by STB Blogger

Today, at the BUILD conference, Microsoft showcased its cloud computing development tools and service platforms to help developers flexibly create and deliver powerful applications on their choice of the public cloud, the private cloud or a combination of both. In his keynote, Server and Tools President Satya Nadella highlighted how developers can look to Windows Azure, Windows Server and the Visual Studio common development tools across both to deliver new applications to a range of connected devices. Today’s news is outlined below.

Windows Server 8 Developer Preview
At BUILD and on MSDN, we released a developer preview of code-named “Windows Server 8” to help software and hardware partners prepare new and existing applications, systems and devices for this upcoming product. Windows Server 8 applies Microsoft’s experience in building and operating Windows Azure to offer a private cloud platform focused on delivery of applications, interoperability within today’s diverse IT environments, best-in-class virtualization performance and strong links to public cloud services.

  • Windows Server 8 offers developers an open application and Web platform, including enhanced frameworks and programming tools, comprehensive scripting and integration options, and new identity and access technology for private cloud and hybrid applications.
  • For IT organizations, Windows Server 8 offers a dynamic, multitenant infrastructure that goes beyond virtualization to provide maximum flexibility for delivering cloud services.
  • Windows Server 8 changes the IT economics of storage for high availability and continuous services and delivers new enhancements for automated management of services.
  • With Windows Server 8, IT will be better able to provide employees with flexible, security-enhanced access to data and apps from anywhere.

Corporate Vice President Bill Laing provides more insights about Windows Server 8 on the Microsoft Server and Cloud Platform blog.

Windows Azure Platform:

  • Expansion of Windows Azure Marketplace to 25 new countries. This expansion will offer application developers a comprehensive market for partners to list and sell their Azure offerings, and now with Microsoft translator APIs developers can easily globalize their applications. Of note, the other countries will be online in the beginning of October.
  • Microsoft Translator API as part of the Windows Azure Marketplace. These APIs can be used in a Web or client application to perform language translation operations for approximately 40 languages. Developers and webmasters are able to provide translation and language services as part of their applications, websites or services.
  • Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows 8. The Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows 8 is an extension of previous toolkits for devices (Windows Phone, Android and iOS) and social games. With this toolkit, developers can use the cloud to accelerate the creation and delivery of applications on Windows 8. Available for download at MSDN and GitHub.
  • Windows Azure Service Bus September Release.  The Windows Azure Service Bus September Release helps developers build distributed and loosely-coupled applications in the cloud, as well as hybrid applications across on-premises and the cloud. Service Bus provides developers with delivery assurance, consistent messaging and scale. Enhancements enable asynchronous cloud eventing, event-driven SOA, advanced intra-app messaging.
  • Windows Azure Storage features. New features include geo-replication and a new version of the REST API to enable functionality improvements for Windows Azure Blobs, Tables, and Queues. Geo-replication replicates a customer’s Windows Azure Blob and Table data, at no additional cost, between two locations hundreds of miles apart within the same region (i.e., between North and South US, between North and West Europe, and between East and Southeast Asia).  Geo-replication is provided for additional data durability in case of a major disaster.
  • Windows Azure SDK version 1.5. The release of Windows Azure SDK 1.5 introduces a number of foundational platform elements and enhancements to simplify the creation of cloud applications on Windows Azure. Examples of enhancements:
    • Re-architected emulator enabling higher fidelity between local and cloud developments and deployments.
    • Improved performance of emulator and deployment, assembly/package validation before deployment.
    • Enhancements to help manage remote desktop encryption passwords.
    • Manage multiple service configurations in one cloud project.

More information on the Windows Azure updates can be found on the blog and the website.

For more information, press only: Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, (503) 443-7070, rrt@waggeneredstrom.com