Microsoft Unveils "Cloud Computing" Product

Tech giant joins rivals in introduction of Web-based computing system


Microsoft Corp. is taking another step into the world of Web-based computing with a new system it's calling Windows Azure.


Microsoft says
it's joining Amazon.com Inc. and other rivals in selling information
storage space and computing power "in the cloud," distributed across
massive data centers worldwide. That will let companies build Web-based
programs without having to manage their own data centers.
Microsoft's
chief software architect, Ray Ozzie, described Azure to software
developers at a conference Monday in Los Angeles. Ozzie said that
managing Microsoft's own Web sites and Web-based programs has made the
company adept at anticipating Web traffic spikes and knowing when to
ramp up some computers and dial down others.

"It's a transformation of our software. It's a
transformation of our strategy," Ozzie said at the Professional
Developer's Conference, Microsoft's annual gathering of third-party
engineers to detail the company's future plans.

Ozzie,
who replaced Bill Gates as Microsoft's top software guru in 2006, is
spearheading the company's push into "cloud computing," a trend that
taps into computing power in distant data centers and delivers
applications over the Internet.
Traditionally, software has run on a single computer's hard drive, but as Internet connections
became faster and more reliable, companies started to deliver software
as an online service by using the computing power of the "cloud," a
network of powerful computer servers accessed over the Web.
The
success of Web-based companies such as Google Inc and Salesforce.com
Inc in creating online applications competitive with Microsoft has
forced the company to embrace a new way of delivering and supporting
software.
‘Transformation’
"We are in the early days of a transformation to services across the industry," said Ozzie at the conference.
Microsoft
has worked to add online services elements to most of its traditional
software, which required the company to invest billions in building
massive data centers with thousands of computers servers and data storagesystems.
Now,
Microsoft wants to let other companies rent out its computing power so
third-party developers can run applications over the Internet without
the need for hefty investments in data centers. It also allows
companies the flexibility to increase or decrease computing needs
according to demand.
Similar to how its Windows operating system became the main platform for programs on personal computers, Microsoft aims to be the platform of choice for Web applications.
Amazon.com
Inc and Salesforce is already in the market with computing services for
Web developers, but Microsoft has a few advantages. It has deeper
pockets, longer relationships with third-party developers and more
expertise in building a software platform.
"I'd like to tip my hat to Jeff Bezos and
Amazon," said Ozzie, referring to Amazon's chief executive. "All of us
across the industry will stand on their shoulders."

Developers
can write applications on Windows Azure using the tools and programing
languages necessary to write software to run on top of the current
Windows operating system.