David MacDonald, CEO of Softchoice, a leading North American IT solutions and managed services provider, has welcomed Microsoft’s plans to build two new data centres in Toronto and Quebec City deliver Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics Online to Canadian businesses. Microsoft made the announcement at a recent event in Toronto and expects to have the new facilities up and running in both cities by 2016. “This is good news for Canadian enterprises that have been reluctant to leverage Microsoft’s cloud technologies due to concerns over data residency,” said MacDonald. “I think this announcement underscores Microsoft’s commitment to Canadian organizations and removes a key obstacle which will allow more clients to take advantage of the cloud, something Softchoice is particularly well positioned to support.”
As the largest Microsoft partner in Canada and number one in terms sales and deployments of Office 365 and Azure, Softchoice has developed unique offerings to help organizations drive business transformation through Microsoft cloud technologies. This includes a team of cloud, licensing and pre-sales consultants as well as proprietary services like Workload Analyzer and Azure TechCheck – that provide fact-based insights around current infrastructure and applications to facilitate the migration process. “We look forward to working with our Canadian clients as they harness the cloud to build more capable and more competitive businesses,” MacDonald added.
“Soon, the Microsoft Cloud will be truly Canadian,” said Kevin Turner, Worldwide Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft, who traveled to Toronto recently to make the announcement. “This substantial investment in a Canadian cloud demonstrates how committed we are to bringing even more opportunity to Canadian businesses and government organizations, helping them fully realize the cost savings and flexibility of the cloud,” Turner added.
According to IDC, total public cloud spend in Canada is projected to grow to $2.5 billion by next year. The fastest growth will be from Public cloud infrastructure with an extimated 45% increase by 2016. These new locally deployed services will address data residency considerations for Microsoft customers and partners of all shapes and sizes who use cloud computing to transform their businesses, better manage variable workloads and deliver new digital services to customers and employees. General availability of Azure is anticipated in early 2016, followed by Office 365 and Dynamics CRM Online later in 2016. Canadian customers are already using the Microsoft Cloud, with Microsoft delivering cloud-based email, Office 365, and CRM Online to more than 80,000 Canadian businesses, including printing giant Quebecor.
Ontario’s Deputy Premier and President of the Treasury Board, Deb Matthews, applauded Microsoft’s commitment to enabling Ontario businesses to compete globally. “This commitment by Microsoft will further enhance the ability of Ontario’s innovative business sector to thrive and compete with the best in the world,” said Matthews. “To date, more than 3,200 Canadian start-ups have benefited from joining the free BizSpark program, many of which are based in Ontario. By bringing the power of the cloud to Canada and providing free access through BizSpark, our entrepreneurs can truly compete with the best in the world.”
Toronto Mayor John Tory praised the announcement as a significant boost to Toronto’s digital infrastructure. “Together with Microsoft, we’re bringing Toronto into the 21st Century. Toronto is home to a skilled and talented workforce that’s ready to bring ideas to life. The City is committed to investing in state-of-the-art infrastructure that’s needed to attract good jobs and fuel innovation.” Tory pointed out that it’s estimated that more than 14,000 jobs in Toronto are connected to cloud computing. To learn more about Microsoft’s cloud touching down in Canada, please visit reimagine.microsoft.ca.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Industry sources have told me that this move, in part, was a response to growing concern around security and privacy in the U.S., as well as Canada’s strict data-sovereignty regulations. With the re-vamping of the Patriot Act of obvious concern to multi-national firms, storing their data within U.S. borders or in American-operated data centres may become more problematic. Whether this is a motive or not, the end result is obviously good for Canadian businesses – including print service providers who are currently using, or intend to use, Microsoft’s Cloud services.
