Los Angeles (CA) – Microsoft’s chief software architect Ray Ozzie today announced Windows Azure, Microsoft’s idea of a cloud OS or “services platform” that will “set the stage for the next 50 years” of Windows, according to the executive. Previously code-named “Red Dog”, Microsoft believes that a highly available and easily highly scalable service will convince corporations to move their application development and deployment to Microsoft’s datacenters.
We have been wondering for some time how Microsoft’s idea of a cloud computing world would look like and this morning we received a first glimpse at what the company says has been cooking in its labs for several years. Windows Azure is a new “service platform” that will be established next to the client and server OS, but eventually may become, as Ozzie put it, the “bedrock under all”, combining “the best of software and the best of services”.
Simply put, Azure does not run on servers or clients PCs locally, but as a services foundation in Microsoft’s datacenters. It offers virtualized computation capability, storage and automated services management to enable developers to create and deploy their applications on top of Azure, with data being located within Microsoft’s servers. Microsoft promises simple scalability and at least a triple-layer redundancy to keep data safe and availability of services high. Over the past year, Microsoft has opened major datacenters in Quincy, Washington, and San Antonio, Texas, with additional centers scheduled to open in Chicago and Dublin, Ireland.
According to Microsoft, Azure only offers a fraction of its envisioned capability today and will “get better” over time. Key components include SQL Services, .NET services, Live Services and SharePoint Services. The company highlighted the ease of use of Azure and that developers can use existing knowledge in ASP.Net and Visual Studio to develop Azure apps. “It is a new generation platform, but you can use your skills,” said Microsoft’s Bob Muglia during the demonstration at PDC 2008. The usual Hello World application was created within two minutes and deployed here http://hellocloud.cloudapp.net.
A limited community technology preview (CTP) of the Azure Services Platform was initially made available to developers in attendance at PDC2008, giving them a chance to try out its features and functions.