Windows Azure for SharePoint: Combining SharePoint with Windows Azure.

Sick of constantly hassling people to clean up files on the server? Want more compute resource at peak times but don’t want the added overhead? Combine your SharePoint with Windows Azure and these problems, and more besides, are solved. Azure can handle your document storage, as well as holding huge amounts of SharePoint application data, all within the cloud.

Azure’s dynamically scalable hosting potential can bring practical service-based scenarios into SharePoint. And it’s not just added space that Azure offers; it’s also ease of use. You can create customer-facing interfaces in Azure, that can be easily integrated into SharePoint’s architecture, and your developers can continue to leverage their skills in Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft .NET, Java or other development environments.

Azure’s simple pay-as-you-go pricing model also streamlines budgeting and removes the need for capital expenditure on upfront purchases, provisioning and management of additional server infrastructure. In short, Windows Azure is about simplicity: creating an easier life for you, while improving the performance of your current SharePoint system.

An overview of Windows Azure

Azure is already improving businesses through the following key features and benefits:

• Simplified operations and maintenance of applications – by providing on-demand scalability of both compute and storage. 
• Reduced need for up-front purchases – with a pay-as-you-go pricing model, budgeted from Opex, not Capex.
• Increased compatibility – providing an open environment that supports multiple internet protocols, including HTTP/HTTPS, REST, SOAP, and XML. This enables your developers to easily create cloud-based applications in their preferred scripting language without further training.
• Responsive management – Azure handles load balancing and resource management automatically, giving users all the bandwidth and storage they need, the instant they need it.

StorSimple solved their forever increasing storage issues with Windows Azure.

Start-up software vendor StorSimple is using Windows Azure to solve the storage issues of companies with high-growth applications. StorSimple’s hybrid solution seamlessly integrates cloud storage services for Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint and Windows Server with on-premises servers to deliver a scalable, on-demand cloud storage model.

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Who’s using Windows Azure with SharePoint?

Point8020 - Learning content provider Point8020 uses Windows Azure to enhance the delivery of expert-led instructional videos that help businesses make the most of SharePoint.
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“Our customers already have an investment in Microsoft technology. I’m sure they will be happy knowing our product is based on Windows Azure. It gives them confidence that the services will be reliable, available, and offer great performance.”

                                        Martin Harwar, Chief Executive Officer, Point8020

Hitachi - Global IT consulting firm Hitachi Consulting is streamlining reporting for U.S. Government contractors with their Program Management Framework combining the Microsoft SQL Azure cloud database service with Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010.

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“With SQL Azure and our solution, we anticipate that a typical client will save at least $200,000 annually in hardware and licensing costs alone. Plus, the reduced administrative burden of SQL Azure and Windows Azure will allow our clients to refocus scarce technical resources on higher value activities.”

Rob Rae, Director Microsoft Platform Practice, Hitachi Consulting

Curtsey: Microsoft Corp.