March 28, 2013 News Thursday: GSM Commercial Availability and more Server and Tools News…

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by STB Blogger

Get a 360-view of Web Applications with Global Service Monitor

Identify and address issues fast by getting a 360-degree view of the health of web applications. Global Service Monitor (GSM), a Windows Azure-based service that extends the application monitoring capabilities in System Center 2012 SP1 provides this functionality and is now commercially available. GSM uses Windows Azure points of presence around the globe to give you a true reflection of end-user experience of your application. Visit the Server and Cloud Platform blog to learn more.

Windows Azure helps Customers Boost Their Business

Windows Azure is paying off for customers all over the world. Here are some examples of winning solutions built on Windows Azure.

Since choosing Windows Azure in 2011, At The Races has experienced 50 percent growth in users on its website. At The Races is a United Kingdom (U.K.) TV channel and website, covering horse racing from the U.K., Ireland, and North America, and selected events from around the world. Approximately 1.5 million racing fans regularly log on to the website for racing information, previews, news, features, and other services. To manage sudden surges in demand online during key events in the horse-racing calendar, At The Races needed a cost-effective, cloud-based environment that would scale up and down easily and reliably. They bet on Windows Azure, and that bet paid off. You can read more about At The Races’ move to cloud in the Microsoft case study.

Making Waves and VGTV turned to Windows Azure Mobile Services to develop a media app that enables readers to consume news across online devices. VGTV is Norway’s leading newspaper but faced decreasing circulation as the way its readers consumed news shifted from print to online. VGTV enlisted the help of Making Waves, a design and technology consultancy, to deliver a media app to support the online edition of its newspaper. By using Windows Azure, they were able to save on both the time and development resources needed to create this app. You can watch the Microsoft case study video to hear more on how Mobile Services is being used to power their media app.