14 DAY TRIAL // The number of Microsoft solutions also available as Cloud alternatives from the Redmond company is increasing, and customers can add one more to that list: Internet Information Services Smooth Streaming.
According to the software giant, IIS HD Smooth Streaming will be available as a Windows Azure Service in the near future.
The announcement, made at the 2011 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show, is part of Microsoft’s strategy to bring media and entertainment companies to its Cloud.
However, in addition to taking its media-enabling technologies to the Cloud, the company is also betting on a business model that so far proved immensely successful for all involved.
In this regard, it will be Microsoft Partners to open the Cloud to M&E companies, though a strong ecosystem fostered by the software giant.
Customers turning to the Cloud to make their content available to the public will be able to leverage a wide range of services designed to deal with tasks such as processing, management and delivery, all running in Windows Azure and all developed by Microsoft Partners.
“We believe that the success of Windows Azure in M&E is hinged not only on offering a robust, scalable and open cloud platform, but also offering an excellent partner ecosystem that allows media companies to leverage their critical applications seamlessly between on-premise and the cloud,” revealed Jake Winett, director of Media & Entertainment Industry Solutions, Microsoft Communications Sector.
“Through this partner ecosystem, we can bring additional value both to our customers and our partners, and promote innovation at a pace and scale that is rare in the industry.”
By tapping the computing power available through Windows Azure, M&E companies can easily provide global experiences, scaling up as much as necessary, while still benefiting from cut costs infrastructure-wise, as well as a reduced-time-to-market, since they won’t need to deal with deploying servers.
As far as I’m concerned, one of the most important advantages of Windows Azure is the platform’s impressive support in terms of development languages.
M&E companies can use ASP.NET, but they can just as well leverage PHP, or Java, or any of the additional languages supported, including Ruby, Python, or C++.
“We understand that media customers need a hybrid, flexible approach that allows them to access a custom set of offerings and tools specific to their needs,” Winett added.
“The M&E partners working with Microsoft are able to balance multiple applications within a cloud environment because Windows Azure is a technology-agnostic platform. This makes it easier for companies to create, manage, deliver and monetize media on a wide range of platforms and devices.”