Late last month, Microsoft announced a new release of Windows Azure Infrastructure Services. The new service offerings make it possible for SMBs to move applications into the cloud.
On Microsoft’s Windows Azure blog, writer Bill Hilf calls the product announcement “a significant step in [Microsoft’s] cloud computing strategy.”
Specifically, Hilf explains that SMB users want both on-premises infrastructures and the flexible benefits of the cloud. “It’s about Infrastructure Services and Platform Services and hybrid scenarios,” he writes. “The cloud should be an enabler for innovation, and an extension of an organization’s IT fabric, not just a fancier way to describe cheap infrastructure and application hosting.”
Workloads & Features
As part of its new Infrastructure Services release, Microsoft has added high-memory VM instances (28GB/4 core and 56 GB/8 core). In addition, a number of new Microsoft validated instances have been added to the services, including SQL Server, SharePoint, BizTalk Server, and Dynamics NAV.
SMB Pricing Strategy
With its new Windows Azure Infrastructure Services, Microsoft aims to meet price requirements of SMBs. For example, Microsoft has committed to match Amazon Web Services for commodity services, such as compute, storage, and bandwidth. The company has also reduced its prices on Virtual Machines and Cloud Services by 21-33 percent, according to Hilf.
