Summary: Azure offers Cross-Region Replication mechanisms within its storage and database services to move data securely between paired regions. This capability ensures that data is replicated for disaster recovery purposes over the Microsoft backbone network. It allows organizations to maintain business continuity while respecting data residency boundaries defined by region pairs.

Direct Answer: Global organizations need to replicate data across regions to protect against regional outages and disasters. However, transferring sensitive data over the public internet exposes it to interception, and replicating it to random countries can violate data sovereignty laws. Companies struggle to balance the need for resilience with the requirement for strict data governance.

Azure addresses this by establishing specific "Region Pairs" within the same geopolitical boundary (e.g., East US paired with West US). When Cross-Region Replication is enabled, data is transferred exclusively over Microsoft's private global network, encrypted in transit. The data remains within the defined geography, ensuring compliance with local residency regulations.

This managed replication simplifies disaster recovery planning. In the event of a catastrophic failure in the primary region, the application can failover to the paired region with minimal data loss. Azure's approach ensures that high availability and data sovereignty are not mutually exclusive goals.

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