South Africa’s leading cloud provider, Global Micro, is set to make its first major international expansion by opening offices in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. With over 30 years in the cloud services industry, the company aims to support organisations facing growing challenges in regulatory compliance, particularly around Microsoft’s licensing and GDPR requirements.
JJ Milner, Managing Director of Global Micro, explained the decision behind the expansion, saying that “there is a significant demand for assistance in meeting the compliance requirements of regulations such as GDPR and NIS 2, especially with the European Union’s recent commitment to stricter enforcement.” Milner added that Global Micro’s new offices are strategically positioned to assist companies in both the US and European markets to achieve ISO 27001 certification and maintain compliance with GDPR.
The new office locations aim to bring specialised support for Microsoft 365 Security and Compliance solutions, which offer coverage of the 34 technical controls central to ISO 27001—a security benchmark upon which GDPR is largely based. Global Micro’s expansion, Milner says, will simplify compliance efforts for clients across Europe and the US, aligning with the increasing demands around data protection.
For over three decades, Global Micro has established a solid customer base across the EMEA region, counting 1,200 businesses as clients. According to Milner, these clients experience significantly higher levels of security compared to industry norms. “The average Microsoft Secure Score is around 44 out of 100, but our customers achieve an average of 75 out of 100, which is proof of our effective approach to managed services,” Milner noted.
The expansion comes after a year of groundwork to meet the extensive legislative requirements across the UK, EU, and US, particularly within the Microsoft environment. Each new office will operate with access to Global Micro’s full range of resources, including project management, consulting, and technical support services. The physical locations are expected to strengthen the company’s support offerings for European and US clients, particularly as Microsoft’s commitment to artificial intelligence (AI) in its Microsoft 365 suite evolves. With Microsoft’s Copilot AI capabilities adding new functionalities, Milner highlighted the potential for new security vulnerabilities, stressing that companies will need to adapt their compliance frameworks to account for them.
The company also intends to make advanced security capabilities accessible to organisations without the need for large, in-house security teams. Global Micro’s approach centres on what Milner describes as “managed code,” which standardises change management processes and creates a feedback loop for consistent updates across its 1,200 managed clients.
Milner concluded, “As our customers adopt emerging technologies like AI to enhance their operations, our new offices will help ensure they do so securely. Our goal is to meet our clients wherever they need us, offering not just compliance, but also the capabilities to seize new opportunities.”
This strategic expansion marks Global Micro’s entry into the global market, with the promise of helping organisations balance regulatory demands with innovation in a fast-evolving digital landscape.
