Azure Local Solutions

Summary

Azure Local is our service for organisations that want to run selected workloads on local infrastructure while using Microsoft Azure-based management and services as part of a hybrid cloud strategy. We design, deploy and support Azure Local so that suitable workloads can remain closer to users or data while using cloud-style operations. It sits in the Cloud pillar beside emPOWER Cloud and Public Cloud (Microsoft Azure). Define connectivity for the proposed deployment; our network's ExpressRoute capability does not establish the path used by every Azure Local environment.

Key facts

The contractual summary on this page refers to General Terms v3.6. Our service-agreement page now links to published v3.7. Confirm the version, Service Order, Schedules and variations applying to your engagement.

What is included

Our published Azure Local scope covers design, deployment and support. Confirm the design work, hardware, licences and ongoing operation included in your Service Order. The General Terms identify Professional Services, Hardware and Ancillary Services, and Software Licensing and Subscriptions as separate categories; their Schedules and certificate entries do not establish every Azure Local solution's inclusions. Holding Managed Services does not by itself confirm that Azure Local nodes are in scope. Record the monitored components, lifecycle tasks, Azure connections and responsibilities for the agreed design.

What is not included

The emPOWER Cloud brochure publishes 99.999 per cent uptime for that platform. Do not transfer that figure to Azure Local without checking the applicable Service Description, design, conditions and remedies. Azure services consumed through Azure Local are Microsoft services, and under clauses 3.20 to 3.24 the customer is bound by Microsoft's terms whether or not they have been shown, with Microsoft price changes passed through under clause 12.5.

Under General Terms v3.6 clause 3.14, backup and disaster recovery obligations apply only to the extent set out in the Service Order. Confirm the workload, scope and applicable Schedule. Environmental conditions at the customer site, power and physical security are customer responsibilities, and the warranty against defects excludes failures caused by not maintaining the necessary environmental conditions (clause 11). The customer must also insure Customer Equipment for full replacement value (clause 21.2).

Who it is for

Azure Local can suit selected workloads where local performance, control or data requirements matter. Assess application dependencies and operation during a WAN outage rather than assuming uninterrupted service. Microsoft's disconnected-operations documentation describes a specific deployment with eligibility requirements and a dedicated local control plane, not an automatic property of every installation.

The Sealy of Australia case study separately describes network services connecting 15 facilities across 11 countries and carrying barcode and quality data. It is a network reference, not evidence of an Azure Local deployment at Sealy.

How it is delivered

Agree an engagement plan covering design, any hardware procurement and staging, deployment, acceptance and ongoing support. Where managed operation and Transition In Services are contracted, define the systems, monitoring configuration, support documentation and reporting arrangements in scope. The sequence and inclusions depend on the Service Order. On-site work is covered by clause 7.2, which requires the customer to provide office space, facilities and a safe place to work for us personnel, and by clause 5.4, under which we comply with the customer's site rules and work, health and safety requirements of which it has been given written notice. Field Services and Staff Augmentation provides the on-site engineering resource where the customer has no local IT presence.

Commercial model

Obtain a proposal identifying design, hardware, licensing, Azure consumption and support charges, together with their applicable Schedules. Under General Terms v3.6, fixed-fee services are generally billed monthly in advance and qualifying usage-based services in arrears, unless the Service Order states otherwise; direct debit is the default and GST is additional. Clause 21 distinguishes the blueAPACHE Environment from Customer Equipment for title and risk. Confirm the classification and charging arrangement for each component rather than assuming one standard Azure Local price or hardware model.

Support and service levels

The Managed Services brochure describes unlimited 24/7 help-desk support, with Australian business-hours and follow-the-sun coverage. The Connectivity brochure separately describes a 7am–7pm business-day desk and 24x7 network monitoring. Confirm which support arrangement covers the Azure Local components in your order.

General Terms v3.6 clause 11 describes a conditional hardware-warranty process: where returned hardware has a covered defect, repair or replacement is returned at our cost within 30 days; an approved out-of-warranty repair or replacement is shipped within 10 days of approval. These turnaround periods differ from the claim-notification window, whose v3.6 wording omits the unit after “within 30”. Confirm the operative version, eligibility and claim process rather than inferring that missing unit.

