Microsoft makes price adjustments for Azure in Australia
Microsoft has made some price adjustments for Azure in Australia. According to an official email it sent to all existing Azure customers, the local pricing for Azure and Azure Marketplace will increase by 26 per cent effective as of August 1.
The email stated, “Microsoft periodically assesses the impact of its local pricing to ensure there is a reasonable alignment with the needs of customers, partners, and the marketplace, and may make changes in response to its assessment and feedback.
"Effective August 1, 2015, local prices for Azure and Azure Marketplace in Australian dollars will increase by 26 per cent to more closely align with prices in most markets.”
It also said customers or partners who purchased Azure through Enterprise Agreements (EA), Enterprise Subscription Agreements (EAS), or Server and Cloud Enrollments (SCE) have price protection on currently offered Azure services and will receive the better of their baseline price or the new market price.
A Microsoft spokesperson told ARN that Microsoft continues to evaluate the market conditions in the countries in which it operates.
“As a result, we will be adjusting the prices for the company’s enterprise Cloud services in Australia, starting 1 August, 2015,” the spokesperson said.
Partners have been taking to Microsoft’s developer network page to express their sentiments.
Microsoft partner and Micatio Software director, Ron Pitts, said on the forum that he was “very disappointed that there will be a 26 per cent increase”.
“Hosting Azure stuff in the Australia datacenters is now uneconomical when compared to Singapore or the US. You also need to factor in GST. [It is] not good news for Australia where Azure is concerned and I'm sure a lot of other people will be shocked with a 26 per cent increase,” he added.
