How to Create a Microsoft Azure Account in China

Azure China is independently operated and transacted by 21Vianet. Microsoft Azure services are running in 6 regions in China such as China North, China North 2, China North 3, China East, China East 2, and China East 3. China North 1 and 2 regions are located in Beijing, China North 3 is located in Hebei, 150 km away from Beijing, while China East regions are located in Shanghai. China North and China East were released in 2014, China North 2 and China East 2 in 2018, and China North 3 and China East 3 in 2022.

There is no direct connection between Microsoft Azure Global and Microsoft Azure China. So, we can say that Azure China has no direct access and connectivity with other Azure regions outside of China. An account created for Azure global regions cannot be accessible for Azure China regions. Similarly, accounts created for Azure regions within China cannot work for Azure global services. So in this regard, customers who want to use Azure regions in China are required to make separate account credentials to get the services.

Differences Between Azure Global and Azure China Accounts

Due to the separate infrastructures, the accounts of Microsoft Azure China are completely separate from those of Microsoft Azure Global. In order to apply for an account in China, there are many requirements you need to fulfill before applying for an account.

Requirements to Create an Azure China Account

In order to get an Azure cloud account in China there are some requirements established by the Chinese government:

We can help you to get your Azure Accounts in China

Getting cloud accounts in China is not straightforward, a tough process, and lots of requirements are needed. Getting a cloud account globally takes minutes, in China, it can take up to months.

If your business or organization does not meet those requirements or you are simply struggling to get your cloud account in China, we can accelerate the process of getting access to your cloud accounts in China and build and deploy your cloud resources much faster.

During the last 5 years, we have been supporting worldwide companies on their cloud journey to China. Our main services offerings include cloud accounts creation, cloud professional services, managed cloud services, and cybersecurity and compliance.

Payment Terms

Microsoft Office 365 and Azure have gained popularity for their ‘pay-as-you-go’ models, which allow companies to increase and decrease the volume and scale of Microsoft services they consume as their own operations expand or contract. However, in China, companies must pay in advance for these services annually, whereas global clients may modify their subscription packages monthly. The pay-as-you-go model is unfortunately not supported in China.

Purchasing Programs

Microsoft Azure offers two possible ways of purchasing programs with the help of 21Vianet to customers within China. The two categories of purchasing programs are online purchases and the second program is offline enterprise contact purchases. Thus, the online purchase is administered by OSSA and available to customer who wishes to purchase Microsoft Azure services operated by 21Vianet online. In this regard, Azure China processes the payment through PIA (Pay-in-Advance) model. While on the other hand, the second purchasing program of Microsoft Azure is Offline Enterprise Contract. Customers who wish to purchase the Azure services through the contractual process are required to go with OSPA the Online Service Premium Agreement. The period of this agreement is mostly three years which has been signed between 21Vianet and local customers in China. This particular agreement works with the Direct OSPA and Indirect OSPA models. However, the offline billing method of the customers is linked with the concerned business models.