Windows Azure CDN Production Launch

The first day of TechEd 2010 brought with it the production launch for Windows Azure CDN (Content Delivery Network), but customers leveraging the offering will be able to continue doing so free of charge for the remainder of this month. As announced previously, it will be only in July 2010 that Microsoft will start charging for Windows Azure CDN usage. With Windows Azure CDN, Microsoft is kicking up a notch the experience related to performance and reliability when it comes down to content distribution for customers leveraging its Cloud platform. Copies of data are stored across the Windows Azure network, making them easily accessible in online distribution scenarios.

“Usage of the Windows Azure CDN for all billing periods that begin after June 30, 2010 will be charged using the three following billing meters and rates: $0.15 per GB for data transfers from European and North American locations; $0.20 per GB for data transfers from other locations; and $0.01 per 10,000 transactions,” a member of the Windows Azure team added.

Microsoft underlined that there were no less than 19 locations globally for Windows Azure CDN, spread across the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. In this regard, the software giant offers Windows Azure customers a global solution for delivering high-bandwidth content. For those reluctant to embracing Windows Azure CDN, the Redmond company revealed that it tested the offering extensively, and that it was using it for the distribution of its own content, including for Windows Update, but also Zune videos and Bing Maps data.

“Content types supported by the Windows Azure CDN include web objects (e.g. JPG, CSS, and JavaScript), downloadable objects (media files, software, documents) and other components for Internet delivery. The Windows Azure CDN supports HTTP delivery of public content stored in Windows Azure storage,” the Windows Azure team representative added. “All usage for billing periods beginning prior to July 1, 2010 will not be charged. To help you determine which pricing plan best suits your needs, please review the comparison table, which includes this information.”