Doha, October 14 (QNA) - Meeza and Microsoft announced today the launch of the Microsoft Sovereign Private Cloud for enterprises in Qatar, powered by Azure Local as its infrastructure foundation.

In a statement, Meeza said that this integrated cloud infrastructure will be delivered through its local data centre environment, supported by the company's connectivity, telecommunications and integrated managed services capabilities. This will enable customers to run selected, regulated workloads on compliant cloud infrastructure deployed and operated within Qatar.

Under the proposed service model, Microsoft will provide the underlying Azure Local technology, while Meeza will supply the in-country data centre infrastructure, hardware, connectivity, deployment and operations, and managed services.

This integration will provide customers with a locally operated environment, an Azure-consistent operating model and a single local service provider supporting the solution's entire lifecycle.

The solution will also support a hybrid cloud approach, allowing organizations to distribute workloads across environments that best meet their operational, security and regulatory requirements.

Customers will be able to run certain workloads in Azure Local environments hosted by Meeza, with the option to connect to Microsoft Azure public cloud services when needed, providing a strong foundation for future modernisation as technical and business requirements evolve.

Meeza's high-capacity telecommunications services are expected to enable connectivity between customers' private cloud environments and Microsoft Azure, providing infrastructure that supports hybrid cloud scenarios, business continuity and disaster recovery.

This will include the ability to replicate and restore eligible workloads between Microsoft Azure and Meeza-hosted Azure Local environments, depending on the services and architecture adopted by each customer.

For government entities, Meeza plans to provide a dedicated access route through its connection to the government network, enabling access to eligible workloads hosted on Azure Local within its data centres without relying on the public internet.

Combined with Meeza's local operations and managed services, this will provide a flexible and reliable foundation for government, sensitive and mission-critical workloads.

In this context, Meeza CEO Mohammed Ali Al Ghaithani said the project represents an important step in the company's commitment to supporting Qatar's digital transformation and meeting growing demand for secure and sovereign cloud services.

He said that combining Microsoft Azure technologies with Meeza's local infrastructure and integrated services, including data centres, telecommunications and managed services, would enable the delivery of a comprehensive cloud environment operated and managed locally within Qatar.

Al Ghaithani added that one of Meeza's key strengths lies in its ability to bring together the various components of the technology environment under a single trusted partner.

He noted that, from infrastructure and connectivity to cloud technologies, local data hosting, cybersecurity and managed services, Meeza can provide comprehensive support to customers throughout the various stages of building, managing and developing their cloud environments.

For his part, Microsoft Qatar General Manager Ahmed Al Dandashi said that as Qatar's digital transformation and artificial intelligence ambitions accelerate, organisations need greater flexibility in how they deploy and operate mission-critical workloads.

He highlighted that Microsoft Sovereign Private Cloud, powered by Azure Local infrastructure, brings Azure capabilities into locally managed environments, giving customers greater control over where their infrastructure, workloads and data are hosted.

Al Dandashi added that through its collaboration with Meeza, Microsoft is working to provide an in-country option for organisations in Qatar seeking to balance cloud and AI innovation with requirements for digital sovereignty, resilience, security and operational control.

He noted that the solution would provide a trusted foundation for government entities, regulated sectors and mission-critical workloads, while supporting each organisation's broader hybrid cloud strategy. (QNA)