Microsoft’s Journey from Windows to Cloud Computing
The changes Microsoft made to its product suite over the last three decades has been remarkable. From a software company specializing in the Windows operating systems, Microsoft has become a leader in cloud computing and a powerhouse of the digital age. In today’s world, digital transformation is propelling the need for businesses to embrace cloud technology and Microsoft provides a full suite of innovative cloud computing services and solutions. Microsoft’s journey from Windows to Cloud Computing has been remarkable and fascinating.
History of Microsoft’s Windows
Microsoft has a long history of success in the Operating System (OS) market and is largely credited with popularizing the concept of computing with its Windows operating systems. Microsoft Windows was first released in 1985 and quickly became the reigning leader in OS. Since then, the company has released several updated versions such as Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10.
As the technology quickly evolved, Windows went from software residing on a physical device, to the concept of “software as a service” (SaaS). This concept allowed Microsoft to update and upgrade its products in real-time, without requiring customers to make any physical purchases or wait for a long period of time to access the latest version.
Early Adoption of Cloud Infrastructure
In 2014, Microsoft was one of the first major companies to form a cloud-first strategy and jump headfirst into the cloud computing space. With this strategy, the company put its full force behind the cloud, hoping to make high tech services and solutions easily accessible to business customers of all sizes.
The strategy involved a major shift away from its traditional Windows operating system and focused on creating the tools and applications necessary to build, deploy and manage cloud applications. This was the first step in Microsoft’s journey towards fully embracing the cloud.
Microsoft Transforms with Azure
Microsoft’s response to the cloud opportunity was to create its own cloud platform, called Azure. Azure is an open, flexible cloud platform that enables customers to easily build, deploy, and manage applications across a global network of Microsoft-managed datacenters.
Azure provides a comprehensive set of cloud services, covering compute, storage, networking, data analytics, machine learning and a wide variety of other services. It also provides tools to help customers manage and scale their businesses in the cloud.
Adoption of Cloud Platforms
In the early days of cloud computing, there were many cloud vendors competing for customers. Microsoft soon recognized that if it wanted to become the leader in the cloud computing market, it needed to start adopting other cloud platforms and make them accessible to its customers.
Microsoft began to embrace the other cloud vendors and added support for AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and other cloud platforms to its Azure cloud platform. This allowed customers to easily adopt and use these cloud platforms across their business.
Software as a Service (SaaS) on the Microsoft Cloud
Microsoft’s cloud strategy expanded further with the introduction of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. These solutions allow customers to access and use applications on a subscription basis. Microsoft began to offer not only its own suite of SaaS applications, such as Office 365 and Microsoft Dynamics, but also those of third-party SaaS vendors, such as Adobe and Salesforce.
The company’s cloud platform, Azure, also provided a platform for customers to easily build, deploy, and manage their own SaaS applications. This move further strengthened Microsoft’s position as a leader in cloud computing.
Shift to Strategic Cloud Services
As the market started to move towards artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), Microsoft recognized the need to focus on developing strategic cloud services. To this end, it began to invest heavily in research and development in this area, creating AI and ML services such as Azure Machine Learning, Azure Data Lake, and Azure Batch.
The company also invested in cyber security and AR/VR/MR (Augmented/Virtual/Mixed Reality) technologies for businesses. These strategic decisions enabled Microsoft to keep up with the rapid evolution of cloud technology and remain competitive.
Microsoft 365 and Teams
In 2017, Microsoft made another significant shift by introducing the Microsoft 365 suite of products. This suite includes Office 365, Windows 10, and Enterprise Mobility + Security. It provides a comprehensive set of solutions and services for businesses to help them stay competitive in the digital age.
In addition, Microsoft unveiled Teams, an all-in-one collaborative workspace for businesses. Teams helps customers develop and manage projects, collaborate with colleagues, and access business tools.
Microsoft’s journey from Windows to Cloud Computing has been remarkable and fascinating. The company has made bold moves to embrace the cloud and create innovative solutions and services to meet customer demand. The customer-focused strategy has paid off, allowing Microsoft to become a leader in the cloud computing market. Microsoft’s success demonstrates the impact of digital transformation, and how important cloud technology can be in modern businesses.
