Microsoft Delivers New Cloud Tools and Solutions at the
Worldwide Partner Conference

stbblogger

12 Jul 2011 9:25 AM

• Comments 0

by STB Blogger

Cloud computing is as big a transformation, and opportunity, as the
technology industry has ever seen.  Partners and customers can look to
Microsoft for the most comprehensive cloud strategy and offerings, in order to
improve their business agility, focus and economics.  Today, at the
Worldwide Partner Conference, Microsoft announced tools and solutions to help
partners capitalize on the opportunities, as well as examples of partners and
customers already finding success.

Windows Azure Platform:

• Windows Azure Marketplace: The Windows Azure Marketplace
  will now enable application sales, allowing partners and customers to easily
  sell, try and buy Windows Azure-based applications.  This capability builds
  on 99 partner data offerings already available for sale through the Marketplace
  and more than 450 currently listed applications.  The new Windows Azure
  Marketplace application selling capability is available today. More information
  is available on the Windows Azure blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windowsazure/.
• New examples of Innovative Solutions built on Windows
  Azure:

• Microsoft partner Wire Stone recently helped Boeing launch its “737 Explained
  Experience” on Windows Azure to give prospective 737 customers a rich,
  visually immersive tour of the plane.  A case study is available here. 
• Microsoft partner BrandJourney Venturing helped General Mills create a new
  business outlet on Windows Azure that enables consumers to find and purchase
  gluten-free products.  A case study is available here.

Microsoft yesterday released a commissioned study conducted by
Forrester Consulting entitled “The ISV Business Case For The Windows Azure
Platform:” Findings include that software partners deploying solutions
on Windows Azure are generating 20% to 250% new revenue by reaching new
customers, saving up to 80% on their hosting costs, and are able to reuse up to
80% of their existing .NET code when moving to Windows Azure.   The
study is available here.

Windows Azure Platform Appliance Progress:

• Fujitsu announced in June that they would be launching the
  Fujitsu Global Cloud Platform (FGCP/A5) service in August 2011, running on a
  Windows Azure Platform Appliance at their datacenter in Japan. By using FGCP/A5,
  customers will be able to quickly build elastically-scalable applications using
  familiar Windows Azure platform technologies, streamline their IT operations
  management and be more competitive in the global market. In addition, customers
  will have the ability to store their business data domestically in Japan if they
  prefer.
• HP also intends to use the appliance to offer private and
  public cloud computing services, based on Windows Azure. They have an
  operational appliance at their datacenter that has been validated by Microsoft
  to run the Windows Azure Platform and they look forward to making services
  available to their customers later this year.
• eBay is in the early stages of implementing on the Windows
  Azure platform appliance and has successfully completed a first application on
  Windows Azure (ipad.ebay.com). eBay is continuing to evaluate ways in which the
  Windows Azure platform appliance can help improve engineering agility and reduce
  operating costs.

Private Cloud Computing with Windows Server and System
Center:

• Windows Server 8:  In his keynote STB president Satya
  Nadella highlighted that the next version of Windows Server, codenamed Windows
  Server 8, will be the next step in private cloud computing.  More
  information will be shared at the BUILD conference in September. 
• System Center 2012:

• Microsoft announced a beta of the Operations Manager capability of
  System Center 2012.  System Center 2012 will further help partners
  and customers build private cloud services that focus on the delivery of
  business applications, not just infrastructure.  Operations Manager is a
  key component that provides end-to-end application service monitoring and
  diagnostics across Windows, others platforms and Windows Azure. Operations
  Manager will fully integrate technology from the AVIcode acquisition for
  monitoring and deep insights into applications. The beta will be available next
  week through this site and more information can be found next week on the
  System Center
  blog.
• “Project Concero” is now officially the App Controller capability
  within System Center 2012. Demonstrated during Satya Nadella’s keynote
  today, App Controller is a new solution in System Center that gives IT managers
  control across both private and public cloud assets (Windows Azure) and gives
  application managers across the company the ability to deploy and manage their
  applications through a self-service experience. 

SQL Server “Denali”:

• SQL Server “Denali” Community Technology Preview (CTP): SQL
  Server “Denali,” is a cloud-ready information platform to build and deliver apps
  across the spectrum of infrastructure.  Customers and partners can use this
  opportunity to preview the marquee capabilities and new enhancements coming in
  the next release of SQL Server with the community technology preview available
  through this site.
• For the first time, customers can begin testing the much anticipated
  features of “Denali” with today’s CTP, including SQL Server AlwaysOn and Project
  “Apollo” for added mission critical confidence, Project “Crescent” for highly
  visual data exploration that unlocks breakthrough insights, and SQL Server
  Developer Tools code named “Juneau” for a modern development experience across
  server, BI, and cloud development projects.  For more information about
  “Denali” or the new CTP, visit the SQL Server
  Data Platform Insider blog.

A few days old… I was on holiday 🙂