14 DAY TRIAL // Today, Microsoft officially debuts the 20th annual TechEd North America conference. In the opening keynote, Microsoft Server and Tools Business President Satya Nadella talked to the audience about the era of the cloud operating system (OS) for infrastructure.
He explained that the cloud OS drives modern datacenters and provides the necessary base for the development and management of modern applications.
With cloud solutions, customers can benefit from various features with this transformation, including agility, focus and lower costs.
Additionally, Satya Nadella announced a series of updated developer tools, complemented by the availability of a new flavor of Windows Intune, the cloud-based solution for PC and mobile device management and security.
At the event, Microsoft talked about its cloud-optimized server OS, Windows Server 2012, as well as about Windows Azure, which has been updated only last week with a new series of features, as well as with improved features.
These platforms have been developed to complement each other with consistent development, management and identity, so that developers can create applications for public, private and hybrid clouds easier than before. Migration, deployment and management have been simplified too.
“The operating system does two things: it looks after the hardware, and it provides a platform for applications. The modern datacenter and modern apps put more pressure than ever on infrastructure to become truly cloud-optimized, and that’s where Microsoft builds on our legacy with the OS to help our customers,” Nadella said.
“Microsoft is your partner in the transformation of IT because only Microsoft offers the modern, yet familiar, platform that enables you to connect with the cloud on your terms.”
Moreover, Microsoft discussed optimizations that it brought to its platforms so as to support the unique paths that each customer follows when moving to the cloud.
Microsoft’s technologies and tools were enhanced to enable customers to easily connect to public, private or hybrid clouds when needed.
“Delivering content to thousands of users across multiple devices and platforms requires a level of infrastructure that’s easier to manage and more affordable with the cloud,” said Denise Schuster, senior vice president of Digital Innovations for Tribune Company.
“We are currently using various methods to deliver content via cloud services, and we’re moving our digital content to Windows Azure to help us find new ways to better deliver a targeted, more personalized experience for our customer base.”
Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate was made available to enable easy transition to the cloud for all customers, complemented by the availability of enhancements to Windows Azure and the availability of Windows Intune.
Customers can already evaluate Windows Server 2012 RC, as well as the newly added preview support for Virtual Machine and Virtual Network in Windows Azure. Windows Intune is also available to offer expanded management and security benefits for mobile device management.
Microsoft also announced the availability of a public preview of Team Foundation Service. It comes as an application lifecycle management tool hosted on Windows Azure, featuring collaboration tools, a code repository, and various other tools.
“To help developers and IT professionals build immersive experiences that scale across devices and the cloud, the company announced that Microsoft LightSwitch, an easy-to-use development tool for quickly building applications, will now render HTML5. Integrating HTML5 into LightSwitch will enable developers using the tool to target any device or platform supporting HTML5,” Microsoft also said.
Today’s keynote is streamed live on Microsoft’s TechEd website. It will be available as on-demand video as well.