THE MICROSOFT DIFFERENCE
Businesses and individuals should expect to benefit from the power of the cloud without compromising the privacy, security, or control they expect from the software they already use. Microsoft, with more than 20 years of experience creating business software, and almost 15 years of experience with cloud computing, is completely committed to the cloud. Most of our widely used products are already available in the cloud today.
LEADING THE WAY
Though cloud computing has only become a hot topic in the last few years, the present Microsoft cloud computing strategy evolved from our work on XML, web services, and .NET programming over the last decade.
Microsoft sites such as MSN.com and Windows Live Services (Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, and so forth) attract more than 600 million unique users worldwide each month, in 46 markets and 21 languages. Our global reach for cloud services is more than one billion customers and 20 million businesses each year, and we provide the reliability and security that those businesses should expect.
EXPERIENCE MATTERS
Microsoft understands the needs of businesses with respect to security, data privacy, compliance and risk management, and identity and access control. Microsoft data centers are ISO 27001:2005 accredited, with SAS 70 Type I and Type II attestations.
Microsoft offers a complete set of cloud-based solutions to meet your business needs, including solutions for advertising, communications (email, meetings), collaboration (document storage, sharing, workflow), business applications (customer resource management, business productivity), data storage and management, and infrastructure services. In addition, customers can take advantage of an entire ecosystem of solution providers, including more than 25,000 System Integrators and Value-Added Resellers (VARs) that provide services and support for Microsoft® products, and more than 45,000 Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) that build software and solutions that work with Microsoft products.
Working with Microsoft cloud services in conjunction with other Microsoft software makes for a more elastic infrastructure – making it possible to scale up or down when needed, to save money and increase business flexibility. Also, since Microsoft offers online or hosted versions of many familiar products—the Windows Server® operating system, SQL Server® data management software, Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, and soon, Microsoft Office productivity software—users can enjoy the benefits of the cloud while using applications they already know and trust.
COMMITTED TO THE CLOUD
We are evolving existing products, creating new cloud-based offerings, and building the infrastructure to support cloud services at a global level. Today, more than 70 percent of Microsoft developers are working on cloud-related products and services. In a year, we expect that number to be 90 percent.
Microsoft also continues to invest more than $9.5 billion per year in research and development. Almost every Microsoft product and service has been developed to take advantage of the cloud. Some examples are Microsoft Office, which is available online through the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite (BPOS) and Office Web Apps; Windows Server and Windows Azure; and Xbox and Xbox Live.
Microsoft already has world-class production data centers in North America, Europe, and Asia that support more than one billion customers and 20 million businesses, and continues to invest in increased capacity and support for new geographies. For customers whose data hosting options are limited by local business conditions, regulatory concerns, or security requirements, Microsoft cloud services often give the option for hosting nearby or, if necessary, in on-premises “private clouds.”
http://www.microsoft.com/uk/ipexpo
Simon May