Amazon extends cloud computing to Windows

Amazon Web Services has improved its EC2 service

Amazon Web Services has further extended its Elastic Cloud Compute (EC2) web service in Europe to support Microsoft's Windows Server and SQL Server.

Developers will be able to use Amazon EC2 to deploy applications including ASP.NET, Ajax, Silverlight and Internet Information Services, and give customers access to Windows-based computing resources.

Amazon EC2 running Windows is based on the same pay-as-you-go pricing model and reliable architecture that has made it the de-facto industry leader in the cloud computing platform space, according to the company.

Karl Deacon, chief technology officer at Capgemini Outsourcing UK, said, "Our European clients with Windows-based services will now recognise that Amazon has eradicated one of the last barriers to cloud adoption.

"Amazon EC2 running Windows adds to the already compelling benefits of speed, flexibility, and cost reduction when moving to our European Amazon-based service."

Amazon also announced the launch of its AWS Management Console in Europe. This is an easy-to-use, web-based management tool which provides developers with a quick, global picture of their cloud computing environments, said Amazon.

It will also enable individuals to easily stop and start EC2 instances, view and perform actions on running instances, and manage Amazon Elastic Block Store volumes.