The advantages of taking a business to the "Cloud Platform" were discussed highlighting the ease with which a complex business can be established in the cloud, without incurring the startup cost in terms of infrastructure and human resources. After defining what cloud computing is, the different forms of Cloud Computing Platforms were discussed with reference to some existing major vendors. The major components that make up the Windows Azure Platform, the Windows Azure Compute/Storage Services, the SQL Azure, and the AppFabric were discussed in some detail. Also discussed were the hardware and software requirements as well as the Windows Azure Operating System versions, SDKs, and Tools. Working through the two examples will help you get started in understanding the Windows Azure Platform. The two examples in this chapter, show you how to subscribe to this service and review the various services offered. Guidance to activate the service was also described as well as the deployment options in the cloud.

In the next chapter, SQL Azure services will be described in detail with a number of examples providing you with the ability to work with this relational database in the cloud effectively.