Microsoft Announces Windows Azure, for the Cloud

Turns out Windows Strata wasn't Microsoft's initiative for cloud computing, despite it showing up in their catalog. And it wasn't Windows Cloud, either. No, it appears the real name is Windows Azure, as Microsoft's Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie called it as he unveiled it at PDC in Los Angeles on Monday.

Information at PDC for this cloud-based OS was as highly anticipated as info for Windows 7. Ozzie said in their press release:

“Today marks a turning point for Microsoft and the development community,” Ozzie 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.”

As Microsoft adds on their just launched Azure Services Platform Site:

Windows® Azure is a cloud services operating system that serves as the development, service hosting and service management environment for the Azure Services Platform. Windows Azure provides developers with on-demand compute and storage to host, scale, and manage Web applications on the Internet through Microsoft® data centers.

Key components of the Azure Services Platform include the following:

• Windows Azure, for service hosting and management and low-level scalable storage, computation, and networking.
  

• Microsoft SQL Services, for database services and reporting.
  

• Microsoft .Net Services, which are service-based implementations of .Net Framework concepts such as workflow.
  

• Live Services, for sharing, storing, and synchronizing documents, photos, and files across PCs, phones, PC applications, and Web sites.
  

• Microsoft SharePoint Services and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Services for business content, collaboration, and solution development in the cloud.

Interested folks can register for Azure's limited Community Technology Preview (CTP).