AWS cloud widens its reach: Now services run out of UK-based datacenters
The AWS cloud now has 42 Availability Zones in 16 regions but the two empty circles in France and China represent the location of two more regions coming online next year.
Amazon Web Services cloud computing platform is now available from UK-based datacenters.
The launch of the AWS Europe (London) Region means that AWS's suite of cloud services is now available out of 16 regions across the globe.
AWS UK customers say being able to store data in the country will improve the responsiveness of AWS-based apps and services, and help them comply with data-sovereignty regulations.
Mark Holt, CTO at online rail-ticket retailer Trainline, described the effect that running its AWS-based out of UK-based datacenters will have.
"From extensive testing, we know that 0.3 seconds of latency is worth more than £8m [$10.1m] and so, while AWS connectivity is already blazingly fast, we expect that serving our UK customers from UK datacenters should lead to significant top-line benefits," he said.
Dave Perry, CTO of the UK's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, says being able to ensure data remains in the UK will help it shift more services onto AWS.
"As we transform our organization, and move to the cloud, we continue to protect the personal data of citizens who use our services with exemplary levels of security."
The London region is AWS's third in Europe, alongside existing hubs in Ireland and Germany. In subsequent months, AWS is expected to open new regions within France and China.
While Amazon's public cloud platform is far bigger than Microsoft's, Microsoft says it has more comprehensive regional availability. With Microsoft's cloud platform Azure available in 30 regions around the world, Microsoft says its public cloud has the best spread of local offerings for organizations that want to store data domestically.
Microsoft recently opened datacenters offering cloud Azure in the UK and Germany.