Microsoft announced its new Windows Azure platform today at the company’s annual Worldwide Partner Conference. Windows Azure is a turnkey cloud service aimed at providing access and tools, on-demand, for both enterprise and consumer use. Microsoft has a number of launch partners for the new product, including Dell, HP and Fujitsu.

Windows Azure, which is being rolled out in phases, rolls several services into a single platform. It has Microsoft SQL Azure combined with Microsoft’s specified hardware, giving IT and other clients a fast-delivering series of applications through the cloud.

The announcement is significant, as it carries several implications for what Microsoft is looking to do competitively. Gathering up its own resources, teaming with a number of key partners, and better leveraging its own products, Microsoft is turning to the cloud for better positioning as far as keeping Google’s web-based infiltration at bay. Beyond this, Microsoft is also looking to aid economic growth around IT and beyond, with jobs, developer opportunities and more efficient work tools for businesses small and large. From Microsoft,

“We are at an inflection point in technology history,” Ballmer said. “For customers, cloud computing creates tremendous value, which translates to massive opportunity for Microsoft and its partners. As in past technology transitions, Microsoft will help partners embrace the industry’s transformation to realize their opportunity and continue to be economic drivers for their local community.”

The growth of cloud computing is certainly something many businesses are watching, particularly as distribution methods, service inclusion and on-demand necessities make cloud computing more efficient. Microsoft has been spending a lot of time on cloud development, with new standards paving the way for easier partnering and widespread adoption.

Beyond the cloud’s horizon

This has enabled Microsoft to look beyond enterprise for cloud-based solutions, with today’s announcement preempting the company’s goals for offering an array of business and consumer products. Tablets, for instance, are an area of consumer interest that is ripe for Microsoft, given its partners in the Windows Azure launch. Creating niche tablet services and apps for businesses is something Apple has taken to already, with the tablet race only beginning to heat up.

We’re already seeing how Microsoft has found ways to take advantage of growing demand around the cloud, with its Xbox 360 game console. Netflix subscriptions through Xbox 360, for instance, have risen significantly over the past year, with the use of the platform and cloud services garnering huge profits for Microsoft.