October 2008
Microsoft is set to dramatically up the stakes in the software as a service (SaaS) market with a push for an operating system for the Cloud.
"When we talk about software plus services at Microsoft, we think it means not just how we write things for the internet; it really means a remaking of a number of things," said CEO Steve Ballmer. "We'll need a new operating system. Just as we have an operating system for the PC, for the phone and for the server, we need a new operating system that runs in the internet. I bet we'll call it Windows something. We're going to announce it in four weeks. We might even have a trademark by then. So, for today I'll call it Windows Cloud. And Windows Cloud will be a place where you can run arbitrary applications up in the internet that runs .Net."
The new operating system is necessary as it’s too hard today for people to write Cloud applications, Ballmer said, bouncing around the stage in his trademark style. “You should be able to write an application and push it the Cloud,” he said. “Write the application and put the intelligence where it makes sense, in the Cloud, server or device.”
Microsoft is keener on the software than the service, dubbing its version Software + Services. “We’re embracing Cloud computing as much as anyone,” insisted Ballmer, but added: “Software remains the magic ingredient. As part of this push, Microsoft will do more with .Net, Silverlight, Active Directory and SQL Server, among others.
"Our strategy is to build a symmetric stack: Windows Server, Windows Cloud, Active Directory, Active Directory with Live IDs as an identity system in the internet, SQL Server and an implementation of SQL Server for the Cloud," said Ballmer. "We now have CRM, CRM in the Cloud. We have SharePoint; SharePoint in the Cloud. We've got Exchange; Exchange in the Cloud. And we have big customers already moving in this direction. People like Nokia, Coca-Cola and others have signed up to move to Exchange online, SharePoint online.”
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