Even in the midst of the destruction caused by Covid-19, there is good news. On May 6, Microsoft announced their plans to establish a data centre region in New Zealand - a first for the country. Joining Microsoft's global data centre footprint, New Zealand will become one of 140 countries that will have access to Microsoft Azure - a suite of cloud services that include computing, networking, databases, analytics, AI and Internet of Things (IoT) services.

This Microsoft announcement was significant enough for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern  to mention it during one of her daily Covid-19 briefings.

"This is a signal to the world that New Zealand is open for business and quality investment," she said. "Microsoft wouldn’t be investing here if they didn’t have full confidence in the New Zealand economy, and see us as a safe place for operation in both the health and business sense."

For government agencies classified as having to store their data in New Zealand, the announcement is a welcome addition to the range of hosting options available. Syl has ensured our enterprise search solutions are available on the Azure platform.

Microsoft will be the first multinational cloud service to open a physical data centre in New Zealand, which will mean a significant boost to our economy. The aim of the project is to provide organisations and enterprises with public cloud capabilities. In addition to Azure, public and private entities will have access to Microsoft's range of products, including Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform.

"This significant investment in New Zealand’s digital infrastructure is a testament to the remarkable spirit of New Zealand’s innovation and reflects how we’re pushing the boundaries of what is possible as a nation,” said Vanessa Sorenson, General Manager of Microsoft New Zealand. “The Fletcher School’s Digital Evolution Index characterises New Zealand as a ‘standout nation’ demonstrating to the world what the future might look like. I’m confident this investment will help accelerate our digital evolution."

The announcement is not without its concerns, one of which is over which country’s privacy law will apply to the data which is stored locally. However, Communications Minister Faafoi assured citizens that protecting their data and privacy remains a top priority. "Onshore cloud facilities give us stronger control of our data and reduce the concerns relating to storing data offshore," he stated. What this means is that the advent of the data centre will help New Zealand government agencies protect their sovereign and critical data with assured privacy, security and compliance – with all services available on a locally hosted public cloud.

Enhanced privacy and security notwithstanding, the new data centre region offers a range of benefits typical to a locally based public cloud, including:

• New Zealand organisations and enterprises that deal with highly sensitive, critical data can comply with New Zealand data guidelines
  
  
• Azure has a pre-approved price list, and it's more cost-effective than storing data outside the country
  
  
• Data protection and disaster recovery are easier, quicker and more efficient

To really get the most out of the new development, organisations need to be thinking ahead. Now is the time to factor this change into IT budgets for next year, because that investment will provide a significant return and most likely save money down the track. As we look to economic recovery post-Covid, it's important that we heed the 'buy local' and 'support local' advice our government has been promoting, making a locally based public cloud ideal. So not only will the data centre provide increased security, but it's economically beneficial to support a home-based service.

The Syl suite is prepped, well-equipped and Azure-ready in anticipation of the launch. If any organisation is planning to move to Azure, the Syl suite can be deployed now and be ready for Azure. We're looking forward to the new development; it will accelerate New Zealand's digital transformation which is critical as we navigate Covid-19 and will remain so when we come out the other side. No matter how beneficial a locally-based data centre like Microsoft Azure is however, organisations will continue to require to search through files and data utilising a local enterprise search technology such as Syl Search.

Syl simplifies the search for meaningful information so that team leaders can make faster, better decisions. For example, when the government announced their Māori language strategy - 'Maihi Karauna' - the Syl Language capability provided a framework to extend search relevancy to include important te reo Māori terms and concepts. And when it comes to data breaches, these can be significantly reduced with Syl Validator, which crawls through government websites, seeking out any data that shouldn’t be in the public domain.

Our range of enterprise findability solutions are ready for Microsoft Azure, and we're looking forward to continuing to help drive digital transformation for New Zealand enterprises and organisations.