Microsoft's chief software architect Ray Ozzie today announced Windows Azure, a cloud-based platform that Microsoft hopes will help build the next generation of web-based applications.
The service allows developers to use Microsoft's own data centres as a means to build, store, and host applications that can then be delivered on the PC, web and phone.
Having invested heavily in a cloud-based future, Microsoft finds itself with a rapidly-growing number of major data centres across the globe, and will not effectively rent its cloud real estate in a method similar to Amazon's EC2.
Microsoft's advantage, however, is that the Azure platform supports a wide range of existing programming languages, and will allow developers to take advantage of their existing skills via tools such as Microsoft's .NET Framework and Visual Studio. Developing for Windows Azure should, in theory, be as easy as developing for Microsoft's desktop operating systems.
Speaking at the Professional Developers Conference 2008 in Los Angeles, Ozzie said:
Today marks a turning point for Microsoft and the development community. We have introduced a game-changing set of technologies that will bring new opportunities to Web developers and business developers alike. The Azure Services Platform, built from the ground up to be consistent with Microsoft’s commitment to openness and interoperability, promises to transform the way businesses operate and how consumers access their information and experience the Web. Most important, it gives our customers the power of choice to deploy applications in cloud-based Internet services or through on-premises servers, or to combine them in any way that makes the most sense for the needs of their business.
The Azure Services Platform's key components are listed by Microsoft as follows:
- Windows Azure for service hosting and management, low-level scalable storage, computation and networking
- Microsoft SQL Services for a wide range of database services and reporting
- Microsoft .NET Services which are service-based implementations of familiar .NET Framework concepts such as workflow and access control
- Live Services for a consistent way for users to store, share and synchronise documents, photos, files and information across their PCs, phones, PC applications and Web sites
- Microsoft SharePoint Services and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Services for business content, collaboration and rapid solution development in the cloud
Having only touched on what Azure has to offer, we can expect to hear a lot more about Microsoft's cloud ambitions in the coming days. In the meantime, head on over to azure.com for a closer look at Microsoft's latest platform.
Official press release: Microsoft Unveils Windows Azure at Professional Developers Conference
