"We have introduced a game-changing set of technologies that will bring new opportunities to Web developers and business developers alike," declared Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect, today at its Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles. Ozzie announced Windows Azure, the cloud-based service foundation underlying its Azure Services Platform, and highlighted this platform’s role in delivering a software plus services approach to computing.

“Today marks a turning point for Microsoft and the development community,” Ozzie said proudly, adding:

"The Azure Services Platform, built from the ground up to be consistent with Microsoft’s commitment to openness and interoperability, promises to transform the way businesses operate and how consumers access their information and experience the Web. Most important, it gives our customers the power of choice to deploy applications in cloud-based Internet services or through on-premises servers, or to combine them in any way that makes the most sense for the needs of their business.”

In an announcement Microsoft called the Azure Services Platform "an industry-leading move by Microsoft to help developers build the next generation of applications that will span from the cloud to the enterprise datacenter and deliver compelling new experiences across the PC, Web and phone."

The company described the component of the platform as follows:

•	Windows Azure for service hosting and management, low-level scalable storage, computation and networking
•	Microsoft SQL Services for a wide range of database services and reporting
•	Microsoft .NET Services which are service-based implementations of familiar .NET Framework concepts such as workflow and access control
•	Live Services for a consistent way for users to store, share and synchronize documents, photos, files and information across their PCs, phones, PC applications and Web sites
•	Microsoft SharePoint Services and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Services for business content, collaboration and rapid solution development in the cloud.