Microsoft Windows Azure Platform now available

Summary

Today, we are announcing the commercial availability of subscriptions for the Windows® Azure™ platform, which includes Windows Azure, SQL Azure, and Windows Azure platform AppFabric. In addition, we are announcing new pricing and availability for Windows Azure platform AppFabric.

Customers with Community Technology Preview (CTP) accounts who wish to continue usage of the Windows Azure platform must upgrade their accounts prior to February 1, 2010. New customers can start using the services by signing up for one of the paid subscription offers.

http://microsoft.com/windowsazure/offers

Additional Information & Resources

Customers Receive Opportunity to Upgrade CTP Accounts

Today, CTP account holders will receive an email with instructions on how to upgrade their accounts and how they can access their usage data. You can also review more details of the process posted on the Windows Azure blog here. The service remains available at no charge through January 2010.

If customers upgrade their CTP accounts during the month of January 2010, all Windows Azure platform usage incurred during this month will be at no charge. Customers will also have full visibility during this month to their Windows Azure platform usage. Billing and SLAs for all commercial accounts will begin on February 1, 2010.

To upgrade a CTP account, the credit card or purchase order billing address must be in one of the launch countries listed below. Support for other countries will be phased in over time, with many countries coming online in 2010.

If customers elect not to upgrade by January 31, 2010:

·         February 1, 2010: CTP accounts will be disabled and any Windows Azure Storage will be made read-only. SQL Azure CTP accounts will be able to keep using their existing databases but they will no longer be able to create new databases. Windows Azure platform AppFabric namespaces will be disabled.

·         March 1, 2010: The SQL Azure CTP accounts that have not been upgraded will be deleted. For more information on SQL Azure, please visit the SQL Azure blog.

·         April 1, 2010: The Windows Azure Storage CTP accounts and Windows Azure platform AppFabric namespaces that have not been upgraded will be deleted. It is important to remind customers to export their data if they do not plan to upgrade to a commercial subscription prior to these dates.

Updated Pricing and Availability for Windows Azure Platform AppFabric

As part of today’s announcement, we are also introducing updated pricing for the Windows Azure platform AppFabric, which helps developers connect cloud and on-premises applications. Based on feedback from the CTP process, we made the pricing simpler and more predictable. Service Bus is priced at $3.99 per Connection-month, and Access Control is $1.99 per 100,000 Transactions. For more information on pricing updates, please visit the Windows Azure platform AppFabric blog.

If customers have any questions regarding the upgrade process, they can contact customer support.

Related Links

·         Windows Azure blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsazure/

·         Windows Azure platform AppFabric blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/netservices/

·         SQL Azure blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/ssds/

·         SQL Azure MSDN Documentation: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee336279.aspx

·         Windows Azure platform Pricing page: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/pricing/

·         Windows Azure platform FAQ: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/faq/