Microsoft promotes cloud computing

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

With the recent introductions of Windows Azure and Visual Studio 2010, Microsoft has made it clear that its future lays within the cloud.

Speaking recently at DEMO Fall 2010, Microsoft’s General Manager of Developer and Platform Evangelism Matt Thompson reiterated Microsoft’s position that the company sees cloud computing as its next major computing platform beyond Windows and the internet.

With Windows Azure, Microsoft aims to be more open than with any of its other platforms, he said. Microsoft foresees a world where users can run applications across Azure and their own servers, as well as public clouds from government and healthcare organizations, VentureBeat reports.

Last week, Microsoft announced it has partnered with cloud hosting company Rackspace to create a plug-in for the its Visual Studio 2010. The plug-in allows Microsoft .NET developers to deploy applications written with Visual Studio tools directly to Rackspace’s cloud infrastructure.

Microsoft has shown a hesitancy to adopt recent computer trends, such as next generation smartphones, only recently releasing the Windows Phone 7. However, its recent moves indicate Microsoft will be able to deliver clients more options and flexibility in cloud services.