Fujitsu firms up its Microsoft cloud services
November 8, 2010
Fujitsu and Microsoft have firmed up their agreement on cloud computing services and are ready to roll out a new range of services by the middle of next year.
The companies reached a worldwide agreement last July for Fujitsu to build a range of services based on Microsoft’s Azure platform and the companies are set to offer these services for UK customers.
According to Andrew Brabben, CTO of Fujitsu’s apps division, as well the deal will provide an eco-system for independent software vendors (ISVs) to explore. "There are two facets to this agreement: as well as providing the means for customers to migrate to the cloud, we’ll be offering services specifically for ISVs," he said, pointing out there "We’ve had interest in this service from more than 100 ISVs and we’re going to see a lot more interest as we roll out new services," he added.
Brabben said that Fujitsu was going to build a public platform in the UK that would be able to address specific concerns of UK customers. "By hosting in the UK, we can meet concerns about data retention, for example." He added that Fujitsu was beginning to engage with the UK government about the use of cloud services."
Although, some customers have raised concerns about being tied to a single provider, Brabben said that Fujitsu wasn’t limiting itself to being allied solely to Microsoft’s cloud platform. "Globally, we have a balanced view – we’re not just committed to use Azure – we also have our own cloud platform for example."