Azure Central to Server-Side Development and Integration

An improved Azure platform will be offered for server-side development projects, including application integration projects that are currently addressed by BizTalk technology. The improved platform will include new workflow, component, and management technologies and enhancements to existing Azure services. Applications built on the platform will run in Microsoft data centers, on-premises, and in third-party data centers. The updated platform promises broader choice of tools and other advantages over existing .NET and BizTalk technologies, especially for business-to-business and cloud services integration. However, it is an ambitious project in an area with a history of changes to technology direction.

Platform Brings Workflow, Microservices Systems

The updated platform is designed to run Web applications, Web services, the server side of mobile applications, and other server-side application components. The platform will also serve business process management and application integration, tasks currently handled by the BizTalk Server software and the BizTalk Services Microsoft-hosted service. The platform includes existing Azure components and significant new pieces, including a workflow system for long-running business processes, and a “microservices” component technology and store. (See the illustration “Updated Azure Application Platform“.) Microsoft will host the platform as an Azure service, and ship it in the Azure Pack software for customer and partner deployment.