Concur will store the data for the cloud products it offers
in China locally, with China Data Corp., a Chinese data center company produced
by a 2013 joint venture between SAP and telecom company China Communications
Services Corp. Concur also is expanding its headcount in the country, though
the T&E provider declined to specify by how much. The move aligns with
Concur's efforts to "expand and deliver localized solutions in
China," a Concur spokesperson said.
In 2014, the Chinese government adopted strict and
controversial regulations for international companies wishing to operate in
China, including a requirement for foreign companies to store data locally,
plus full access to company data for government investigators, according to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
China remains one of the fastest-growing
business travel markets. This year, the Global Business Travel Association
expects travel spend there to grow to $317.9 billion, 9.2 percent growth from
the 2015 level. Concur launched its first multinational company in China in
2008, and China since has grown to become Concur's second-largest market after
the United States.