Auckland, New Zealand, 16 October 2024 – Microsoft and data and AI leader SAS have reached an agreement that will see SAS software and managed services hosted in Microsoft’s local hyperscale cloud region, enabling SAS customers to host their data on our shores for the first time.
Campbell Johns, Managing Director of SAS New Zealand, said the deal will allow SAS to enhance its customer offering and support, building on its partnership with Microsoft.
“We utilise Azure globally for our hosted platforms and managed services, and while we offer locally hosted services in over 20 regions around the world, we’ve never been able to host in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The arrival of Microsoft’s hyperscale cloud region gives us an opportunity to leverage our global expertise and offer these services to local businesses,” he said.
SAS already provides managed services to several New Zealand-based customers from Australian Azure regions, but the ability to host in New Zealand sets SAS up for further adoption of this in-demand service. “The majority of our customers recognise the need to move to the cloud and we have made a significant investment into our cloud-native apps to meet that demand. As a cloud-first business, we understand the value of data residency and that storing data onshore is necessary for some of our customers, including a number of government agencies,” said Johns.
SAS customers will also benefit from advanced resiliency, latency and security services, as well as improved green credentials.
“Sustainability is a key focus for customers, so it’s important we can offer tools and services that allow them to meet their ESG requirements. Modern hyperscale cloud will be crucial to making our entire economy greener,” he said.
Core pillars of SAS’s focus include financial and fraud crime, and risk management services. Several New Zealand organisations already named as anchor tenants for the Microsoft cloud region are also SAS customers.
Frank Zhang, Programme Manager Planning Elements at the Department of Corrections spoke to the benefits of running SAS Viya in the hyperscale cloud.
“SAS Viya on Azure enabled Corrections to quickly set up our secure data and analytics environment; with SAS’s data and modelling capability, it enables us to integrate and utilise Corrections’ data and provide evidence-based business insights and modelling to meet executives’ growing business information needs”
Vanessa Sorenson, Managing Director of Microsoft New Zealand, believes we are on the precipice of one of the biggest digital transformations in our history that will see virtually every industry in New Zealand stand to gain.
“The arrival of hyperscale cloud will turbo-charge digital innovation and unlock opportunities previously not available to us. This agreement will give more Kiwi businesses access to locally-hosted services, which in turn will lead to less friction, better compliance, and a boost for productivity. We look forward to working together to deliver the best outcomes for businesses in Aotearoa,” she said.
Microsoft is SAS’s global hosting partner, with SAS already utilising Azure in a large number of regions globally. In 2022, SAS also won Microsoft’s Global Independent Software Vendor (ISV) of the year. This award is given to partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft based applications, services and devices. SAS’s win highlights their strong customer focus and success in tandem with the deep global partnership with Microsoft.