In March 2018, we announced plans to deliver two new cloud regions in Germany to empower more organisations and businesses in Germany, Europe and across the globe to digitally transform with public cloud solutions. These new regions will provide both core customer data residency within Germany, as well as full connectivity to Microsoft’s global cloud network. They’ll offer Microsoft Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics 365 with full functionality, enterprise-grade security, and comprehensive features to help customers meet compliance and regulatory requirements.
Today, we’re sharing that these new German regions, located in Berlin and Frankfurt, are planned to be available to customers in the fourth quarter of 2019 for Azure, the first quarter of 2020 for Office, and Dynamics to follow later in 2020. The new cloud datacentre regions in Germany will deliver a consistent experience, backed by robust policies, controls, and systems to help keep customer data safe and help our customers comply with local and regional regulations including pursuing Cloud Computing Compliance Controls Catalogue (C5) certification in Germany.
Microsoft has deep expertise protecting customer data, championing privacy, and empowering customers around the globe to meet extensive security and privacy requirements with Microsoft’s Trusted Cloud principles and the broadest set of compliance certifications and attestations in the industry. The company also has a long history of collaborating with customers to navigate evolving business needs and has developed strategies to help customers meet the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We’re committed to making sure that the Microsoft Cloud complies with GDPR, and to delivering innovations that accelerate GDPR compliance for our customers.
In 2015, we first introduced a new type of cloud region in Germany designed to offer an additional layer of privacy controls for German customers in highly regulated industries. These regions, referred to as the Microsoft Cloud Germany, are isolated from Microsoft’s global cloud network and access to customer data is managed by a German data trustee. Over the past three years, customers’ needs have shifted, and the isolation of Microsoft Cloud Germany imposes limits on its ability to address the flexibility and consistency customers desire today.
Based on this evolution in customers’ needs, our cloud strategy for Germany will focus on delivery of the new cloud regions in Germany that are consistent with our global cloud offering. With this focus, we will no longer be accepting new customers or deploying any new services from the currently available Microsoft Cloud Germany. Existing customers can continue to use the current cloud services available today, which we’ll maintain with necessary security updates.
Moving forward, new customers have the option to use the currently available European regions or the new regions in Germany when they become available. We’re providing existing Microsoft Cloud Germany customers who are interested in migrating to another region within Europe or to the new regions in Germany with details on migration options available now, as well as additional options expected to be available later this year.