The Windows Azure platform is Microsoft’s public cloud computing platform.There are three main elements of the Windows Azure platform. Windows Azure provides a compute, storage and automated service management. It is where your application is hosted and managed in Microsoft data centers. SQL Azure provides a relational database as a service, again with a focus on compatibility with current technology. If you know how to use SQL Server, you know how to use SQL Azure. Windows Azure platform App Fabric provides a service bus feature which facilitates communication between an on-premises application and a cloud application. This will be a key differentiator for us in the market, our focus on integration on-premises and the cloud. There is also tooling for Access Control which facilitates extending identity between an on-premises and the cloud to create a seamless experience for users and to preserve existing security.
Service managementDefine the rules and provide codePlatform deploys, monitors, and manages the serviceStorageSimple storage provided by Windows AzureT-SQL capability delivered through SQL AzureDeveloper experienceFamiliar tools, technologies, languages for MS developersSupport for non-MS technologies, frameworks and toolsIntegration with on-premisesExtend on-premises applications to the cloudFederate identities across cloud applications
Compute Instance Size CPU Memory Instance Storage I/O Performance Small 1.6 GHz 1.75 GB 225 GB Moderate Medium 2 x 1.6 GHz 3.5 GB 490 GB High Large 4 x 1.6 GHz 7 GB 1,000 GB High Extra large 8 x 1.6 GHz 14 GB 2,040 GB High