Software giant, Microsoft has disclosed plans to establish a data center in the African continent including Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. The investment would address the needs of African customers and recognizes the potential for digital transformation in Africa through the power of the cloud.

The development, which is expected to enable greater innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth across the continent when fully deployed will directly deliver the company’s mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Expanding on existing investments, Microsoft will deliver cloud services, including Microsoft Azure, Office 365, and Dynamics 365, from data centers located in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa with initial availability anticipated in 2018.

This announcement expands on ongoing investments in Africa, where organizations are using currently available cloud and mobile services as a platform for innovation in healthcare, agriculture, education, and entrepreneurship. While many companies in Africa rely on cloud services delivered from outside of the continent, the new investment is expected to provide highly available, scalable, and secure cloud services across Africa.

The combination of Microsoft’s global cloud infrastructure with the new regions in Africa will connect businesses with opportunity across the globe, help accelerate new investments, and improve access to cloud and internet services for people and organizations.

more at: http://www.dailydigest.ng/microsoft-boost-economic-growth-africa-new-datacentre/