New York, Sep 8 (IANS): Microsoft's British data centre region is now online and will offer support for the tech giant's Azure Cloud services and Office 365, with support for Dynamics CRM Online slated for the first half of 2017.

With the new data centre in Britain coming online, Azure now offers customers 28 regions with six more coming soon for a total of 34, more than any other major cloud provider, Microsoft said in a statement.

"These new Microsoft Cloud regions will help businesses in industries such as banking, government, public sector and healthcare meet their customers' needs, the regulatory requirements they are held to, and the need for local data residency and replication for business continuity," said Takeshi Numoto, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Cloud and Enterprise.

Some of the customers moving to Microsoft Cloud in Britain include the South London and Maudsley (SLAM) NHS Trust, the country's largest mental health trust, and the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The MoD, which employs more than 250,000 people, will use Office 365 and Azure, Microsoft said in a blog post.