In view of the Federal government’s Cloud First strategy announced by the U.S. government, Microsoft said it is offering a number of strategies to deliver an optimal platform for an open and agile government.
Microsoft Azure, the cloud platform from the software major, supports a number of open languages and platforms, including Java, PHP, Node.js, and Python.
Azure runs on several open-source environments like Linux, Hadoop, MongoDB, Drupal and Joomla, run on the Microsoft platform, enabling agencies to get started quickly and take full advantage of our Azure cloud services.
With Azure, developers have the option to deploy applications and services in the cloud that do not depend on a specific platform. These applications can be delivered to users across a wide variety of device types and browsers, while supporting code reuse and collaborative development for continuous improvement in the future.
The Cloud First strategy has identified some $20 billion in savings available as a result of moving traditional IT to cloud service. As the first step to realize this vision, the government has unveiled a Digital Services Team and established 18F, a group of experts focused on building and modernizing digital services in partnership with agencies.
For agencies who are exploring a number of modernizations and moves to the cloud, it’s important to focus on environments that support agile development, code reuse and allow the government to scale the innovations they’ve created across all government agencies, without having to scale their workforce or invest in new applications.
In addition to supporting multiple platforms and open-source environments, Microsoft cloud services deliver the scalability required in today’s computing scenarios. Azure gives developers the option to deploy applications and services in the cloud that do not depend on a specific platform.
Another advantage of Microsoft Azure is that it offers a hybrid cloud platform, reaching across on-premises and the cloud, while offering agencies the ability to choose from a range of open source languages, libraries, distributions, and platforms.
Microsoft also allows developers to reuse code by plugging into software services like GitHub and CodePlex. Microsoft also works with open source communities to promote interoperability and make it easier for customers to develop and manage mixed IT environments.
In one of the latest movements to help customers usher in cloud, Microsoft announced collaboration with Docker on integrating Docker Hub into Azure.
Developers and organizations who want to create distributed, multi-container applications using Docker will be able to use Linux or Windows Server allowing developers to connect with the growing Docker ecosystem of users and tools.