Microsoft has started later but with huge investments in the creation of new data centres. In the fall of 2008, the leading software company has introduced a cloud platform called Windows Azure, currently available only in a preview ver- sion. Azure is able to provide a number of new technologies: a Windows-based en- vironment in the cloud to store data in Microsoft data centres and to run applica- tions; an infrastructure for both on-premises and cloud applications (through .NET Services); a cloud based database (through SQL Data Services, which can be used from different users and different locations); and an application tool to access Live Services which allows.
