Report: Microsoft Plans Data Center in Brazil

Microsoft (MSFT) plans to add a new data center in Brazil to support its online services business in Latin America, company officials have told Business News Americas, which said the facility will be operational in the fourth quarter of this year, and will host Microsoft's online services for the business market.

Although the report quoted several executives from Microsoft's Latin America business unit, the company is not confirming any plans for a data center in Brazil.

"We don't have anything to announce about new facilities at this time," said a spokesperson for Microsoft Global Foundation Services, which builds and operates the company's data centers.

It's not clear whether the GFS statement meant that the data center would be hosted in a non-Microsoft third-party facility, or the Microsoft Latin America executives got ahead of the curve in disclosing the plans a bid to assure partners of the company's commitment to support its software-plus-service offerings in key international markets. The Business News Americas story was based on interviews during Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans earlier this week.

Microsoft's online services are scheduled to be launched in five Latin American countries - Brazil, Chile, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Colombia - in the second quarter of 2010. Companies with a minimum of five employees can access online services for $15 per person per month.

Earlier this month Microsoft opened a data center in Dublin, which was the first international consturction project for GFS. The company operates a number of international centers hosted in third-party facilities.