Microsoft also updates pricing and expands its availability around the world

Jun 8, 2012 14:43 GMT  ·  By

Today, Microsoft announced the availability of a new set of services and enhancements for its Windows Azure platform.

Among the new services that are now available as a preview for Windows Azure, Microsoft lists Virtual Machines, Virtual Network, and Web Sites.

Additionally, SQL Reporting has been made generally available for all customers, and there is also a locally-redundant storage option included in the equation, so as to offer more customer choice.

Various other enhancements have been also made to services, so as to provide customers with the possibility to build and bring their applications to the cloud in unique ways.

Microsoft also focused on increasing the overall value through updating a number of pricing and metering, such as graduated pricing for Network, CDN and Storage, or the addition of preview pricing for Windows Server and Non-Windows VMs. Windows Azure customers will also benefit from a 90 percent reduction in Storage and CDN transaction prices, the company announced.

In addition to these improvements to Windows Azure services, Bob Kelly, corporate vice president, Windows Azure Marketing, Microsoft, announced the expansion of the platform’s availability to more markets around the world.

Windows Azure is now available to customers in 48 new countries, including Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa, and Ukraine.

Microsoft expects for the roll-out to be complete later this month, in an attempt to make Windows Azure one of the most widely available cloud platforms in the industry. Following the expansion, it will be available in 89 countries globally, and it will benefit from 19 local currencies.

“Together, these updates offer customers greater flexibility for spanning on-premises and cloud servers, deliver powerful enhancements for cloud applications, and continue our commitment to make Windows Azure an open platform,” Bob Kelly notes in a post on the Windows Azure blog.

Those who would like to have a look at a complete rundown of the new enhancements and services added to Windows Azure should head over to the aforementioned blog post.