Viva Bahrain is in advanced stages of negotiation with Microsoft for the latter's cloud computing platform - Azure for business, it has emerged.

A statement issued by Microsoft quoted Viva Bahrain director for technology strategy and control Dushko Kantardjiev as saying that the telecom operator was exploring a handful of services and enablers that would benefit its business, both in terms of support and cost, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

“Microsoft Azure is a very viable and feasible option for VIVA and for businesses in general as it offers flexibility, security, reliability and fast time to market,” Kantardjiev said.

The statement was issued after the conclusion of Microsoft's first Azure Summit in Bahrain. Organised in collaboration with EMT Distribution, the Microsoft Azure Summit roadshow kicked off in the UAE and is touring the GCC countries with Kuwait being the next stop.

IT security guru Erdal Ozkaya addressed the audience in Bahrain and spoke about the cloud and Microsoft Azure, different security aspects and customer concerns.

“Microsoft is taking important milestones to show customers that they care about security and about the data hosted on their cloud as part of their aim to provide customers the best experience regardless of the platform they are using,” Ozkaya said.

Microsoft says Azure is a growing collection of integrated computing services for storage, data, networking and an application that helps businesses move faster, do more, and save money. - TradeArabia News Service