Microsoft software chief talks Vista and cloud computing
Microsoft’s senior software executive has admitted many business users are suspicious of cloud computing. He’s also defended the firm’s continued commitment to online services.
Ray Ozzie (pictured), whose formal job title is Chief Software Executive, was speaking at a conference for investors and analysts. He said cloud computing – in which software runs online rather than on the user’s machine or network – is caught in something of a Catch 22 situation because “enterprises will not really trust the cloud until they get some experience with it.”
According to Ozzie, the most likely pattern is that firms will feel more comfortable with a mix of cloud computing and traditional desktop models, predicting that many will begin by testing online versions of major programs which they are already familiar with.
He rejected an accusation that Microsoft’s ongoing spending on online services was a waste of money, arguing that the benefits to the firm are much stronger than raw financial results would suggest. He pointed to lessons learned from online services and tools such as the file system used to create the Azure cloud computing platform as having the potential to help the company in other areas, noting that Azure was a “20 or 30 year vision”.
Ozzie also showed a degree of self-awareness and perhaps even a sense of humor when, asked what lessons the company could learn from Vista, he replied, “How much time do you have?”
His explanation is that Vista was simply too ambitious for the timescale the company had to get the product on the shelves. (That’s a strange argument given that nobody actually forced Microsoft to release a new system at a particular time.) This led to delays which screwed up the efforts of hardware and software firms to make sure their products were fully compatible with Vista.
Those lessons have apparently been taken account of in the production process for Windows 7. While that appears to be the case given the system’s good reviews, given Ozzie’s Vista explanation, it’s ironic that the new system will actually be out several months ahead of the originally-expected timetable.
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