This is a report from the Microsoft Windows Azure Platform Launch Day in Stuttgart, Germany.
Microsoft is offering not only inhouse Server operating system and database software, but goes into the area of cloud computing with Windows Azure. Windows Azure is the operating system, that takes care of MS datacenter memory and computing management. On top of this is the App fabric, that offers .NET services in the cloud and SQL Data services that offers an SQL Server to be used in the cloud. This is claimed to be fail-safe with regards to servers and drives.
Interesting to me is, that MS positions Azure for custom software mainly. I didn’t see why standard software can not be built on MS Azure, other than this has not yet been done. I agree, that it is not the same to just port existing software to Azure – even if there are many similarities. But there are also subtle differences in the programming model that can lead to a different architecture of the software than existing software. For example it is not imparative to use SQL Data Services, but one can use Windows Azure Tables. In this cast the SQL transaction is not available – still there are interesting programming models to be applied to this environment.
The value add that MS claims with “PaaS” – Platform as a Service – is more than virtual servers and monitoring: Managed Database SQL Azure, automatic OS Updates and integration with Inhouse Systems (via Service Bus). Furthermore services like federated identity services.
Personally I thing PaaS should be used differently. For me PaaS is what MS claims as PaaS plus a Business Object and Business Process Platform that makes it possible for the customer to define own business objects and processes by means of modeling. This is not, what MS understands by PaaS. But it is a new term and probably still under discussion. Of course this can be built, if you know how. At least I am wondering how Azure might be integrated with Microsoft Oslo.
Günther Igl presents the Microsoft Online Services. Office Web Applications for example shall be able to offer online collaboration and offline work. Furthermore integration with local sharepoint installations. Is this the microsoft wave? Not yet. But it plays in the collaboration area. They complete the offering of Exchange Online, Sharepoint and LiveServices. However I still have to understand what this has to do with Windows Azure, or is it a mere sales slot. I know at least, that it is possible to use LiveServices with Azure.
He sais, that Sharepoint allows with Sharepoint Designer to build Workflows and Silverlight Applications (?!). However this is not Azure. Probably they could be integrated with Azure. But why should you do that? If you did not want to build your own workflow – yes. However first, Azure has its own workflow services that can be used and I do not believe, that it is possible to build applications with SharePoint.
In the next presentation the architecture of MS Azure is explained. It makes no sense to explain all here. However some types of applications are presented, that could be realized with MS Azure.
- Cloud only application – basically implementing a web site.
- Extend existing application with cloud part. For example a local point of sales application, that stores sales data in the cloud, but can also operate offline and synchronize later.
- Web Shop type – Have a web site with backend integration (e.g. SAP). This is done via the Azure Service Bus, that provides a public URL directory for private inhouse systems (of course with authentication).
- Massive scalable Website. You have Terabytes of data (Youtube). This makes use of Azure Tables (massively scalable), Azure Blobs, Azure Queues with Work Roles for asynchronous work.
Not mentioned was the Multi-Enterprise Business Application (MEBA) approach that I find most interesting. I will elaborate on this in a different post.
The service guarantee of Windows Azure is
- Role Monitoring and restart
- Compute Connectivity
- Storage AvailabilitDatabase Avaliabiligy
- Service Availability
All of this > 99.9% , they say.
This was the morning, now we will have lunch.