Microsoft unveils Windows Azure for cloud computing

The launch came at Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference 2008, with chief software architect Ray Ozzie claiming that the Azure Services Platform will help developers build the next generation of applications that will span from the cloud to the enterprise data centre, for PC, web and phone computing. Ozzie described how the platform combines cloud-based developer capabilities with storage, computational and networking infrastructure services, all hosted on servers within Microsoft’s global network. “Today marks a turning point for Microsoft and the development community,” said Ozzie. “We have introduced a game-changing set of technologies that will bring new opportunities to web developers and business developers alike… Most important, [Azure] 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.” So what’s new: first, unlike many of today’s service-based solutions, the Azure Services Platform enables developers to create applications using their existing skills, tools and technologies – such as the Microsoft .Net Framework and Visual Studio. Developers can also choose from a broad range of commercial or open source development tools, and access the Azure Services Platform using Internet standards such as HTTP, REST (representational state transfer), WS-* and AtomPub (Atom Publishing Protocol). Key components include: Windows Azure for service hosting and management; Microsoft SQL Services for database services and reporting; Microsoft .Net Services, which are service-based implementations of the .Net Framework; and Live Services for storing, sharing and synchronising files and information across PCs, phones, applications and web sites. Supporters are already lining up to be counted: for example, ERP developer Epicor Software. “Only a few companies in the world can bring the promise of cloud computing to reality, and we are excited about the strong capabilities of the Azure Services Platform,” said Paul Farrell, senior vice president of R&D at Epicor. “We believe that Microsoft’s initiative and leadership in software plus services will be beneficial to our customers as we architect our solutions to optimise for cloud and on-premises solutions.” “As an enterprise software solution provider, we are challenged to continuously increase the value of our solutions to our customers – widening the spread between the benefit and cost of ownership,” added Erik Johnson, senior director of development at Epicor. “Azure Services Platform will be a game changer for cloud platforms: it incorporates Microsoft’s .Net Framework, which means Epicor can leverage our existing skills and code libraries. “Azure will also include new storage, identity, and data geo-affinity features that are crucial for deploying commercial enterprise applications in the cloud,” said Johnson. Equally, there are detractors: web security consultancy Global Secure Systems (GSS), for example, is urging companies of all sizes to check their regulatory requirements on data storage before running headlong into cloud computing. “Microsoft’s launch into the world of cloud computing, announced this week, is quite revolutionary since it is based on Windows Server 2008 running on Microsoft data centres and accessible only as a service,” said David Hobson, GSS’ managing director. “Whilst Azure is highly appealing, the problem facing many businesses is where their data is actually being stored – as current legislation mandates that firms must indicate to their customers where their data will be stored.”