For developers shifting their focus away from the desktop and onto the Cloud, Microsoft has centralized the resources it is offering for Azure and the Live Framework in a single location. Microsoft Cloud Computing Tools on MSDN is designed as the starting place for developers to access tools, SDKs, and information that will permit them to build Cloud applications and services. The Redmond company is of course pushing its Windows Azure Cloud operating system and the Live Framework in the limelight.

“Windows Azure is the development, hosting, and management environment of the Azure Services Platform, which enables you to run applications at Internet scale while leveraging the skills and tools you use today. Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio extend Visual Studio to enable the creation, building, debugging, running, and packaging of scalable services on Windows Azure,” revealed Alina A. Dumitrescu, from the Microsoft Canada Consulting team.

Windows Azure was introduced at the end of October 2008 at the Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles, with Microsoft presenting it as a natural evolution of the Windows platform while embracing the Cloud. Developers will be able to access the Windows Azure SDK, Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio, Azure Services Training Kit - PDC Preview, but also the Forum, and the developer portal for the solution.

“The Live Framework is the uniform way for programming Live Services from a variety of platforms, programming languages, applications and devices. With the Live Framework, you can easily build and deploy applications in the cloud that sync across multiple devices,” Dumitrescu added.

Via the Microsoft Cloud Computing Tools, developers can request invitations to the Live Framework Community Technical Preview (CTP) and grab the latest releases of the Software Development Kit and of the tools associated with the Framework. Earlier this month, Microsoft made available for download a new release of the Live Framework Tools CTP.