Related services

Related options to assess include Public Cloud (Microsoft Azure), emPOWER Cloud, network connectivity, SASE, Advanced Infrastructure Managed Services, disaster recovery, offsite backup and procurement. Select and document compatible services for the proposed workloads. Confirm backup coverage separately for Azure Local applications, Microsoft 365 and Entra ID; a related product name does not establish inclusion or compatibility.

Buying questions

Contract term and renewal. General Terms v3.6 defaults to 36 months except Professional Services, unless the Service Description or Service Order states otherwise. Clause 2.8 uses defined Written Notice for renewal or non-renewal; clause 2.10 also permits specified renewal formalities by email, fax or continued use. Clause 2.9 holdover requires both no clause 2.8 notice and continued access or use after expiry, and extends all services on that agreement three months at full list price without Service Levels.

Termination. Under General Terms v3.6 clause 24.1, the customer may terminate for a breach not remedied within 20 Business Days of notice specifying it, or specified insolvency/cessation grounds. Clause 24.2 permits blueAPACHE termination or suspension for non-payment not remedied within five Business Days of written notice, specified breaches not remedied within 20 Business Days of written notice, and other listed events including insolvency and change of control. Exit charges depend on the applicable grounds and Schedule. Clause 3.26 separately addresses specified supplier withdrawal or replacement and other suspension grounds.

Hardware and title. Confirm which components are Customer Equipment (customer title and risk, customer insurance) and which remain blueAPACHE Environment; we may enter the site on reasonable notice to recover our equipment at the end of the agreement, and unreturned equipment is charged at full replacement value (clause 25.2).

Warranty. General Terms v3.6 clause 11 requires written notification but omits the unit after “within 30” in the hardware claim window. Confirm the applicable contract version and notification deadline; do not infer the unit.

Microsoft terms. The customer is bound by Microsoft's terms (clause 3.23) and must ensure its licences permit blueAPACHE to access and use the environment (clause 7.1).

Exit and data. The customer must take a copy of Customer Data before the Service Period ends; we delete copies on our environment and remove our own equipment at no cost (clause 9.1). Deliverable licences end at termination (clause 25.2).

Defining local and cloud responsibilities

Record the division between local infrastructure, Microsoft-connected services, the customer network and applications. Identify hardware ownership, licences, administration, upgrades and support. A local deployment does not answer every data-location question: establish administration, telemetry and connected-service handling for the design. Define what the customer supplies at the site and how loss of external connectivity affects operation. These are deployment-specific requirements, not additional inclusions implied by the Azure Local name.

Which document defines the commitment

The published General Terms v3.6 give the Service Order precedence over the General Terms, followed by the Schedules and then the Acceptable Use Policy (clause 2.3). Record the agreed scope, exclusions and negotiated departures in that document set. Keep the versions supplied at signing with the executed order and signed variations. Two offers with the same service name can cover different systems, operating hours or responsibilities.

Responsibility across the delivery chain

The published terms allow us to subcontract all or part of the Service Agreement without customer consent or a notification requirement. Clause 27.5 nevertheless makes us liable for our subcontractors’ acts and omissions to the same extent as for our employees. This differs from a third-party supplier contracted directly by the customer. Identify which arrangement applies to each dependency in the design. Where supplier identity, delivery location or change notification matters, request a documented supplier list and put any agreed notification or approval requirement in the Service Order; the general clause does not supply that visibility automatically.

Confidential information and access

Clause 16 provides mutual confidentiality protection. It covers information marked confidential, information identified orally and confirmed in writing within 30 days, and information that should reasonably be understood to be confidential. Customer Data, Customer Records and Customer Software are included; our agreement and fees are also confidential. Permitted disclosures include appropriately bound personnel on a need-to-know basis and specified professional advisers, with other exceptions in the clause. Identify who may receive operational reports, configuration details and commercial information. Access to information to deliver the service is not a general permission to circulate it.

