From 1 January 2023, Microsoft will begin to roll out a European Union (EU) Data Boundary solution to public sector and commercial customers in the EU.
The Data Boundary was created to bolster existing residency approaches and to provide more authority over data and enhanced visibility, while at the same time adhering to EU standards and industry-related regulations.
End users will have the capacity to keep and process their customer data inside the Data Boundary, which is accessible to Microsoft 365, Azure, Power Platform and Dynamics 365 administrations.
The EU Data Boundary for the Microsoft Cloud, is intended to respond to a regional rise in demand for digital sovereignty that’s been amplified by legal uncertainties over EU-U.S. data flows stemming from the clash between the bloc’s data protection rights and U.S. surveillance practices.
Microsoft says this release expands on existing local storage and processing commitments, greatly reducing data flows out of Europe and building on our industry-leading data residency solutions.
To support the requirements of customers across the EU and EFTA, Microsoft are constructing datacenters in more than 17 datacenter regions in Europe.
Over the course of 2020, the software giant declared it’s intentions to erect nine novel datacenter regions and in the last two years have dedicated more than $12 billion in investments, rendering Microsoft one of the major financiers of the digital future of Europe.
Microsoft’s cloud services already comply with or exceed EU requirements, and the EU Data Boundary will further enable public sector and commercial customers in the EU and the EFTA to have their data processed and stored within the region.
Additionally, Microsoft will be releasing information regarding data flows with the implementation of the EU Data Boundary on the EU Data Boundary Trust Center webpage, so users of the services included in the boundary will be able to have a clear view of the data.
Microsoft said,“ As part of our first phase of the EU Data Boundary rollout beginning January 1, 2023, Microsoft will publish detailed documentation on our Boundary commitments..”
“Transparency documentation will be published initially in English and will also be made available in additional languages.“ said Microsoft.
About The EU Data Boundary
The EU Data Boundary is an industry-leading data residency solution based on customer feedback and insights.
As part of the first phase of the EU Data Boundary rollout Microsoft will publish detailed documentation on our Boundary commitments. Transparency documentation will be published in English first and later to be made available in additional languages.
