Microsoft is opening two new Canadian data centres in Toronto and Quebec City to boost its cloud computing presence.
Photo Credit: Reuters / Bogdan Cristel

Microsoft opening new centres in Toronto and Quebec City

Mircrosoft is opening new data centres in Toronto and Quebec City to increase cloud capacity in Canada.

Kevin Turner, worldwide chief operating officer of Microsoft, made the announcement in Toronto today, in the company of the city’s mayor, John Tory. and the provincial government’s Treasury Board President, Deb Matthews. “Soon, the Microsoft Cloud will be truly Canadian,” he said.

“Soon, the Microsoft Cloud will be truly Canadian,”

Turner said the company’s cloud computing business is growing by triple digits every quarter. “And we don’t expect that pace to slow down,” he said.

According to tech consultancy IDC, Canadian firms will spend $2.5 billion more on cloud computing services this year.

Having more data centres to house that business in Toronto and Quebec City will help local businesses by addressing data residency considerations, Microsoft says.

“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 said.

Companies and government agencies can be confident their data will remain in Canada and under Canadian jurisdiction Microsoft Canada president Janet Kennedy said.

Kennedy did not say how much the company was spending on the centres or how many jobs would be created, but Mayor Tory estimated that more than 14,000 jobs in Toronto are connected to cloud computing.

“We’re bringing Toronto into the 21st Century,” Tory said. “Toronto is home to a skilled and talented work force that is 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.”

Richard Roy, Vice President of IT and Chief Technology Officer at Quebecor said,“Microsoft gives us the high-performance infrastructure we need to handle major fluctuations in traffic and demand for a majority of our media websites.”

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