A Bright Cloudy Future -- Redmond Channel Partner

Barney's Blog

A Bright Cloudy Future

Microsoft loves to make well-publicized big bets, like when Bill Gates released his famous "The Internet Is Everything" memo.

Now Steve Ballmer says "The Cloud Is Nearly Everything" and believes his company has a head start. Most apps, such as SharePoint, Office and Exchange, can already run as hosted software. And he believes Azure is more robust and scalable than other cloud tools such as those from Amazon. The cloud leads to a number of possibilities, Ballmer believes. It can foster the creation of smarter devices that rely on cloud power, and offers the possibility of new software inventions and services.

But while the cloud might be nearly everything, it's not the only thing. Ballmer argues that good, old-fashioned hard drive-based software will be important for years to come.

How you tried Azure? What do you think? Shoot your responses through the ether to [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on March 08, 2010

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