This Week in the Cloud: Microsoft’s Multi-Pronged Attack
Microsoft had no less than three major product updates this week, starting with the general availability of Windows Server 2012.
The latest version of Microsoft’s flagship server platform can be considered as a full-fledged cloud OS – the 2012 release packs a number of improvements, including enhancements to Hyper-V, which make it that much better than its predecessor. The OS also has a new file system, it’s designed so that enterprises can deploy it across geographically-disperse facilities, and remote management functionality has been tweaked as well.
Around the same time, Microsoft debuted Windows Azure Mobile Services. This newest component of the cloud platform is currently in preview and lets developers connect their Windows 8 apps to a scalable cloud environment that that stores their data, and automates user authentication and authorizations. Microsoft says that it will expand support to Windows Phone, iOS and Android in the future.
The software giant is modernizing every aspect of its cloud portfolio, including Office 365. An exec at the company’s Singapore office disclosed that an upcoming update to the web-based version of the productivity suite will introduce new features such as social media integration and file sharing. The goal is to boost the product’s appeal to enterprises that are interested in optimizing their bottom line and deal with as few vendors as possible.
Also this week, Dell announced in a tweet a new service dubbed “storage as a service.” Through a partnership with Nirvanix the hardware giant is upping its cloud play, and is taking on Amazon, Google and Azure head on. Deeper down the data center, Premio announced a new Windows Server 2012 flash cache array named FlacheSAN2 Flash. The storage system runs on Intel Romley and ships with a solid 11 terabytes of memory.
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