Windows Azure is a cloud computing platform that provides on-demand computing resources and metered billing. It offers various deployment and service models depending on ownership needs - whether to buy cloud services or build your own. The platform utilizes commodity hardware for fault tolerance and scalability across multiple layers including data, application, integration, and client layers to support various workloads running in the cloud and on-premises.

1. Windows
Azure
Overview
Jim O’Neil
BlueMetal Architects, Inc.
@jimoneil

2. Key Cloud Characteristics
Self-Service
Ubiquity
Resource pooling
Rapid elasticity
Metered

3. Deployment and Service Models
Ownership
Buy vs. Build

5. Commodity hardware for
fault tolerance and scalability
On-demand resources +
metered billing

6. Caching DatabaseQueuesTablesBlobs
Data
Layer

7. Media
Services HDInsight Reporting
Caching DatabaseQueuesTablesBlobs
Data
Layer
Application
Layer
Mobile
Services
Web and
Worker Role VM Web Sites
BizTalk
Services

8. Virtual
Network
Media
Services HDInsight Reporting
Data Sync
Notification
Hubs Service Bus Identity
Traffic
ManagerCDN
Caching DatabaseQueuesTablesBlobs
Data
Layer
Application
Layer
Integration
Layer
Mobile
Services
Web and
Worker Role VM Web Sites
BizTalk
Services
!

9. Virtual
Network
Media
Services HDInsight Reporting
Data Sync
Notification
Hubs Service Bus Identity
Traffic
ManagerCDN
PC
Games
ConsolePhoneTablet
On-premises
Service
On-premises
DatabaseOffice Addin Browser
Caching DatabaseQueuesTablesBlobs
Data
Layer
Application
Layer
Integration
Layer
ClientLayer
(on-prem)
Mobile
Services
Web and
Worker Role VM Web Sites
BizTalk
Services
!

10. Virtual
Network
Media
Services HDInsight Reporting
Data Sync
Notification
Hubs Service Bus Identity
Traffic
ManagerCDN
PC
Games
ConsolePhoneTablet
On-premises
Service
On-premises
DatabaseOffice Addin Browser
Caching DatabaseQueuesTablesBlobs
Data
Layer
Application
Layer
Integration
Layer
ClientLayer
(on-prem)
Mobile
Services
Web and
Worker Role VM Web Sites
BizTalk
Services
!

11. But wait there’s more…
• Visual Studio On-Line
• Backup and Recovery Manager supporting
private and hybrid scenarios
• ExpressRoute (preview)
• Windows Azure Scheduler (preview)
• Billing Alert Service (preview)