Microsoft is producing preparations to maneuver programs that developers are hosting on its Azure cloud infrastructure out of its Washington state datacenter, due to a change within the tax laws there.Microsoft warned customers testing their apps around the Azure test release regarding the planned change previously this week. Microsoft is readying a migration tool to assist testers using the move,
Microsoft Office Professional Plus, business officials mentioned.Cloud-computing and .Net professional Roger Jennings put with each other all of the different reviews and clues into a detailed August five post on his OakLeaf Programs blog.As Jennings noted, on August three, the Windows Azure team introduced ideas to disable the “USA - Northwest” option for new Azure-hosted programs. (Existing programs that are part with the Azure beta may be allowed to remain hosted inside the Quincy,
Windows 7 Product Key, Wash., datacenter, as the Microsoft blog post says. Later on, the staff appears to contradict that fact, however, saying all apps and storage would be moved.)From the Azure group;s post:“This change is in preparation for our migration out with the northwest region. As a result of a change in local tax laws, we’ve decided to migrate Windows Azure applications from our northwest data center prior to our commercial launch this November. This means that all programs and storage accounts inside the ‘USA - Northwest; region will need to maneuver to another region in the next few months, or they will be deleted.”Previously this year,
Windows 7 Serial, there were reports that Microsoft (and Yahoo) had halted datacenter construction in Quincy. At that time, countless business watchers believed the halt was likely temporary and was due to the poor economy. It turns out it was as a result of 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,
Office 2010 Professional Plus, 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 programs to its San Antonion datacenter.I;ve asked Microsoft for more information on this, 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 inside the Windows Azure crew weblog post that you referenced in your publish this afternoon, we don;t have additional specifics to share about 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,
Windows 7 Pro Product Key, 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 for the Southwest. But here;s what the firm is saying:“Microsoft will continue to host a number of Microsoft online services out of our mega data center in Quincy, Washington.“The delivery of online services is a fairly new business model. We are working with all the Washington state legislature and the Governor to identify ways the state can offer competitive advantages over other states eager to attract this online business, including areas such as tax regulations. Microsoft continues to be committed to our organization within the state of Washington and the data center in Quincy.”