Windows Azure for Websites
Windows Azure for Websites a/k/a offers App Developers focus. Software engineers and application developers over the years have had to take into consideration the idiosyncrasies of the platform they were developing for. To a large degree, the available infrastructure as well as the operating system would limit the design and functionality of an application. It has always been part of the developer’s job description to pay attention to the generic platform the application is to be written for. In order to escape the confines of infrastructure, platform, and development language a revolutionary approach was employed. In order for this approach to be successful, it was imperative to make the transition as transparent as possible. In order to accomplish this feat, the following needed to be addressed.
Windows Azure offers three levels of development stack. Each one of these levels offers a certain degree of flexibility, and with that flexibility comes certain application design considerations. Application design should only be addressed as it relates to the gathering and processing of data, not how the backend is being applied. There are multiple levels of service that can shrink and grow depending upon the amount of control the developer desires. Ultimately, the smaller the stack responsibility, the greater time can be spent on the application.
The first level is IaaS Infrastructure as a Service comprised of Virtual Machine mechanics and configuration. In this particular stack, the developer must not only take into consideration the application and the data, but also firewall rules, virtual network application, and which operating system to deploy. These considerations by themselves are a daunting task. However, the fact that there are numerous concerns in relation to this stack all of it impacts development time, beta and alpha development phase, and a timely and smooth deployment. It would be better if the depth of this phase of the development stack could in fact be minimized to something more manageable.
The second level or cloud services offers less responsibility but still calls a degree of design concern that should be left outside of the developers purview. Even with making the operating system stateless the rest of the stack offers no real relief for the developer.
Finally, the Windows Azure design team realized that the web application developer must only be concerned with two facets of the application design. The application itself and how that dictates, to a certain degree, which languages to use. In addition, once the languages are chosen how they can best be applied to the application to offer the most robust user experience. Second is the data design. The database must be looked at not only as a gathering mechanism, but also a report generating and tracking tool. Data is the key to success in any business/ebusiness venture and cannot be disregarded.
Windows Azure for Websites has taken the drudgery of backend IaaS and PaaS and brought to the forefront the true tools necessary for the developer. The developer can now focus on the application and the processing of its data without concern for how it is being administered in the backend. Windows Azure for Websites offers a true synergy between development platform and developer and improves development time, as well as website design.
