BEIJING, March 26, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 21Vianet Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:VNET) ("21Vianet" or the "Company"), the largest carrier-neutral internet data center services provider in China, today announced that Microsoft Corporation's (Nasdaq:MSFT) Azure services are now generally available to all paid customers in China, making it the first global public cloud service available for massive commercial adoption in China.
Operated by 21Vianet, Microsoft Azure can now provide fully-operational service to all paid customers in China. Prior to today's announcement, a total of over 3,000 clients had signed up for the services, including 160+ large enterprises that have migrated to paid contracts. Today, the partnership is releasing another 2000 free trial accounts to provide opportunities for more customers to experience Microsoft Azure operated by 21Vianet.
The Company, in conjunction with Microsoft, held a ceremony celebrating the official launch today at the Shanghai Expo Center. The event was attended by many government officials including the mayor of Shanghai, several Hunan Provincial government leaders, the Shanghai-based Consul General of Spain, Wuhan Economic and Technological Development District officials, and many corporate executives from companies like Coca-Cola China, GMW.com, CNTV and LineKong, which were early adopters of Microsoft Azure.
Mr. Josh Chen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, stated, "We are extremely excited to commercially launch Microsoft Azure services in China. As a result of a concerted effort between the 21Vianet and Microsoft development teams, Microsoft Azure, operated by 21Vianet, is now ready for commercial release in China. It is also in full compliance with Chinese national and local regulations, which have stringent standards for data security. Together with Microsoft, we invested heavily in both financial capital and manpower to ensure that our customers in China will receive the same top-notch
quality as global Microsoft Azure customers. The platform's openness, flexibility and pay-as-you-go system makes Microsoft Azure an ideal cloud solution for our Chinese customers."
"We are proud to partner with a world technology leader and be the operator for Microsoft Azure services in the China market. By leveraging Microsoft's strong reputation and over 15 years of cloud experience, as well as 21Vianet's data center expertise, we have built one of China's premier cloud computing platforms," Mr. Chen added.
Zhiqin Rong, the general secretary of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, stated, "Cloud computing is a strategic, growing industry in Shanghai that is playing a significant leading role in economic transformation and long-term sustainable development. Shanghai has a long-standing relationship with Microsoft, which has resulted in many contributions to local economic development and innovation. We look forward to continuing to accelerate regional development through the intelligent city planning (CityNext), the 'Ocean of Cloud' Program, and now with local operations of Microsoft Azure."
Ralph Haupter, corporate vice president and CEO for Microsoft Greater China, said, "As a result of the successful relationship with 21Vianet and the positive feedback from customers, it's clear that Microsoft Azure has exceeded earlier expectations. Microsoft Azure's enterprise-grade benefits such as flexibility, reliability, scalability, openness, cost efficiency and fast deployment were well received by Chinese customers. With this launch, Microsoft continues to contribute to the development of the cloud computing market and ecosystem throughout China."
Microsoft Azure has become Microsoft's fastest growing business segment servicing over 55% of Fortune 500 enterprises with an average of 1,000 new customers signing up every day around the world. In June 2013, Microsoft, 21Vianet and the Shanghai Municipal Government, announced the public preview of Microsoft Azure services in China, followed by the public preview of Office 365 in August, 2013. In January 2014, the Company's Microsoft virtual cloud hosting and cloud storage services were granted the Trustworthy Cloud Service certification by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ("MIIT"). 21Vianet was among the first few
companies in China which received the Trustworthy Cloud Service certification.
About 21Vianet
21Vianet Group, Inc. is the largest carrier-neutral internet data center services provider in China. 21Vianet provides hosting and related services, managed network services, cloud infrastructure services, and content delivery network services, improving the reliability, security and speed of its customers' internet infrastructure. Customers may locate their servers and networking equipment in 21Vianet's data centers and connect to China's internet backbone through 21Vianet's extensive fiber optic network. In addition, 21Vianet's proprietary smart routing technology enables customers' data to be delivered across the internet in a faster and more reliable manner. 21Vianet operates in 44 cities throughout China, servicing a diversified and loyal base of several thousand customers that range from Fortune 500 conglomerates, government entities, blue-chip enterprises to small- and mid-sized business enterprises
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the outlook for the first quarter of 2014 and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as 21Vianet's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. 21Vianet may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to fourth
parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about 21Vianet's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: 21Vianet's goals and strategies; 21Vianet's expansion plans; the expected growth of the data center services market; expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, 21Vianet's services; 21Vianet's expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with customers; 21Vianet's plans to invest in research and development to enhance its solution and service offerings; and general economic and business conditions in the regions where 21Vianet provides solutions and services. Further
information regarding these and other risks is included in 21Vianet's reports filed with, or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and 21Vianet undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
CONTACT: Investor Relations Contact:
21Vianet Group, Inc.Joseph Cheng
+86 10 8456 2121
IR@21Vianet.com
ICR, Inc.Jeremy Peruski
+1 (646) 405-4922
IR@21Vianet.com
Source:
21Vianet Group, Inc.
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