Azure is Microsoft’s attempt to bridge the gap between desktop and cloud-based computing. The idea behind it is that applications developed using a common Windows programming model can be run either in-house or as a cloud service.
Microsoft chief software architect Ray Ozzie describes this as “giving customers choice”. Clearly, this is a well thought out strategy. Microsoft is late into the market, but Azure promises to offer software developers and enterprises a way to migrate some of their existing Windows applications into the cloud, while keeping others on site.
