Microsoft Milestone: One Year Anniversary of Microsoft Windows Azure Platform

We're excited to announce the one year anniversary of the general availability of Microsoft's Windows Azure platform this week.  The Windows Azure platform has enabled users to innovate in a timely fashion with solutions that are cost-effective and reliable.

In the past year, we've seen companies across key vertical industries leverage the Windows Azure platform to innovate in a way they never could before. For example, automotive company Volvo wanted to create a virtual world that resembled the movie "Eclipse" to promote its movie premiere contest, but its existing technology infrastructure was limiting and couldn't provide the scalability or level of security required. Volvo chose to develop on the Windows Azure platform and successfully delivered an innovative, secure online gaming experience.

General Mills is continually looking to technology to diversify the way its products and services are used.  The company chose to use Windows Azure to deploy the Betty Crocker Kitchen Assistant , a desktop computer applicationthat features high-resolution images and step-by-step, interactive cooking instructions. Through its new offering, General Mills extended the Betty Crocker brand into a new digital channel, delivering a rich, engaging consumer experience .

Fiserv, a global provider of technology solutions to the financial services industry, is looking to cloud-based technologies to scale financial offers and deploy new ones at a rapid, cost-effective rate. As explained by Rick McMichael, Vice President of Strategic Architecture and Technology at Fiserv, the company developed an interest in Windows Azure, "based on the flexibility, scalability and the cost benefits it could offer."

For more information on the anniversary announcement and these case studies, visit the Microsoft Cloud Virtual Pressroom.