Microsoft has announced general availability for Windows Azure and SQL Azure in 21 countries. Customers can now run production applications with the services’ full service-level agreements.
The move follows the community technology preview and the first customers moving applications into production during January.
A platform route to the cloud
Azure is being positioned around hosted applications and data rather than simply renting an unmanaged machine. Developers still need to choose how their application stores data, authenticates users and handles failures.
For teams already working with Microsoft’s development tools, the release provides a new deployment option. The decision also involves the cost of adapting an existing application and its operational processes to a hosted platform.