The Microsoft company has announced that new services of Windows Azure cloud platform are available now. New Windows Azure is not only PaaS but IaaS platform as well.
The main features of the updated Windows Azure platform are the following:
- Virtual Network that enables developers to build secured virtual network between local and cloud environment.
- Virtual Machine that provides support between persistent virtual machines and Linux and Windows Server.
- Windows Azure Web Sites that enable developers to locate PHP, ASP.NET and other websites on the Windows Azure platform.
The support facilities of a new version of Windows Azure were also added:
- Support of the Visual Studio 2012 development.
- Python and Windows Azure SDK for Mac and Linux are officially supported now.
Let’s look into Windows Azure’s new features in more detail.
Virtual Network
Windows Azure’s virtual network helps to adjust virtual private networks and to manage them as well as to connect them with the local IT environment in the most secured manner. Virtual network enables IT administrators to expand local networks into the cloud with the advanced management facilities.
Virtual Network uses standard IPSEC end-to-end protocol for protected connection between corporate VPN gateway and Windows Azure. You can add any number of the computers external to VPN gateway.
Virtual Machine
With the Virtual Machines Windows Azure gets not only PaaS but IaaS functionality as well that enables developers to run their local virtual machine images in the Windows Azure cloud. You can also move Virtual Hard Disks between the local and cloud environment. For example, you can migrate easily your actual solutions and both SharePoint and SQL Servers to the cloud.
Windows Azure Web Sites
Windows Azure Web Sites enable developers to locate their ASP.NET and PHP websites on the Windows Azure. You can also use ready-made engines such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and others. As a database you can use Azure SQL Database or MySQL.
You can locate up to 10 websites for free.
Updated services
The following Azure services were updated with additional functions and advanced support systems:
- Windows Azure Media Services;
- Windows Azure Caching;
- Windows Azure Storage;
- Windows Azure SQL Reporting.
The developers can create applications for Windows Azure with the use of different programming languages and on the different platforms. Windows Azure provides its libraries for .NET, Java, PHP, Node.js and Python development*.
*NOTE: the link URL is http://www.qarea.com/services/web-development/python (Python development services by QArea Company)
The author of the article is Andrew Smith, the PR Manager of QArea Company. The company provides software development outsourcing services.
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