IDG Contributor Network: Microsoft's pivot and the importance of Windows containers
Bernard Golden and JP Morgan have recently argued that enterprise IT faces accelerating change and disruption. The change is driven by a combinaton of continued AWS innovation with advanced services, and industry-wide adoption of containers based on Docker's open source project. I think they're right, and I would add the following:
- Amazon AWS has commoditized Infrastructure and raised the game with advanced services. It has also commoditized Operating Systems with a generic Linux that must be among the market share leaders in Linux.
- Docker’s open source project and API is the first shared API supported by Red Hat, AWS, and Microsoft, with demonstrated portability between on-premise and the cloud. A cross-platform, portable container package enables greater cloud adoption, with significantly fewer VMs used.
- Venture capital is focused on innovation on NoSQL, Big Data, and container orchestration, based on Linux. Some believe that Windows is becoming a legacy enterprise platform.
Microsoft has been criticized for being late to recognize the import of the internet, for missing the transition to mobile, and some will add for being late to embrace Linux. Microsoft is responding, with a strategic pivot to Linux and open source. Azure has emerged as an alternative to AWS, and Microsoft has partnered with Docker to deliver container support for Windows Server 2016. It has open sourced .Net and is porting SQL Server to Linux. Microsoft has also recently announced plans to open source PowerShell.
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