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This article provides an overview of Microsoft 365 Local on Azure Local infrastructure.
Overview
Microsoft 365 Local enables organizations to run Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, and Skype for Business Server on Azure Local infrastructure that is entirely customer-owned and managed. Using Microsoft 365 Local gives organizations enhanced control over data residency, access, and compliance, helping them meet their sovereignty requirements.
Designed for organizations that need productivity tools in a private cloud environment, Microsoft 365 Local leverages Azure Arc to provide a unified control plane with simplified deployment and streamlined updates for easy infrastructure management.
The solution includes a validated reference architecture with certified hardware, along with a hardened security baseline and robust controls to protect your infrastructure.
Why use Microsoft 365 Local?
Organizations choose Microsoft 365 Local for several key reasons:
- Gain the agility and simplicity of cloud management within your own data center, by implementing a sovereign private cloud with Azure-consistent management.
- Plan and deploy with confidence through a Microsoft-authorized partner, reducing risk and accelerating time to value.
- Choose between seamless integration with cloud services or a fully disconnected environment based on your sovereignty requirements.
- Keep sensitive workloads and data entirely on-premises to meet the strictest jurisdictional and sovereignty mandates.
Microsoft 365 Local capabilities
Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, and Skype for Business Server: Deliver core productivity and collaboration services on-premises, addressing compliance, and stringent data residency requirements while providing enterprise-grade capabilities for email, document management, and unified communications.
Certified and validated solutions by Microsoft and hardware partners: Microsoft 365 Local is supported on Azure Local Premier Solutions offered in collaboration with hardware partners to guarantee compatibility and support for sovereign deployments.
Full-stack deployment based on validated reference architecture: Offers validated architecture based on best practices to ensure optimal performance and resiliency. This includes guidance for networking, storage, compute, and identity integration, ensuring consistency and best practices across the entire stack.
Built on Azure Local providing Sovereign Private Cloud capabilities: Delivers a private cloud environment designed for governments and regulated industries, with Arc-enabled management for hybrid control, enhanced security features such as encryption and access controls, and compliance mechanisms aligned with local regulatory frameworks.
Supports hybrid connectivity and fully disconnected: Enables centralized management through Azure services for monitoring, updates, and policy enforcement in connected mode, while also providing an option for complete isolation for environments requiring air-gapped operations, ensuring compliance with strict sovereignty or security mandates.
Microsoft 365 Local hardware requirements
This section describes the standard baseline configuration for an enterprise-scale deployment of Microsoft 365 Local, optimized for performance and resiliency. Alternative configurations and hardware specifications are available to support different scales and requirements.
The baseline architecture for a Microsoft 365 Local deployment consists of nine physical servers, all certified as Premier Solutions within the Azure Local Solutions catalog.
Minimum server specifications
Each server must meet the following minimum specifications:
| Component | Minimum specification |
|---|---|
| Chassis | 2U form factor, NVMe enabled (24 × 2.5" drive slots) |
| CPU | Dual socket, Intel Xeon Gold 5418Y 2G, 24 cores (or equivalent) |
| Memory | 512 GB RAM |
| Boot Storage | 2 × 960 GB NVMe drives configured in RAID-1 |
| Capacity Storage | 16 or 24 × 4TB NVMe Read Intensive drives |
| Networking | 2 × Nvidia ConnectX-6 10/25 GbE dual-port adapters |
| Power Supplies | Dual, redundant, hot-swappable units |
| Platform Security | TPM 2.0 |
Server role allocation
Server roles within this architecture are allocated as follows to support Microsoft 365 workloads:
Three servers configured as a three-node Azure Local cluster, supporting SharePoint Server and SQL Server workloads.
Four servers each configured as single-node Azure Local clusters, designated for Exchange Server mailbox roles.
Two servers each configured as single-node Azure Local clusters, assigned to Exchange Server edge transport roles.
Deployment overview
The deployment of Microsoft 365 Local must be performed by a Microsoft 365 Local solution partner certified by Microsoft. It is highly recommended that customers work with a certified partner to ensure correct configuration and support throughout the lifecycle of the product.
A typical engagement with a solution partner involves the following phases:
| Phase | Description |
|---|---|
| Assessment | Analyze organizational requirements, compliance needs, and desired outcomes. |
| Planning | Define appropriate hardware configurations and specifications, as well as software solutions, including migration and integration strategies aligned with business needs. |
| Acquisition | Procure necessary hardware, software, and licenses. |
| Deployment | Execute the planned rollout in accordance with best practices. |
Additional information about authorized partners will be available when Microsoft 365 Local reaches general availability. To learn more or get started, contact your Microsoft account team or visit https://aka.ms/m365localsignup.