21Vianet Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:VNET) ("21Vianet" or the "Company"),
the largest carrier-neutral internet data center services provider
in China, today announced that Microsoft Corporation's
(Nasdaq:MSFT) Office 365 services are now generally available to
all paying customers in China, delivering for the first time the
familiar Office productivity suite, now equipped with more advanced
communication and collaboration tools, as a local cloud service to
business and government customers throughout China.
Operated by 21Vianet, Microsoft Office 365 can now provide
fully-operational services to all paying customers in China.
Combined with the previous general release of Microsoft Azure
services in China operated by 21Vianet announced in late March,
this new development further solidifies Microsoft as the first
international company to offer a comprehensive commercial suite of
public cloud services in China. Office 365 is Microsoft's
fastest-growing commercial product ever; 20,000 customers have
already tried Microsoft Office 365 services in China since its
public preview in August 2013 including private enterprises,
government organizations, and education institutions. Additionally,
many large enterprises and government organizations have signed up
for the services as paying customers including Shanghai, Wenzhou
and Xi'an city governments.
Office 365 technology leverages more than 20 years of
Microsoft's experience providing the familiar Office productivity
solutions to enterprises and institutions of all sizes, including
Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote and Outlook, all connected to
Microsoft's collaboration services including Exchange Online,
SharePoint Online and Lync Online. The cloud-based Office 365
enables users to store, manage and collaborate on documents across
devices, while giving companies a high level of security and
control to protect critical corporate data.
The Company, in conjunction with Microsoft, held a ceremony
celebrating the official launch today, April 15 at the Shanghai
Energy Park. The event was attended by many government officials
including Mr. Xiaofan Zhao, the Chairman of the China Software
Association, and many corporate executives from enterprise
customers including ICBC Leasing, Cigna-Daniel Ma, Dongfeng Renaut,
TCL-Ms Ma, and Domino's, which were early adopters of Office
365.
Mr. Josh Chen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the
Company, stated, "We are proud to work with Microsoft and become
the Chinese operator of the Office 365 services. With both Office
365 and Azure services, we have become the one-stop-shop for
Microsoft cloud-based services in China. Enterprises across China
are increasingly turning toward Office 365 and Azure services
because of the many advantages they offer, such as increased
mobility thorough comprehensive mobile integration, reduced IT
infrastructure spending as the services and data are managed in the
cloud and ensured data security as the services are locally-hosted
and well-regulated.
"Furthermore, to ensure the stability, reliability and security
of this offering, 21Vianet has built out its Microsoft-certified
staff, with approximately 300 full-time employees dedicated to
providing 24x7x365 support for Office 365 and Azure alone," Mr.
Chen added.
"We are in a mobile-first, cloud-first world. More than 1
billion people use Office to get things done, and they want to use
it on their PCs, smartphones, tablets, and across the web." said Qi
Lu, Executive Vice President, Applications and Services at
Microsoft. "Office 365 operated by 21Vianet enables people to use
Office on any of their devices. Operated locally in China, Office
365 brings Chinese users a fresh computing experience enabled by
the cloud."
"Office 365 is the easiest way for companies to expand their
business, both locally and abroad," said Ralph Haupter, Corporate
Vice President and CEO, Microsoft Greater China. "The launch of
Office 365 operated by 21Vianet gives companies in China
trustworthy technology and service to expand their business."
For businesses, organizations, and individuals who wish to
purchase the Office 365, there are a range of tiered pricing
options available. Office 365 operated by 21Vianet is also
available at an early bird discount with commercial and government
customers having access to a general availability price promotion
until May 31, 2014. For more information about Office 365, please
visit www.office365.com.
About 21Vianet
21Vianet Group, Inc. is the largest carrier-neutral internet
data center services provider in China. 21Vianet provides hosting
and related services, managed network services, cloud
infrastructure services, and content delivery network services,
improving the reliability, security and speed of its customers'
internet infrastructure. Customers may locate their servers and
networking equipment in 21Vianet's data centers and connect to
China's internet backbone through 21Vianet's extensive fiber optic
network. In addition, 21Vianet's proprietary smart routing
technology enables customers' data to be delivered across the
internet in a faster and more reliable manner. 21Vianet operates in
44 cities throughout China, servicing a diversified and loyal base
of several thousand customers that range from Fortune 500
conglomerates, government entities, blue-chip enterprises to small-
and mid-sized business enterprises
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) is the worldwide leader
in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses
realize their full potential.
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements are made under the "safe harbor"
provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as
"will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans,"
"believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things,
the outlook for the first quarter of 2014 and quotations from
management in this announcement, as well as 21Vianet's strategic
and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. 21Vianet
may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its
reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in
press releases and other written materials and in oral statements
made by its officers, directors or employees to fourth parties.
Statements that are not historical facts, including statements
about 21Vianet's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and
uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking
statement, including but not limited to the following: 21Vianet's
goals and strategies; 21Vianet's expansion plans; the expected
growth of the data center services market; expectations regarding
demand for, and market acceptance of, 21Vianet's services;
21Vianet's expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its
relationships with customers; 21Vianet's plans to invest in
research and development to enhance its solution and service
offerings; and general economic and business conditions in the
regions where 21Vianet provides solutions and services. Further
information regarding these and other risks is included in
21Vianet's reports filed with, or furnished to the Securities and
Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release
and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and
21Vianet undertakes no duty to update such information, except as
required under applicable law.
CONTACT: Investor Relations Contact:
21Vianet Group, Inc.
Eric Chu, CFA
+1 (908) 707 2062
IR@21Vianet.com
Joseph Cheng
+86 10 8456 2121
IR@21Vianet.com
ICR, Inc.
Jeremy Peruski
+1 (646) 405-4922
IR@21Vianet.com
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