Microsoft: Cloudy Azure Skies

Its an exciting time to be in IT, with cloud computing providing much more
efficient hardware, much faster application deployment, and lower operational
costs. And at Microsoft we are focused on helping IT managers mind the gap,"
said Bob Muglia, president, server and tools business (STB) at Microsoft in a
blog. Microsofts entry into the cloudin a major way in 2008 with its
Azurediversified the cloud platform market. According to Vikas Arora, group
director, cloud services, Microsoft India, "We offer the most interoperable
platform, thus enabling optimal use of customers existing IT investments.
Microsoft has the largest partner and developer ecosystem to help customers
through every step of the transition and long term management process."

"We have always ensured that our product launches are supported by a
comprehensive ecosystem readiness program, so that our customers receive the
right support when they choose to deploy our solutions. We have a roadmap, and
we get all the pieces in place before we announce commercial availability, and
this might take different durations in different markets. For the Windows Azure
Platform in India, we already have 3,000 partners trained through 270 trainings
in fifteen cities and touched around 22,000 developers," says Arora.

Offerings

Microsoft sources say that its Services plus Software strategy and product
offerings make the transition to the cloud smoother by enabling easier
deployment and management. Its most trusted and widely used productsWindows,
MOSS, Office, SQL and Exchange are available for the cloud. With a well laid out
strategy, Microsoft is present across three layers on the cloud:

Software as a service (SaaS): Microsofts SaaS offerings include online
services which includes BPOS and Hosted Dynamics

Platform as a service (PaaS): It is clear that PaaS is a huge differentiator
in the cloud because the high level abstractions provide considerable value add
to developers, increasing their productivity and enabling them to build entirely
new classes of scale-out, highly available applications that adhere to the
characteristics of the cloud application model. Microsoft offerings here are
Azure and SQL Azure.

Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS): Here, Microsoft offers Windows Server 08
R2, Hyper V, System Centre, SQL Server 08

By building on the same security principles used to manage risks to Microsoft
software development and operating environments, Microsoft has created an online
Information Security Programone that results in continuous improvements to
security for the Microsoft cloud computing environment. The coordinated and
strategic application of people, processes, and technology allows Microsoft to
adapt to the rapid changes happening within the cloud infrastructure and in the
marketplace for online services while still maintaining commitment to delivering
a trustworthy computing experience for customers.

Shrikanth G

shrikanthg@cybermedia.co.in