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Microsoft® SQL AzureTM is part of the Windows Azure Platform: an internet-scale cloud computing and services platform hosted in Microsoft data centers. Currently, SQL Azure offers relational database service called SQL Azure Database. Other services will be available in future.
SQL Azure Database provides Internet-facing database and advanced query processing services and is the ideal solution for customers building new applications or integrating with existing investments into the cloud.
Cloud-based relational database solution relying on existing developer skills and familiar Transact-SQL syntax
Easy, low-cost provisioning with High availability and Data Recoverability
Pay-as-you-grow service model
Business Ready SLAs
Helps enable developers to quickly build or extend applications to run in the cloud environment
Helps maintain low-cost management with a highly scalable infrastructure
Helps maintain business-ready reliability, security features, and availability for continuity
"Initial reaction is that Microsoft SQL Azure Database is a great start and offers a way for Microsoft startups to leverage the storage and bandwidth in a scalable way. We are interested in using it to potentially offload bandwidth spikes that occur around delivering new versions of our software to clients. SQL Azure Database looks like a potential way to handle these spikes in usage in a cost-effective manner."
—Chris Kinsman,VP Development,Vertafore/AMS Services
