A Look Into How The Microsoft Cloud Is Taking Shape
When Microsoft launched its Windows Azure platform back in February, it was primarily in response to offerings that were already on the market from Amazon and Google.
While the reaction to Azure has been mostly positive, it still remained to be seen how Microsoft would capture the small and medium business market as well as the home user. Gradually the picture is becoming clearer; Microsoft aren't stopping at just offering cloud-based storage and processing power; they want to bring the cloud into everyday life.
Of the products that have been already rolled out, SharePoint Online, Dynamics CRM and Office Web Apps are like-for-like replacements to traditional desktop based software, whereas Exchange Online, Forefront, and SQL Azure begin to offer replacements for physical hardware and infrastructure. So far, so straightforward, but taking a look at Microsoft products in the pipeline shows that they intend to take this much further.
One of the most interesting products in the Microsoft pipeline is Windows Small Business Server Code Name "Aurora" which is Microsoft's belated attempt to make sense of what sort of server a small business actually needs in the cloud era.
It is arguable that they do not need a server at all but the truth is that a Windows network runs better with Active Directory and simple things like shared folders are still useful. The idea is that third parties will create cloud services that support Aurora's federated identity services.
Another clue as to Microsoft's future in the cloud lies in the Codename "Dallas" product which according to the official site is "a new service allowing developers and information workers to easily discover, purchase, and manage premium data subscriptions in the Windows Azure platform".
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