Microsoft chief executive officer, Steve Ballmer, has revealed
that the company will be developing a version of
Windows for cloud computing.
Due to be formally unveiled in four weeks time, the cloud
operating system is part of a broad strategy which aims to answer
critics, who believe Microsoft is not addressing the new ways of
buying and using applications, such as
software as a service.
Companies such as Salesforce.com have succeeded in offering
end-users an approach to running applications, that makes operating
systems, server and IT infrastructure software effectively
redundant. The software and hardware to support such applications
are hosted by a third party and accessed over the internet using a
web browser.
Speaking today at Microsoft's Technology to Change your Business
event in London, Ballmer confirmed Microsoft was committed to
developing its infrastructure and server software.
But rather than provide software as a service, he said Microsoft
would develop software and services, which could be accessed either
from the internet through cloud computing or installed as desktop
and server software.
He said the new operating system would address the challenges of
developing, deploying and supporting application that can run
either in the internet cloud, or in a datacentre. "We have a new
software development model to [allow] applications to run where it
makes sense."
The strategy differs from pure cloud computing, where the
applications runs only on the internet.
Ballmer said that Microsoft aims to write applications for the
cloud which also work as server software in a datacentre, or on a
desktop.
The Windows for cloud operating system is one part of
Microsoft's overall strategy to provide software and services.
As the strategy is rolled out, products such as Exchange,
Microsoft Live, Active Directory and MS Office will be able to work
both in the internet cloud, and the traditional PC and server
environment, said Ballmer.