Cloud Computing, SOA and Windows Azure

"The Windows Azure platform is an Internet-scale cloud computing
services platform hosted in Microsoft data centers. Windows tools
provide functionality to build solutions that include a cloud services
operating system and a set of developer services. The key parts of the
Windows Azure platform are: Windows Azure -- application container,
Microsoft SQL Azure, and Windows Azure platform AppFabric

The Windows Azure platform is part of the Microsoft cloud, which
consists of multiple categories of services: (1) Cloud-based
applications: These are services that are always available and highly
scalable. They run in the Microsoft cloud that consumers can directly
utilize. Examples include Bing, Windows Live Hotmail, Office.
(2) Software services: These services are hosted instances of
Microsoft's enterprise server products that consumers can use directly.
Examples include Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office
Communications Online, etc. (3) Platform services: This is where the
Windows Azure platform itself is positioned. It serves as an application
platform public cloud that developers can use to deploy next-generation,
Internet-scale, and always available solutions. (4) Infrastructure
services: There is a limited set of elements of the Windows Azure
platform that can support cloud-based infrastructure resources.

SQL Azure is a cloud-based relational database service built on SQL
Server technologies that exposes a fault-tolerant, scalable, and
multi-tenant database service. SQL Azure does not exist as hosted
instances of SQL Server. It also uses a cloud fabric layer to abstract
and encapsulate the underlying technologies required for provisioning,
server administration, patching, health monitoring, and lifecycle
management.

Summary of Key Points: (1) The Windows Azure platform is primarily a
PaaS deployed in a public cloud managed by Microsoft. (2) Windows Azure
platform provides a distinct set of capabilities suitable for building
scalable and reliable cloud-based services. (3) The overall Windows
Azure platform further encompasses SQL Azure and Windows Azure platform
AppFabric." More Info See also XML in Clinical Research and Healthcare Industries: