Microsoft Launches Windows Azure

Microsoft has announced a version of Windows that runs over the Internet from inside Microsoft’s own data centers. The new OS is named as Windows Azure. The Azure Platform (Azure) is an internet-scale cloud services platform hosted in Microsoft data centers and this can be used to build new applications in the cloud or use interoperable services that run on Microsoft infrastructure to extend and enhance your existing applications.

You can use Windows Azure platform for;

• Add Web service capabilities to existing packaged applications.
• Build, modify, and distribute applications to the Web with minimal on-premises resources.
• Perform services (large-volume storage, batch processing, intense or large-volume computations, etc.) off premises.
• Create, test, debug, and distribute Web services quickly and inexpensively.
• Reduce costs of building and extending on-premises resources.
• Reduce the effort and costs of IT management.

The Azure Services Platform offers a range of businesses flexibility, control, and an affordable solution for running Web-scale applications. You can check out more details on Azure, different versions and pricing in Official Azure Website.