Look out AWS: Microsoft Azure IaaS hits general availability

Grazed from InfoWorld. Author: Ted Samson.

Microsoft on Tuesday made a flurry of Windows Azure-related announcements, including the general availability of Windows Azure IaaS (infrastructure as a service), with new VMI (virtual machine image) templates for SQL Server, BizTalk Server, and SharePoint; larger VM sizes; and new pricing to challenge Amazon Web Services (AWS). What’s more, Microsoft announced the general availability of Windows Azure Virtual Networks.

Microsoft unveiled previews of Azure IaaS and Virtual Networks last June as part of a significant overhaul to the formerly PaaS-centric platform featuring a healthy dose of IaaS capabilities and broader support for various OSes and development platforms. Today’s news marks an important milestone for Microsoft Azure as it emerges as a credible competitor to AWS, OpenStack, and other cloud platforms jockeying for position. (Check out InfoWorld’s review of Azure for more details about the Microsoft-crafted cloud.)…

Today’s news also means that Microsoft shops have more to think about as they contemplate their cloud strategies. For example, a company intent on embracing SharePoint in the cloud can now choose to deploy it on Azure or sign up for Office 365. Azure’s built-in gallery of VMI templates now includes Windows Server images, including Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, BizTalk Server, and SharePoint Server, as well as Linux images, including Ubuntu, CentOS, and SUSE Linux distributions, according to Microsoft’s Server and Tools Business VP Scott Guthrie. Users also can upload and run their own custom-built VHD images…

Read more from the source @ http://www.infoworld.com/t/iaas/look-out-aws-microsoft-azure-iaas-hits-general-availability-216577