Microsoft Announces Tie-Up with Fujitsu in Cloud Computing

Silicon Valley, July 12 (Jiji Press)--Microsoft Corp. said Monday it will collaborate with Japan's Fujitsu Ltd. <6702> to offer new cloud computing services.

Under the tie-up deal, announced at the Worldwide Partner
Conference held by the U.S. software giant in Washington, Fujitsu will
deploy Microsoft's Windows Azure platform appliance to the Japanese
electronics maker's datacenters in and outside Japan.
The platform will be first introduced to a datacenter in
Tatabayashi, Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo, by the end of this year.
While delivering a comprehensive set of new cloud services and
solutions to customers and independent software vendors, Fujitsu plans to
run its own applications on the Windows Azure platform, Microsoft said.
Cloud computing services allow users to share information and
software on demand over the Internet.
Fujitsu hopes the cloud computing services will newly attract
companies that have been handling massive electronic data with Microsoft
Office and other desktop applications, namely information and technology
firms, financial institutions and manufacturing companies.
To support clients in developing and integrating applications on
the Windows Azure platform, Fujitsu will train 5,000 consultants and
developers with help from Microsoft.
At the Washington conference, Microsoft also announced cloud
computing tie-ups with major personal computer makers Hewlett-Packard Co.
and Dell Inc. as well as leading U.S. online auction site eBay Inc., in bid
to better compete with such rivals as Google Inc. in the growth field.