Microsoft to open data center in Zurich

The demand for cloud services is growing strongly, which is why Microsoft is opening two data centers in Switzerland in the coming days, one in Zurich and the other in Geneva, Marianne Janik, head of Microsoft Switzerland, told the Sunday paper NZZ am Sonntag. The IT giant is also responding to the wishes of its Swiss clients to keep their data in Switzerland.

“This is not only very important for banks, but also for the public sector and healthcare sector with their sensitive data,” said Janik. Microsoft now works with 4,600 partner companies in Switzerland.

At the same time, Janik said that Switzerland is developing into an important location for data storage: “The demand to store data in a secure and stable country has again risen sharply.”

According to the article, the first requests for storing data in the new data center have come from abroad. Although the new data center is initially reserved for Swiss companies, foreign companies could be considered at a later stage. “Switzerland’s appeal as a data location is strong.”

Over the years, Microsoft has expanded its presence in Switzerland significantly. Originally, Microsoft Switzerland was only meant to be responsible for local sales and market, but activities in research and development have also since been added, “most recently in the area of augmented reality,” said Janik.

Microsoft Switzerland currently has 600 employees.