Microsoft is making preparations to maneuver applications that developers are hosting on its Azure cloud infrastructure out of its Washington state datacenter, due to a alter within the tax laws there.Microsoft warned consumers testing their apps around the Azure check release about the planned change earlier this week. Microsoft is readying a migration device to support testers with all the move, firm officials mentioned.Cloud-computing and .Net expert Roger Jennings put collectively all of the different reviews and clues right into a detailed August five publish on his OakLeaf Methods weblog.As Jennings noted, on August three, the Windows Azure crew announced plans to disable the “USA - Northwest” option for new Azure-hosted programs. (Existing programs that are part of the Azure beta may be allowed to remain hosted inside the Quincy, Wash., datacenter, as the Microsoft weblog post says. Later on, the crew appears to contradict that fact, however, saying all apps and storage would be moved.)From the Azure group;s publish:“This alter is in preparation for our migration out of the northwest region. Because of a alter in local tax laws, we’ve decided to migrate Windows Azure programs out of our northwest data center prior to our commercial launch this November. This means that all applications and storage accounts in the ‘USA - Northwest; region will need to maneuver to another region inside the next few months, or they will be deleted.”Previously this year, there were reports that Microsoft (and Yahoo) had halted datacenter construction in Quincy. At that time, countless provider watchers believed the halt was likely temporary and was because of the poor economy. It turns out it was due to a Washington state tax alter, as DataCenter Knowledge explained.“Late last year Washington State attorney general Rob McKenna ruled that data centers were no longer covered by a state sales tax break for manufacturing enterprises, and thus must pay a 7.9 percent tax on data center construction and equipment.”(Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire is trying to restore the exemption for data centers, according to a Seattle Post-Intelligencer story cited by Jennings.)Jennings speculates that Microsoft might be moving its U.S.-based Azure-hosted applications to its San Antonion datacenter.I;ve asked Microsoft for more information on this,
Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus, including what is going to happen to its Quincy datacenter. I;m also asking whether the decision to move the Azure-hosted apps from Quincy will stand if a tax exemption comes to pass. If and when I receive responses to these questions from Microsoft, I;ll update this publish.Update: So far, this is all Microsoft is willing to share on this matter. A corporate spokesperson sent me the following e-mailed statement:“Beyond the information within the Windows Azure crew blog publish that you referenced in your post this afternoon, we don;t have additional specifics to share in regards to the Windows Azure data migration from NW to SW datacenters.”Update No. 2 (August 6): The aforementioned Microsoft spokesperson just e-mailed a second statement, with an answer to my question on Quincy;s future. No word on which services will continue to be housed in Quincy or why users; Azure apps but not other services are going to be moved towards the Southwest. But here;s what the provider is saying:“Microsoft will continue to host a great number of Microsoft online services from our mega data center in Quincy, Washington.“The delivery of online services is a fairly new company model. We are working with the Washington state legislature and the Governor to identify ways the state can offer competitive advantages over other states eager to attract this company, including areas such as tax regulations. Microsoft continues to be committed to our home business inside the state of Washington and the data center in Quincy.”
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