Windows Azure: Blue skies ahead?
LOS ANGELES--Analysts and enthusiasts offered largely positive reaction to Microsoft's announcement of Windows Azure on Monday, impressed at the scale of Microsoft's bet on the cloud.
"I think it is very ambitious, extremely ambitious," said Gartner analyst David Smith. He noted that Microsoft is trying to span a broad range of audiences, from enterprise to consumer, and a broad range of devices.
That very ambition also means that it will take a while before Azure is ready for prime time, Smith said. Still, he was impressed at Microsoft's overall approach. "I think it's a very visionary, pragmatic idea."
In announcing Windows Azure, Microsoft said it was releasing a community technology preview of the effort. Developers can build applications and host them on Microsoft's servers for free, though the company will start charging once it has nailed down the features and made sure everything is ready for business applications.
A common set of tools can be used for developing applications for traditional Windows as well as for Windows Azure, according to Microsoft.
The economic downturn could serve to drive adoption within companies looking to cut costs, said Robert McLaws, chief blogger at Windows-now.com.
"Why pay for your own data center and staff when you can move it to Microsoft? Let Microsoft do the investment for you," he said. "It provides an interesting opportunity for start ups who are looking to build apps efficiently and to test ideas."
For Microsoft, Windows Azure is nothing less than a make-or-break move, said Jonathan Yarmis, vice president for disruptive technologies at AMR Research.
"I think they've said we have no choice but to succeed at this. To leave it to Google or Amazon or others to define the pace and characteristics of the platform would be very bad for Microsoft's long-term and even near-term prospects," he said. Microsoft's thinking would have to be: "We have to do this or we cease to be interesting as a company."
Microsoft faces a well-established Amazon hosted services market and a popular development platforms for the iPhone and Google apps.
"The start-up guys love what Amazon's doing. They don't need millions of dollars to buy infrastructure. Now you click a button to provision some servers and bang, you've got a solution," Yarmis said. "Amazon has offered the developers a really easy way to quickly deploy potentially massive-scale applications."
Microsoft is being purposely vague on the schedule for the services so as to attract and retain developer support, he said.
If Microsoft were to lose the developer community to a platform that's not in its control, that would mark a long slide into irrelevance, so they've got to win the developers,Yarmis said.
"Let's not underestimate what they're trying to do here...perhaps the most complex programming undertaking ever conceived. Given their track record, (do) we have to at least say is there a scenario where they crash and burn here? Yeah there is," he said. "But if they can deliver in reasonable time frames, can anyone touch them?"
Ina Fried of CNET News contributed to this report.
Elinor Mills covers Internet security and privacy. She joined CNET News in 2005 after working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Portugal and writing for The Industry Standard, the IDG News Service, and the Associated Press. E-mail Elinor. 
That scheme may have worked even 5 years ago, but there are many nimbler companies out there who will take this as a challenge to beat them at their own game. It used to be be that you respected AND feared Microsoft. But companies like Google, Amazon, and Apple, to name a few, have shown that you can take on the lumbering 800 lb. gorilla without fear.
It means blue, folks. Windows Blue. Like a sky without clouds...strange message, Microsoft!
t261:
How is the technology stagnant? MS is one of the only ones (outside of Adobe) who is trying to redefine the web UX experience (Silverlight, Flash) as opposed to Google, Apple, and Firefox making Javascript run faster. That helps alot for the current web, but does nothing for the true vision of the web.
ppgreat:
As for asking people to wait for the technology, the wait is worth it. MS is the only company with the vision to have it's products work across the board (Cars, Mobile devices, Enterprises, Workstations, & Gaming Systems). What other company has implemented anything remotely this viable?
Galaxy5:
Lastly, a sky without clouds is the perfect backdrop to bring your vision to life.
It is truly relevant. As a microsoft .net developer I wish Azure will really succeed, but I still have my doubts.
- by myles taylor October 28, 2008 9:13 AM PDT
- I think Microsoft will slap too much red tape on it and eventually it will cost too much for the consumer. Looks like it might be good for business though. I think Microsoft needs to stick to business rather than trying to compete for the consumer market. I think that's where the other companies excel. Microsoft can stay Top Dog of the business world as long as it gets it's focus.
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