Updated: July 9, 2020 (June 14, 2010)
SidebarThe Windows Azure Platform
The Windows Azure platform can reduce the cost of purchasing and maintaining server infrastructure to support internal-use or Web-based applications by outsourcing some functions to Microsoft’s data centers. In particular, they can help organizations meet peak capacity without permanent investments in the hardware and software necessary for peak loads. However, Windows Azure platform services are not complete replacements for on-premises servers. For instance, Azure doesn’t provide customers administrator access to Windows Server virtual machine instances (although this feature will be available later in 2010), and SQL Server’s business intelligence features are not yet available through the SQL Azure hosted data management service.
The Windows Azure platform comprises the following services:
- Windows Azure hosts Web applications and stores simple application data in blobs, tables, queues, and virtual drives
- SQL Azure Database hosts relational databases using Microsoft’s SQL Server
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