Microsoft Opens Two New Azure Regions, Kubernetes Reaches General Availability

One of Microsoft’s focuses with Azure has been targeting local demographics where regional law has strict regulations over where and how data is stored. We have seen the company open up a data center in Germany and now the company is turning on two new regions in South Korea.

With these two additions, Microsoft now has 38 Azure regions around the globe and the company says that this is more than any of its competitors. But, it’s worth noting that Amazon still has a significant lead in this segment when it comes to market share, although, with this kind of rapid expansion, it’s clear that Microsoft is playing to win and is willing to invest billions in growing its market share.

If you ask anyone why they are using Google’s Cloud platform, you have a good chance of hearing them say it’s because of Kubernetes. The container platform has a devoted following which has lead some companies to choose Google’s service over Azure and AWS.

Microsoft, with it’s new and love-affair with open source software and its embracing of platforms developed by other companies, is not shying away from Kubernetes even though it was developed by Google. The company has announced today that the software is now generally available through Azure Container Service.

Further, Microsoft is releasing a preview of Windows Server Containers with Kubernetes. The company says that this preview is a direct response from strong demand from its clients for using Google’s container software with Microsoft’s Server technology.

At this point in Azure’s lifecycle, Microsoft is trying to include every possible feature a developer may want so that they choose Azure over AWS or Google’s infrastructure. The company is also cutting costs on a frequent basis to keep up with AWS and neither Microsoft or Amazon show any signs of slowing down their aggressive tactics to attract new customers as they know that once you build into a cloud service, you are unlikely to switch platforms.