Notes from the Windows Azure by David Chappell in ArCast.TV
I was viewing this ArCast.TV chapter about Windows Azure by David Chappell and I found that it would be interesting for me and for other people to get some notes about this, and so this post was created due to it.
We see in Cloud Computing two types of elements:
- SaaS – Software as a Service
- Examples:
- SalesForce.Com
- Microsoft
- CRM Online (competitor of SalesForce.com)
- Exchange Online
- Sharepoint Online
- and so on.
- Examples:
- PaaS - Platform as a Service or Cloud Platforms
Competition in this space
- Amazon (1st company in this space)
- EC2 – we get Virtual Machines
- Provide Virtual Machines in the Cloud that can be Windows or Linux, and after that those are your VM’s that you have to manage. Very different approach from Windows Azure.
- EC2 – we get Virtual Machines
- Microsoft
- Windows Azure - We give the Applications and the Virtual Machines are managed for us, without we ever need to manage a specific Virtual Machine
- Components:
- Windows Azure – Think of it as a Windows in the Cloud, of course this is not the same thing but is a nice way to make the analogy to it
- Windows Azure Service Platform
- .NET Services
- Service Bus
- Workflow Services
- Access Control
- SQL Data Services
- Live Services
- .NET Services
- Components:
- Windows Azure - We give the Applications and the Virtual Machines are managed for us, without we ever need to manage a specific Virtual Machine
- Google
- AppEngine – Not like EC2 but more like Windows Azure
- We give a Java or Phyton application and the will be place on VMs like the Windows Azure, but this is completely transparent for user
- All about Supporting Web Applications
- Not possible to have a Batch Service like in Azure
- Only 10 seconds available to process Responses, or else the AppEngine will shutdown the Request
- AppEngine – Not like EC2 but more like Windows Azure
What’s the best? EC2, Windows Azure or AppEngine?
- It depends on the application your building and the way you’ll build it because the approaches are different and so it’s important to get the most correct Technology to your problem.
ISV’s Strategy
- In case of a Windows ISV then is normal to think about Windows Azure in order to address the SaaS space.
Enterprise Strategy
- Often enterprises look at the cloud only as a way to save money, and move the current apps unchanged into the cloud, but that is not the purpose of Windows Azure since now this is not possible, but of course there will be attractive to move existing applications into the cloud.
- Of course all depends on the applications, because it’s possible if we have a Web Application with a SQL Server Database, because in this case we can move the Web Application to the Windows Azure and the SQL Server Database into the SQL Data Services.
- What this makes?
- Application more manageable
- More Scalable
- More Extensible
- and so on.
- What this makes?
Get Started using Windows Azure in www.azure.com.