Microsoft's cloud services is to help customers to be well prepared with the transition towards important changes in business and finance. With thousands of cloud developers, there are millions of customers in more than 40 countries are using the services of Microsoft cloud computing everyday. 

Microsoft's cloud services is to help customers to be well prepared with the transition towards important changes in business and finance. With thousands of cloud developers, there are millions of customers in more than 40 countries are using the services of Microsoft cloud computing everyday. 

Ganesh Ladchumanopaskeran, head of IT, Microsoft Southeast Asia told Vietnam Investment Review that Microsoft strategy would help governments, businesses and users around the world to maximise the potential power that cloud computing brings to them. 

* Microsoft’s Techdays 2013 in Vietnam is themed “Powered on Cloud”. What would you highlight at this event? 

Yes, as you can see techdays has become the familiar and most-wanted IT day of the year in many countries in the world and in Vietnam. It is an occasion to introduce the latest IT technologies and solutions to enterprises, clients, IT experts, meanwhile it is also opportunity for IT developers, experts, users in IT community to gather, exchange on IT trend and demand. This year, we take theme of “Powered on Cloud” to highlight the power of cloud can bring to people today both in work and life. 

According to IDC, the ability of cloud computing services to transit from being just hype to become a more concrete trend is based on the needs of its citizens. We see a big momentum in the enterprise world of companies adopting cloud. Indeed, there is a survey saying that by 2016, the vast majority of projects run by enterprise companies would be “cloud first”, meaning starting with cloud. I hope that, our cloud services, solutions and products presented at the event today will help attendants have an overall picture of updated IT trends and from that they can choose suitable IT solutions and services for their organisations. 

* What is Microsoft’s Cloud OS strategy and how will these new enterprise cloud products play into this strategy? 
The Cloud OS strategy, at the highest level, is to take what the traditional operating system has always done – manage applications and hardware – but do that at the scope and scale of cloud computing by customers with a consistent platform that spans customer datacenters, hosting service provider’s datacenters and Windows Azure. The focus of the strategy is to provide solutions that help organisations take on today’s top IT challenges and opportunities, such as cloud computing models, big data, BYOD and application development. Our products and solutions deliver on the vision, helping customers transform their datacenters, enable people-centric IT on devices, unlock insights from data and deliver modern apps. 

* How does Microsoft deliver hybrid cloud? 

These new products reflect our Cloud OS strategy to provide a consistent platform across customer, service provider and Windows Azure clouds. For example: Windows Server and SQL Server are the same technologies that customers deploy in the cloud on Windows Azure or on a service provider cloud, and they power Windows Azure itself. 

For example, Windows Azure Infrastructure Services run on Hyper-V, and Windows Azure SQL Database is based on SQL Server technologies. System Center 2012 provides customers with unified application and infrastructure management across on-premises, service provider and Windows Azure resources. 
Software Defined Networking features within Windows Server and System Center allow customers to extend their networks to Windows Azure and service provider clouds. 

* Microsoft also introduced new Windows at Techdays 2013. Could you please share what’s new for businesses with Windows 8.1? 

Networking features optimised for mobile productivity. Windows 8.1 improves mobile productivity for today’s workforce with new networking capabilities that take advantage of NFC-tagged and Wi-Fi connected devices. Security enhancements for device proliferation and mobility. Security continues to be a top priority for companies across the world, so we’re making sure we continue to invest resources to help you protect your corporate data, applications and devices with modern access controls, multi-factor authentication using Virtual Smart Cards and fingerprint-based biometrics. Improved management solutions to make BYOD a reality. 

As BYOD scenarios continue to grow in popularity among businesses, Windows 8.1 will make managing mobile devices even easier for IT Pros with improved IT controls, remote business data removal form company-connected devices, workplace join and Open MDM (mobile device management) that enables third-party MDM solutions, such as MobileIron or AirWatch, with no additional agent required. More control over business devices. Businesses can more effectively deliver an intended experience to their end users – whether that be employees or customers with Assigned Access and Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry for POS systems, ATMs and Digital Signage.