In a sign that Microsoft recognizes that the future is multi-platform, and not Microsoft-centric, it has signed a deal with China's leading Linux provider to develop and sell cloud-computing solutions for the Chinese market. This is good news, not just for Microsoft but for anyone who is interested in using the cloud.
The deal, with China Standard Software Co. Ltd. (CS2C) will, in the words of a Microsoft press release, "provide public and private cloud solutions to a diverse array of industries through a rich partner ecosystem."
The cross-platform solution, according to Microsoft, "will be built on Microsoft’s Hyper-V Open Cloud architecture and will include support to run CS2C NeoKylin Linux Server products."
Microsoft and China Standard Software Co. will also sponsor a joint virtual technology lab in Bejing "for solution development and testing of cloud solutions that will allow customers to move to virtualization and a cloud-based IT infrastructure."
Part of the deal includes a "legal covenant agreement," but Microsoft isn't saying what's in that covenant.
That's a side issue, though. The key here is that Microsoft recognizes that when it comes to cloud computing, it can't go things alone, and is willing to act on that realization.
Sandy Gupta, general manager of Microsoft's Open Solutions group, told the Seattle Times
"This collaboration can actually help us build a model to do similar collaborations in other emerging economies...The significant difference in China is the leapfrogging to the cloud. Because of its rapid growth, we're seeing it much faster than in any other part of the world. So it accelerates the need for interoperability."
Don't be surprised to see these types of deals not just in emerging economies, but throughout the rest of the world as well. That would mean better cloud computing services and more choice for everyone. And it would also help Microsoft gain a more serious foothold in the cloud computing market, which the company badly needs to do.
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