Microsoft brings the technology behind the Azure public cloud to hybrid and private clouds with Azure Stack-- a means for customers to deploy Azure-powered IaaS and PaaS services from their datacentres.
As Microsoft puts it, Azure Stack allows customers to blend enterprise applications such as SQL Server, SharePoint and Exchange with distributed applications and services, all while maintaining centralised oversight. It features Shielded VMs and Guarded Hosts for "zero-trust" software-defined security and simplified private/hybrid cloud deployment via the Cloud Platform System converged infrastructure solution.
“[IT leaders] recognize the careful balance between moving at speed while still providing the level of stability and discipline their companies depend on them for,” the company says. “Hybrid cloud is an ideal solution for many organizations facing this situation, bringing together the agility of public cloud and the control of on-premises systems.”
Also introduced in preview form is Azure Resource Manager, through which IT can manage application deployments, whether it is on the Azure public cloud or private/hybrid Azure Stack environments. Developers can also create applications once and decide where to deploy them later, with role-based access controls to cover compliance needs.
Another Microsoft addition is the cloud-based Operations Management Suite-- a means to monitor and manage applications regardless where they are running. It combines log analytics, security, automation and protection services, and customers can even extend and integrate it with other clouds (such as OpenStack or AWS).
Customers can preview Azure Stack sometime during the summer.
