Microsoft announced the Windows Azure cloud computing appliance at this week’s Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Washington, D.C. The first iteration of Azure in a box, as some are now calling the appliance, is meant for large companies that aren’t comfortable putting data in a public cloud. But it will be more useful to VARs once it’s scaled down for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
“Over time, we will make it both bigger and smaller,” Bob Muglia, president of Microsoft’s server and tools business, said at the WPC. Microsoft says that there are currently 10,000 customers using Azure, according to SearchITChannel.com. Microsoft did not give details on pricing or a release date for the Azure cloud computing appliance at the WPC.
