Microsoft’s Windows Azure to set stage for next 50 years of computing
Microsoft launches Windows Azure to help developers build the next generation of applications to deliver compelling new experiences across the PC, Web and phone.
Microsoft’s chief software architect unveiled its industry-leading initiative in Windows Azure, a platform for cloud-based computing that aims to help developers build the next generation of applications that will span from the cloud to the enterprise datacenter and deliver compelling new experiences across the PC, Web and phone.
Called Windows Azure, the platform forms a third tier in computing architecture above desktop PCs and enterprise network domains, according to Microsoft chief software architect, Ray Ozzie, in his keynote speech at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2008 (PDC2008) October 27. Ozzie announced its Azure Services Platform, and highlighted the platform’s role in delivering a software plus services approach to computing.
“We’re setting the stage for the next fifty years of computing,” Ozzie said. “Today marks a turning point for Microsoft and the development community,” he said. “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.”
Ozzie detailed how developers can build applications for it based on existing tools, while companies will be able to quickly deploy scalable systems. However, he said that Azure is not yet ready for commercial deployment, but said the firm is using it internally and working with some customers to build out the platform.
According to Ozzie, when the platform is available, pricing will be metered, based on a customer’s resource consumption and the service level required.
Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Cloud Infrastructure Services, Amitabh Srivastava, explained that Azure offers scalable hosting with automatic service management, but that developers can still use existing tools to code for it. He said the platform leverages Microsoft’s current tools, such as Visual Studio, and operates with both managed and native code. Third party applications like eclipse and PHP can also easily operate with Microsoft’s environment, he added.
Using a Microsoft federation gateway, online services will be able to link back to a company’s Active Directory infrastructure to verify the identity of a user, Bob Muglia, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Server and Tools business, said. Through this, workers do not need to sign in to online services so long as they are logged into their corporate domain, he added.
Muglia also said they are seeing that customers will still have on-premises systems but will start to take advantage of cloud services. “The idea is that you can take advantage of the vast computing power available in the cloud to enable lower-cost deployment of apps that operate in a global environment,” he added.
Dave Thompson, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for Online, said the firm’s business-class software would be delivered as an online solution in the future. The company revealed that going forward, this is how Microsoft sees to deliver business software.
