Microsoft rallies partners to build hybrid Azure

Microsoft is set to attract businesses to use Azure through a “cloud first” partner programme.

At Microsoft Azure's worldwide partner conference, general manager Steven Martin said: “We are committed to helping our partners and customers embrace cloud computing, using a 'cloud-first' approach to all we do, from our partner programmes to our engineering principles to our product innovations.”

To support integration with cloud applications, Microsoft unveiled Windows Azure Active Directory. This supports integration of identities across both Microsoft and third-party SaaS applications. Windows Azure Active Directory synchronises with on-premise Windows Server Active Directory. It is also built into Office 365.

Microsoft has pre-integrated Windows Azure Active Directory with 40 applications, including Box.com, Salesforce.com, Concur, DropBox and Google Apps Gmail. A browser-based user access panel enables users to find the SaaS apps and login using a single sign-on.

The company has also extended the SQL Azure database with a premium version, which it says enables database administrators to reserve dedicated cloud capacity to support mission critical applications.

Martin urged Microsoft's partners to assist customers who want to integrate Windows Azure infrastructure services, the company's infrastructure as a service (IaaS) platform.

As Computer Weekly has previously reported, demand for cloud computing is pushing up rates for Microsoft consultants.

Over the next year Microsoft hopes to extend the Azure platform by forging closer ties with the on-premise Windows server environment used by most businesses to run server-based applications.

The company is also encouraging third-party developers to build apps and applications hosted on the Azure cloud, made available to users through the Windows Azure store. At the time of writing, the store has few applications, but clearly Microsoft wants to make it a fully fledged marketplace for enterprise apps and applications.

Citrix extends remote desktop delivery from Windows Azure for mobile working

Desktop virtualisation provider Citrix has enabled the delivery of remote desktop sessions from Microsoft Windows Azure cloud platform.

The virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) provider has collaborated with Microsoft to acquire licensing support for Remote Desktop Services (RDS) on Windows Azure with its XenDesktop 7 product.

Citrix released XenDesktop 7 in May at its Synergy event as part of Project Avalon, its multi-phased initiative to deliver Windows as a cloud service. The VDI product brings virtual desktops and apps under the same umbrella.

Cloud-hosted session desktops enable mobile working by delivering any type of app, to any type of device, over any type of network.

Delivering mobile apps and Windows server-based remote desktops from Windows Azure will help enterprises support live session roaming, multiple device types and formats, and rich user interface media experiences, according to Citrix.

Running XenDesktop 7 in the cloud gives enterprises the ability to manage costs, extend capacity on demand, reduce lead time for procuring and configuring hardware, and reduce hardware sizing risk as loads fluctuate, it said.

“Customers are increasingly adopting cloud hosted session desktops to enable mobile work styles and simplify their operations. Using the cloud as a deployment platform will further accelerate these major trends,” said Bob Schultz, group vice-president and general manager, desktops and apps, at Citrix.

XenDesktop 7 will allow users to have a high-definition experience across a broad set of user-defined devices, he added.

Citrix’s remote desktop delivery on Windows Azure comes at a time when the market for cloud-hosted session desktops is rising as users demand flexible, cost-effective IT services that can enable a mobile workforce.

Research firm 451 Group has estimated that the overall desktop virtualisation market could be worth $5.6bn (£3.75bn) by 2015. It also predicted a 35% growth for cloud-hosted desktop revenue through 2015.

The remote desktop delivery is also available to service providers.

“Combining Microsoft Windows Azure with our Citrix desktop virtualisation infrastructure allows us to deliver enterprise-class hosted solutions in a cost-effective package that was previously unavailable to small businesses,” said Tom Poole, president of Cloud Nation, a US-based cloud solutions aggregator.

Delivering hosted session desktops from Windows Azure gives Citrix customers the benefit of delivering desktops from a cloud familiar to system administrators and optimise the sessions for Windows workloads.