Architecture of Windows Azure

Microsoft Azure is an open cloud computing platform, designed by Microsoft. It provides the ability to develop and launch applications and to store data on servers in distributed data centers. Microsoft Azure cloud offers two models — platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).

The platform is divided into three major component platforms. Windows Azure offers a cloud platform built on Windows OS and based on Microsoft virtualization technology. Applications are installed on VMs deployed on the data-center servers. Azure manages all servers, storage, and network resources of the data center. On top of the infrastructure are the various services for building different cloud applications. Cloud-level services provided by the Azure platform are introduced below. This complex orchestration is what makes Azure so powerful. It ensures that users no longer have to spend their time maintaining and upgrading computer hardware as Azure takes care of it all behind the scenes.

• Live Service Users can visit Microsoft Live applications and apply the data involved across
  multiple machines concurrently.
• .NET Service This package supports application development on local hosts and execution on
  cloud machines.
• SQL Azure This function makes it easier for users to visit and use the relational database
  associated with the SQL server in the cloud.
• SharePoint Service This provides a scalable and manageable platform for users to develop their
  special business applications in upgraded web services.
• Dynamic CRM Service This provides software developers a business platform in managing
  CRM applications in financing, marketing, and sales and promotions.