When outlining the development of data centers, we cannot underestimate the contribution of Microsoft, one of the steadiest players on the tech market. Microsoft data centers make up a cloud that supports all of the company's services, including Bing search engine, Microsoft Office 365, MSN, OneDrive, Xbox, and others. However, the company does not use data services for its own purposes only. It offers secure private connections and data storage for companies and private customers. Millions of businesses all over the world are the customers of Microsoft data hubs, including well-known companies like Starbucks and LinkedIn. Microsoft Azure is the name of the company's cloud service that has billions of customers all over the world.

From 1989 to Tomorrow

Microsoft has a long history with data hubs that exceed the entire lifespan of some of its competitors. Microsoft has been operating physical data centers since 1989, long before the cloud technology took over. From 1989 to 2004, data centers were designed to fit earlier computer technologies. Microsoft began to develop data hubs of the new generation between 2004 and 2007 to increase the efficiency of operations. The first data center that supports cloud technology was opened in Quincy, Washington, in 2007. As of 2020, the company invested more than $15 billion in building its cloud infrastructure. The company's s data hubs store over 30 trillion objects and process over  1.5 million requests per second.  Microsoft Azure continues expanding to new regions and testing innovations.

Mapping Microsoft Azure

 Microsoft Azure is known to operate in more regions than any other cloud provider on the global market. Currently, it functions in 58 regions and 140 countries in the world, spanning all continents. Each of the regions has several data centers. Microsoft Azure has the most extensive presence in the United States and Europe. Besides, Microsoft Azure has two undisclosed government locations. Each data center within the particular region is connected through a regional low-latency network. 

 The network of Microsoft Azure is constantly expanding. In 2019, Azure successfully entered the Middle East region with data centers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This year, the company invested $1.1 billion in its first cloud region in Mexico with plans to develop the country as the major tech destination. The company invests in the holistic development of the region that does not end with data centers. For instance, it invests in AI projects and skill enhancement in the region as well. This demonstrates that Microsoft is extremely thoughtful about its regional development, and thinks several steps ahead. As of 2020, the company is developing data centers that are yet to be open in Spain and Israel. 

Microsoft Azure vs. Amazon Web Services (AWS) 

  Amazon Web Services (AWS) is considered to be the main competitor of Microsoft Azure on the cloud computing market as both of these tech giants offer cloud solutions for other companies. AWS started to use data hubs for the cloud before Microsoft. On Microsoft Azure's webpage, the two cloud services are compared to highlight the benefits of Azure. Representatives of Microsoft claim that some of Azure's services are cheaper than those of AWS. Moreover, they claim that open-source OS and languages are more effective when applied to Microsoft's cloud. The company also claims that Azure has better compliance offerings compared to its main rival.

Innovating Through Years of Experience

Microsoft processing hubs are a steady source of innovation. Each year, Microsoft invests over 1 billion dollars into cybersecurity. The company also invests in scientific research and cooperates with Open Compute Project. The company shares a lot of impressive technologies with OCP, including innovative approaches to UPS, including putting the battery in line with a power supply unit. This technology allows extra space for servers by saving it on battery rooms as in-room batteries have a miniature size. Microsoft is in the process of replacing its hardware with virtual instruments and software networks. Virtual tools are even used to maintain rack networking. 

Just like its competitors, the tech giant strives to achieve the goal of being carbon-neutral. As of now, the company has purchased 3.8 billion kWh of green power to achieve this goal. Quincy Data Center, for example, is powered by hydroelectric energy from the nearby river. The company has invested in sixteen carbon offset projects all over the world.

Microsoft implements ITPACs, or shipping containers, to construct its data hubs. These objects are equipped with climate control, racks, and literally everything else that is necessary to create a data center. Basically, ITPAC is a smaller copy of a data center. However, the company continues to innovate and is now replacing ITPACs with personal hardware built with the help of the Open Compute Project.

 Some of Microsoft's experiments with innovation are unique. The company constantly looks for new ways of delivering the cloud. For instance, it experiments with powering its racks with fuel cells instead of regular electric equipment. This change has the potential to double the power efficiency of data hubs while radically decreasing the cost of their operations. 

An Undersea Transformation

The company is the first one to experiment with an undersea data center. The goal of this project is to bring energy to coastal cities effectively. The company began to develop its first underwater data center in Scotland's Orkney Islands. In 2018, it launched a proof-of-concept vessel that lasted for almost four months. This version is to remain in operation for at least five years.

The initiative is the part of Project Natick, Microsoft's plan to develop prepackaged data hubs that meet sustainability demands. The company expects to power its underwater data centers exclusively with marine renewable energy. While the proof-of-concept vessel proved that this experiment is attainable, the company's specialists continue to research the logistical, economic, and environmental implications of the project. Microsoft professionals experiment with technologies used for cooling submarines to deliver underwater data hubs on a large scale. The performance of Scotland's Orkney Islands center will be analyzed for several years to greenlit other undersea locations. If the project succeeds, Microsoft will lead to a new data center revolution.

Steady Cabling Solutions

Just like Amazon, Google, and Facebook, Microsoft utilizes fiber-optic networks and subsea fiber cable systems to support its operations all around the world. Microsoft's fiber-optic network is one of the largest ones in the United States. The company tries to improve efficiency by using fiber networks they already have instead of adding new wavelengths, as many other companies do. Technologies like dense wave division multiplexing allow the company to use fiber to its highest potential.

Most of the company's undersea cables are located in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. MAREA cable that connects Virginia and Spain is a joint project with Facebook and an ambitious step forward for both companies. Aside from MAREA, which is the fastest cable that delivers 160 terabits per second, Microsoft operates three subsea lines. AEConnect-1 is located between New York and Ireland; GTT Express links Canada to the United Kingdom and Ireland, and New Cross Pacific (NCP) Cable System stretches from Oregon to Japan, South Korea, China, and Taiwan.

What's Next

With expansions to Israel and Spain already announced, Microsoft will surely grow its presence by opening new data centers in different regions. The company will continue to develop technologies that increase the efficiency and sustainability of its data centers. It already has a lot of benefits, including being present in more regions than any cloud provider and being present on the market longer than any other company, even though it was not the first one in the cloud computing. Currently, the company faces challenges while keeping its data hubs operating during the COVID-19 epidemic, but it has all resources necessary to survive these challenges. 

One of the company's main victories is that Microsoft's reputation will always work in its favor. The company is known as a steady business partner that delivers consistent results in all of the areas of its business. Microsoft Azure offers a unique solution for a vast pool of customers, including medical storage solutions. Next, we will focus on data center solutions for the medical industry and identify the main trends in data solutions for healthcare.