Virtualisation and hosted applications : Microsoft's Perspective

Microsoft recently announced the launch of a new data centre in Ireland to support its growing online business. This new data centre will comprise tens of thousands of servers pumping out web-based applications to internet users (in particular business users) all over the world. 

This launch represents a revolutionary shift in the IT marketplace creating a high quality service which allows business users access to their desktop from any location. This in turn not only puts a greater emphasis on the telecoms industry to provide efficient and effective internet connections, but also produces key long term business benefits for the industry as a whole. 

However, a question to be answered is whether businesses will be able to see the real benefits of such a shift in the industry. Given that online applications produce a seamless system, home-workers for example will benefit greatly by be able to access more of an office experience at home and thereby maintain their productivity levels. This is a clear advantage for larger organisations; but will SME’s be able to reap the same benefits? With this increased investment, will they perhaps have to compromise on cost by opting for weaker networks and rely on cheaper services?

The following series of discussions will feature the nature, pros and cons of Microsoft online apps for both larger corporations as well as SMEs. The first section will focus on the direction that Microsoft Inc is taking by launching its software online in relation to other major online players such as Google.