Microsoft, the American multinational tech giant has revealed a new set of technologies aimed at making its cloud computing services work in data centers that it does not own, including of its rivals’.
According to Microsoft’s experts and officials, the strategy has been vital to the company’s future in the $64.3 billion cloud computing infrastructure market, where Microsoft is second only to market leader Amazon which is a major contributor to cloud computing through its Web services.
Microsoft announced last week that sales from Azure, its flagship cloud service, have increased by 48 percent, enabling it to overtake Apple to become the world’s most valuable publicly-traded company.
Its strategy involves developing its most lucrative cloud software services, such as database tools so that they can run inside its own data centers, those owned by customers or even those of rivals like Amazon or Google.
According to Microsoft’s cloud and artificial intelligence chief Mr. Scott Guthrie, Microsoft’s move has influenced some customers to use its services when they are unable to use the company’s data centers. For example, the Royal Bank of Canada faces legal requirements to maintain some of its computing work in its own data centers and uses a technology called Azure Arc to connect those facilities to Microsoft’s cloud.
Mr. Ed Anderson, the vice president distinguished analyst of Gartner and Microsoft’s Director of Marketing strategy, said the approach will open doors for Microsoft with customers, but it will also push the company to compete on the quality of its software services rather than cheap computing power.