Continuity when an external event interrupts service

Clause 23 addresses force majeure separately from normal incident management. Performance is suspended to the extent a qualifying event causes delay or failure. The definition includes specified events outside reasonable control; it is not a blanket classification of every outage. If the delay exceeds 20 Business Days, the other party may terminate by written notice. The clause also requires payment for services to termination and the applicable Early Termination Payment. A continuity plan should cover operational recovery and the commercial consequences of prolonged interruption. Confirm the Schedule’s exit calculation rather than assuming an externally caused outage creates a cost-free exit.

How liability differs from service performance

Clause 19 separates performance obligations from financial liability. Under v3.6 clause 19.3, subject to clauses 19.1, 19.2 and 19.4 and applicable law, the per-single-claim limit is the greater of amounts paid under the agreement in the three months before the claim first arose or $25,000. Clause 19.4(e) specifies $1 million per event or series of connected events and $2 million in aggregate for breaches of clauses 16, 17, 18 or 20. Data-loss liability depends on whether we had, and breached, a contracted backup or disaster recovery obligation; the relevant measure is restoration cost to the applicable recovery point, not the value of every business consequence. Read these provisions alongside the negotiated Service Order and Schedule; an availability statement does not describe the liability regime.

Related

• Cloud pillar hub
• Microsoft Practice hub
• Public Cloud, Microsoft Azure
• emPOWER Cloud
• Advanced Infrastructure Managed Services
• Field Services and Staff Augmentation
• emPOWER Core Network and Data Centre Interconnect
• Disaster Recovery as a Service
• Procurement pillar hub
• Case study: Sealy of Australia
• Case study: Archers The Strata Professionals
• Industry: Transport and logistics
• Industry: Healthcare and aged care
• Service Agreement terms
• Support
• Contact blueAPACHE

What is Azure Local in your portfolio?

A service that lets organisations run selected workloads on local infrastructure while using Azure-based management and services as part of a hybrid cloud strategy. We design, deploy and support the environment.

When would I choose Azure Local over Azure or emPOWER Cloud?

Consider Azure Local where selected workloads benefit from proximity, local control or specific data requirements. Validate application dependencies and connectivity-loss behaviour for the design; disconnected operations has its own requirements, as described above. Compare Azure and emPOWER Cloud for other workload placements.

How do local nodes connect to Azure?

Connectivity depends on the proposed Azure Local deployment and required Microsoft endpoints. Our network portfolio includes Azure connectivity options, but an ExpressRoute path or secondary VPN is not automatically included. Agree routing, redundancy and responsibilities for the design.

Can we supply the hardware and licences?

Yes. Hardware and Ancillary Services (Schedule 11) and Software Licensing and Subscriptions (Schedule 10) are our service categories and are within the scope of its ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certificate.

What warranty applies to hardware you supply?

Clause 11 of the general terms sets out a warranty against defects: where a defect is confirmed, we repair or replace the item at our cost and return it within 30 days, and refund the price if we cannot. Fair wear and tear, misuse and failure to maintain environmental conditions are excluded.

Who supports the environment day to day?

Managed Services customers use the unlimited 24/7 help desk with server, networking and cloud expertise; on-site work can be provided through Field Services and Staff Augmentation. Response and resolution targets are set per customer.

Is data on Azure Local covered by your Australian data residency statement?

A general Australian residency statement does not establish the location of every data type in an Azure Local deployment. Document local workload data, connected Azure services, administration, telemetry, logs, backups and support access. Confirm locations and permitted transfers for the actual configuration and agreement.

Are Microsoft's terms my responsibility?

Yes. Under clause 3.23 the customer must comply with Microsoft's terms whether or not they were shown at signing, and Microsoft price changes can be passed through under clause 12.5.

What is the minimum term?

Under General Terms v3.6, 36 months is the default except for Professional Services, unless the Service Description or Service Order states otherwise. Confirm the version and term in your agreement.

What happens to the equipment when the contract ends?

Customer-owned equipment stays with the customer. We remove our own equipment at no cost, may enter the site on reasonable notice to recover it, and charge full replacement value for any of its equipment not returned (clauses 9.1 and 25.2).