Microsoft has unveiled a cloud computing service, in which data and applications will not be stored on individuals’ computers.
The new platform, dubbed Windows Azure, was announced at Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles.
The platform was described by Microsoft’s chief software architect Ray Ozzie as “Windows for the cloud”.
The framework will be offered alongside the next Windows release, Windows 7.
Microsoft & Google battle it out in the clouds
The move sees Microsoft taking on established players like Google and Amazon in the rapidly growing business of online software.
The aim is to allow developers to build new applications which will live on the internet, rather than on their own computers.
Microsoft believes consumers will also want to store far more of their data – from letters to photos to videos – on the servers in its “cloud” of giant data centres around the world, so that it can be accessed anywhere, from any device.
The move, which Microsoft sees as a major shift in its corporate strategy, was unveiled in front of 6,000 software developers from around the world.
The term cloud computing has become increasingly fashionable, as companies with large data centres start renting out space to businesses wanting to build rapidly growing online applications without needing to invest in more servers as traffic grows.
For consumers, there is the prospect of a future where much of their data and many of the applications they use could be stored online “in the cloud”.
‘Bloaty’ software
Microsoft, which still reaps huge profits from its Windows and Office products, is now moving into territory where it has so far struggled to make an impact.
Google, dominant in search and in online advertising, already has a suite of online applications living in the “cloud”. Sam Schillace, who runs Google Docs, says he is not worried by the arrival of a big new rival.
“Competition, even stiff competition from Microsoft doesn’t bother us because it will either make the internet as a whole better or it will be irrelevant to making it better.”
Without naming Microsoft, Mr Schillace drew a contrast between the old model of “bloaty” software and a more open future where online applications would be updated virtually every week.
“The way people work and the way people communicate, openness and velocity and nimbleness and focus are much more valuable and I think that’s a very big shift.”