Microsoft has stepped up its planned service offering with the option to store all personal data of cloud customers in the European Union.

This move represents the latest step in the US technology giant’s scheduled rollout, branded as “EU Data Boundary for the Microsoft Cloud”.

After updates to privacy and security legislation, tech firms have been implementing data strategies in the EU, with Amazon Web Services (AWS) stating last October they would permit data storage on servers hosted within the European entity.

Microsoft had an existing data presence within the EU but now it will be able to add to this on a much greater scale. Like other large-scale companies, they are used to having data storage spread out and diversified across several territories but this becomes problematic as it can be difficult to pinpoint where particular data resides and if it complies with the relevant local privacy regulations.

EU data protection laws emphasize the importance of data localization, that is the understanding of where digital information is stored and how it is processed, as well as keeping the information in the same country or region as the customer.

Transforming Microsoft’s cloud storage capabilities

Julie Brill, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President & Chief Privacy Officer outlined on their official blog the steps the company was taking as well as detailing the next stage of the rollout to follow.

“Microsoft further expands our local storage and processing to include all personal data, such as automated system logs, making Microsoft the first large-scale cloud provider to deliver this level of data residency to European customers,” she stated.

Brill added, “Later this year, we will launch the next phase of our EU Data Boundary for the Microsoft Cloud by transforming the processing and storage capabilities for data required during technical support interactions. We will ensure that support data is stored within the boundary, and when access from outside the EU is required to enable world-class support, we will limit and secure any temporary data transfer required.”

As part of this, the company is planning a paid support service option to provide initial technical response support from within the EU.

Graeme Hanna