Microsoft has finalized its EU Data Boundary project, granting European cloud customers the ability to store and process their data within the European Union. This move addresses previous privacy concerns regarding data being sent to the United States.
With the completion of this project, Microsoft’s EU cloud customers will now have more control over their data. (Credit Future)
The new EU Data Boundary project will allow customers to store professional services data from “technical support interactions” for key cloud services within the EU and EFTA regions. Previously, customer data was sent to the US, leading to privacy concerns.
This announcement marks the culmination of a ‘massive, multi-year’ project designed to provide a solution that processes and stores customer data. It includes customer data and pseudonymized personal data for services such as Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and most Azure services within the EU and EFTA regions.
The project was initiated in January 2023, initially focusing on core services. Phase 2 broadened the scope to include “pseudonymized personal data.” This final phase provides clients with greater control, transparency, and accountability through European Cloud principles.
Microsoft asserts it has invested over $20 billion in AI and cloud infrastructure to meet the growing demand and ‘expand local options’.
EU regulators have expressed concerns over how Microsoft handles cloud service user data. The project’s completion comes as Meta received a $1.3 billion fine and orders to halt the transfer of EU data to the United States. Nigel Jones, co-founder of the Privacy Compliance Hub, noted the complexity of stopping personal data storage, describing the effort as a “massive undertaking.”
