ICT

Microsoft Pledges Commitment to Customers, Cloud Services Continuity

The continued challenge COVID-19 pose to countries on the African continent and the world at large has compelled organisations to start making the move to full-time remote work for the safety and well-being of their employees.

This has meant a huge reliance on cloud services, said Microsoft in a statement.

Over the past several weeks, organisations like Microsoft have come together to battle the global health pandemic. During this time, companies around the world are adjusting the way they manage their daily work and how their workforce continues in the face of extraordinary changes to their professional and personal lives.

“With a new way of working now becoming a reality for businesses the world over, our customers are starting to realise the true power of the cloud more than before. As expected, there are many questions about what organisations are doing to ensure business continuity during this time, and we are ready to answer,” said Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365, in the statement.

During this time, communication is key – the organisation aims to continue communicating regularly and openly, so customers can have insight into what is being seen, learnt and done. As companies operationalise to address new and unique challenges, Microsoft has mobilized its global response plan to help customers stay up and running during this critical time.

“We are actively monitoring performance and usage trends 24/7 to ensure we are optimising our services for customers worldwide, while accommodating new demand. We are working closely with first responder organisations and critical government agencies to ensure we are prioritising their unique needs and providing them our fullest support. We are also partnering with governments in Africa and around the globe to ensure our local datacenters have on-site staffing and all functions are running properly,” continues Spataro.

In response to health authorities emphasising the importance of social distancing, the organisation is supporting many large-scale corporations, schools, and governments in the mobilisation of remote workforces. Solutions such as Microsoft Teams is helping millions of people adapt to remote work. Dynamics 365 Customer Service has been leveraged to help contact center employees provide consistent, personalised support while working remotely. Ensuring government and organisational functions can continue while keeping safe distances is critical to our society today.

“As demand continues to grow, if we are faced with any capacity constraints in any region during this time a clear criterion has been established for the priority of new cloud capacity. Our top priority is going to first responders, health and emergency management services, critical government infrastructure organisational use, and ensuring remote workers stay up and running with the core functionality of Teams. We will also consider adjusting free offers, as necessary, to ensure support of existing customers,” said Spataro.

Communication with customers will continue proactively and transparently about their cloud policies through the Microsoft Trust Center will a commitment of continuous support during this period.

“These are certainly unprecedented and challenging times. It is not business as usual. But, together, we can and will get through this,” Spataro said.

 

Related posts

Experts task firms on cyber security amid rising digital risks

Our Reporter

NBC committed to sanitising broadcasting industry– DG

By Aliyu DANLADI 

Nigeria’s telecoms subscribers hit 214 million

Our Reporter

NCC tasks licensees on compliance with regulations, contracts

Our Reporter

5G to generate $7tr by 2030 as Mupita sees tech-driven Nigeria

Our Reporter

Airtel Africa looks at $1bn London listing

By Meletus EZE