Microsoft and Dell Announce Cloud Hardware for Data Centers
Microsoft and Dell have announced new server equipment that will enable companies to run online applications on both the Azure cloud service and in their own data centers. Microsoft also says that 20 percent of the computing power consumed on Azure comes from Linux systems.
Scott Guthrie, chief executive of Microsoft’s cloud division, and CEO Satya Nadella announced at a press conference in San Francisco that Microsoft, in partnership with Dell, will launch server hardware next month. The cloud in a box systems include Windows Server 2012 R2, System Center 2012 R2, and Windows Azure Pack. Companies must be able to place the so-called Microsoft Cloud Platform System hardware in their own data centers, whereby a link is made with the Azure cloud platform that runs in Microsoft’s data centers.
The Dell equipment offers system administrators, among other things, the ability to manage cloud services, such as controlling web servers and managing virtual machines. Prices have not yet been announced. In addition to Dell, Microsoft would also be open to working with other hardware partners to bring “cloud in a box” systems to the market, ZDnet reports.
According to Nadella, this is a “unique approach” where companies can place their own hardware in their self-managed data centers while still maintaining a connection with Azure. Competitors such as Amazon and Google do not offer this option. Microsoft also says that it is better than other companies to store cloud data within certain countries or regions with its fine-grained data center network. In doing so, it says it is responding to the resistance of companies and to legal obstacles to storing data abroad.
Microsoft also announced during the press conference that it now has data centers for cloud services in 19 regions. The software giant will soon open a number of new data centers in Australia. Furthermore, Nadella let go of the fact that “Microsoft loves Linux” and that 20 percent of the total computing power on Azure is now consumed by virtualized systems running on Linux. Microsoft has long opposed the open source operating system, but thanks in part to the growth of its Azure platform, the software giant has changed its attitude towards Linux in particular and open source software in general.