters in more than 17 datacenter regions in Europe. Since 2020, we have announced plans to build nine new datacenter regions and during the past two years have made investments exceeding $12 billion, making Microsoft one of the largest sources of capital investment in Europe’s digital future.
Beginning the phased rollout of the EU Data Boundary for the Microsoft Cloud
Beginning on January 1, 2023, Microsoft will offer customers the ability to store and process their customer data within the EU Data Boundary for Microsoft 365, Azure, Power Platform and Dynamics 365 services. With this release, Microsoft expands on existing local storage and processing commitments, greatly reducing data flows out of Europe and building on our industry-leading data residency solutions.
In coming phases of the EU Data Boundary, Microsoft will expand the EU Data Boundary solution to include the storage and processing of additional categories of personal data, including data provided when receiving technical support.
Microsoft’s cloud services already comply with or exceed EU requirements, and the EU Data Boundary will further enable public sector and commercial customers in the EU and the EFTA to have their data processed and stored within the region. In addition, with the rollout of the EU Data Boundary, Microsoft will publish new data flow documentation on the new EU Data Boundary Trust Center webpage to provide transparent data insights for customers whose services will be included in the boundary.
The Microsoft EU Data Boundary is designed to build on our current residency solutions and offer enhanced control over data and increased transparency. In addition to the EU Data Boundary, Microsoft will continue to offer a wide spectrum of solutions that build on our long-standing commitments to support varied sovereignty needs, from our existing data residency capabilities in Azure, Dynamics, and Power Platform, to the coming Microsoft Cloud for Sovereignty, to Microsoft 365’s newly expanded data residency.
With Microsoft, commercial and public sector customers have the choice and flexibility they need to enjoy hyperscale products at the cutting edge of innovation while also meeting regulatory requirements and industry-specific standards.
Providing a future roadmap and new levels of transparency documentation
The EU Data Boundary is an industry-leading data residency solution. Based on customer feedback and insights, as well as learnings gained over the past year of developing the boundary, we have adjusted the timeline for the localization of additional personal data categories and data provided when receiving technical support. To ensure that we continue to deliver a world-class solution that meets the overall quality, stability, and security expectations of customers, Microsoft will deliver on-going enhancements to the boundary in phases. To assist customers with planning, we have published a detailed roadmap for our EU Data Boundary available on our Trust Center.
As part of our first phase of the EU Data Boundary rollout beginning January 1, 2023, Microsoft will publish detailed documentation on our Boundary commitments. Transparency documentation will be published initially in English and will also be made available in additional languages.
Documentation will be updated continually as Microsoft rolls out additional phases of the EU Data Boundary and will include details around services that may continue to require limited transfers of customer data outside of the EU to maintain the security and reliability of the service.
These limited data transfers ensure that EU customers continue to receive the full benefits of global hyperscale cloud computing while enjoying industry-leading data management capabilities. The transparency documentation, including data flow descriptions, will be available in the new EU Data Boundary Trust Center.
We look forward to continuing to partner with customers in Europe and will continue to do our best to empower their success in a dynamic and changing economic, social, and regulatory environment.
