Microsoft Canada announced that it is undertaking the largest expansion of its Canadian-based cloud computing infrastructure since the launch of two Canadian cloud datacentre regions in 2016.
Microsoft will be adding Azure Availability Zones in the Azure Canada Central region, increasing compute capacity by more than 1300% since the region was first brought online in 2016. Availability Zones give users high availability for their most demanding applications and services as well as confidence and protection from potential hardware and software failures by providing three or more unique physical locations within an Azure region.
Additionally, Microsoft will also be significantly increasing compute capacity and adding new capabilities in the Azure Canada East region which will go live in the first half of the year. The expansion will help Canadian businesses have greater access to new innovations that will accelerate business development and builds on Microsoft’s significant presence in Canada.
Kevin Peesker, President of Microsoft Canada said that Microsoft cloud services have been a core component to the growth and development of thousands of Canadian organizations, and we continue to make significant investments in both cloud solutions and skilling programs to ensure that all of our customers, whether private or public sector, startup or enterprise, are able to accelerate their digital transformation. The launch of Azure Availability Zones will take Azure to a new level in Canada by offering customers increased reliability, performance and business continuity so they can thrive in the digital age.
With this addition, Microsoft will be the only hyperscale cloud provider in Canada to offer Availability Zones and disaster recovery with in-country data residency. Microsoft provides an SLA of 99.99% for virtual machine environments deployed in Availability Zone configurations, while also ensuring customers have high performance, low latency, and operational reliability within its Canadian cloud operations. Highly secure and with the leading compliance certifications, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), these new additions make Azure the ideal cloud platform for the challenging demands of mission critical computing.
