Beginning on January 1, Microsoft Corp. said its cloud customers in the European Union would be able to process and store some of their data there. Its “EU data barrier” will gradually be implemented across all its primary cloud services, including Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and the Power BI platform.
Since the EU implemented the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018, which safeguards user privacy, large organizations have grown increasingly concerned about the worldwide flow of client data.
The European Commission, which serves as the executive branch of the EU, is developing ideas to safeguard the privacy of European customers whose data is sent to the US.
Julie Brill, Microsoft’s Chief Privacy Officer, told Reuters that as the project progressed, it became clear that a more staged approach was required.
“Customer data will be the initial step. Moving logging data, service data, and other types of data into the border as we advance into the following phases “She spoke. She stated that phases two and three will be finished by the end of 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Microsoft runs more than a dozen data centers in Europe, including those in France, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland.
Big businesses need help understanding where their data is stored and whether it conforms with regulations like GDPR because it has become huge and is dispersed across many nations.
In order to increase consumer confidence and allow them to have open discussions with their authorities about where their data is being handled and stored, Brill claims that “We are implementing this solution.”
Microsoft has previously stated that it would contest requests from the government for user data and pay any customers whose data it released in violation of GDPR.
