Salesforce Shifts Marketing Cloud to Microsoft Azure for SQL Compatibility
Salesforce moves its Marketing Cloud to Microsoft Azure, citing a deep reliance on Microsoft SQL as the primary driver over competing cloud platforms.
Salesforce officially moves its Marketing Cloud to Microsoft Azure, surprising many who expect the company to use its existing partnerships with AWS or Google Cloud Platform. A company spokesperson points to a long-standing relationship with Microsoft SQL as the main reason for this transition, calling the move to SQL on Azure a natural decision.
Industry analysts suggest that underlying business dynamics also drive this partnership. Many retail and business-to-consumer companies prefer to avoid AWS due to direct competition with Amazon, making Azure a more appealing home for a marketing platform that targets these specific enterprise customers.
Beyond SQL compatibility and customer concerns, practical necessity plays a major role in this shift. The Marketing Cloud, originally built on the ExactTarget infrastructure, never operates on Salesforce's core Force.com platform and requires significant modernization, prompting the company to choose Azure as the most logical foundation for its future.