Microsoft expands access to Windows Azure in Russia

Microsoft takes the next important step in the development of its cloud offer for Russian customers and announces the expansion of opportunities to purchase Windows Azure services in Russia. Now Russian companies of any scale can subscribe to the portal http://www.windowsazure.com/ru-ru/ .

Currently, a free trial subscription to Windows Azure services is available at http://www.windowsazure.com/ru-ru/ . After the 90-day period, customers can continue to use the services by paying a subscription by credit card or by invoice.
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This offer became available only 2 weeks after a major upgrade of the Windows Azure cloud platform. It includes both the expansion of the capabilities of existing services and the new functionality of the platform (a number of services are available in the preliminary version):

• Windows Azure Virtual Machines (Infrastructure as a Service, IaaS ): Now you can run local virtual machine images in Windows Azure and move virtual hard disks (VHD) between the local and cloud environments. In this case, you can use your own Windows Server or Linux images, or select existing templates. The new functionality also helps to move applications to the cloud, without changing the existing code. This speeds up the migration of partner solutions to the Windows Azure platform, opens up the possibility of deploying SharePoint and SQL Server, and saves time and money. Microsoft also expanded the list of supported operating systems, which includes Windows Server platforms (versions 2008 R2, 2008 R2 with SQL Server 2012 Eval and 2012 RC) and Linux (OpenSUSE 12.1, CentOS-6.2, Ubuntu 12.04, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP2).
• Windows Azure Virtual Networks : Now you can set up and manage virtual private networks (VPNs) in Windows Azure and securely link them to your local IT infrastructure. Using a virtual network, IT administrators can extend local area networks to the cloud, managing the network topology, including the configuration of IP addresses, routing tables, and security policies.
• Windows Azure Web Sites : With this new service, you can create websites and applications based on .NET, Node.js and PHP and deploy using standard technologies such as Git and FTP. In addition, now Windows Azure allows you to use WordPress, Joomla !, DotNetNuke, Umbraco and Drupal engines, and this can be done in just a few clicks.
• Windows Azure Media Services : this media broadcasting platform offers all the components necessary for solving business problems of media companies and content providers, ranging from coding and content protection to streaming and analytics. It provides the ability to communicate with any connected device that supports HTML5, Flash and Silverlight, including devices running Android, iOS, Xbox and Windows Phone.
• Python and Java support : a list of supported libraries that previously included .NET, PHP and Node.js has been extended by Java and Python libraries. Updated language libraries are available under open source licenses at http://GitHub.com .
• Updated SDK : The updated development toolkit for Windows Azure now includes new command line tools for Mac and Linux platforms. There were also new Windows Azure SDK development tools for .NET 1.7 for Visual Studio 2010 and Visual Studio 2012. To work with Windows Azure services, you can download: Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 (including the free version) and Windows Azure Tools tools for Microsoft Visual Studio .

All settlement operations are performed by Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, which is engaged in licensing Microsoft products in the Russian Federation and in all other European countries. Russian companies can also purchase Windows Azure services by entering into a corporate license agreement Enterprise Agreement, or by subscribing to partner services, for example, Azure.softline.ru from Softline. Access to Windows Azure is free of charge for Microsoft BizSpark, MSDN and Cloud Essentials partner programs [1].

Detailed information about getting free access to Windows Azure can be found in this document (docx).

You can get more information about the cloud platform and new services and updates in the Windows Azure blog, on the resources msdn.ru and techdays.ru .

Especially for Russian developers, technical specialists and managers who are interested in Windows Azure cloud technologies, on July 6, 2012 a free online seminar will be held. As part of this seminar, it will be possible to find out the latest news about the Windows Azure cloud platform, the use of the service from Russia and other countries, new cloud technologies and scenarios presented in June 2012. Registration for the seminar is already open.

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[1] There are restrictions on the volume of consumed services. More information about the conditions can be found at: https://www.windowsazure.com/ru-ru/pricing/member-offers/