Microsoft to establish first datacentre region in Indonesia

Illustrative photo. (Source: Business Times)

Jakarta – Global tech giant Microsoft has announced it will establish its first datacentre region in Indonesia and that the firm has a long-term commitment to Indonesia’s growth.

“Today’s announcement is our most significant investment in the 26 years we have been established here,” said Jean-Philippe Courtois, Executive Vice President and President, Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing and Operations at the virtual DevCon 2021. “I am delighted that we are helping to empower Indonesia to realise its vision to lead the region’s digital transformation.”

With the new datacentre region, Indonesia will join the world’s largest cloud infrastructure with over 60 datacentre regions announced to date.

The Indonesian datacentre region will deliver trusted cloud services locally, with world-class data security, privacy, and the ability to store data in country, according to Microsoft.

“From e-commerce to agriculture, Indonesian businesses across all sectors are gaining a digital advantage with the agility, security and scale offered by Microsoft’s cloud services,” Courtois said.

Businesses of all sizes and industries will have access to Microsoft Azure at launch, which enables anyone to invent with purpose using cloud services and capabilities that span computing, networking, databases, analytics, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things (IoT).

Indonesian Minister of Communication and Information Johnny G. Plate said his ministry welcomes Microsoft’s plans to establish a local datacenter region as well as its commitment to increase the capacity of Indonesian digital talent across all skill levels.

President Joko Widodo also appreciated Microsoft's collaboration with the digital community to strengthen the digital transformation among Indonesia's young people.

He further noted that digital transformation is the key to surviving the COVID-19 pandemic as it helps people work more quickly and efficiently, even in the midst of limited interactions.

He said the acceleration of digital transformation cannot be done by the government alone, but it requires participation from the digital community through investment in datacentre construction, promoting digital literacy programs and developing digital talent.

Widodo later said he hopes the collaboration with Microsoft will result in more training courses on the use of digital technology for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to encourage an increase in online sales.