Microsoft renames ‘Windows Azure’ as ‘Microsoft Azure’

In his first public remarks as Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella promised Microsoft is readying itself for a cross-platform future. In addition to actually supporting an open ecosystem of devices and service, that also entails rebranding services so they seem open, too.

Microsoft intends to rebrand “Windows Azure” as “Microsoft Azure,” according to ZDNet, which cited multiple anonymous sources confirming the report. VentureBeat verified the planned name change with its own source, who is intimately familiar with the company’s plans. Microsoft will announce the rebranding and provide more details later this week, our source said.

As Windows 8.1 and Windows Phones both struggle to gain traction, Microsoft has demonstrated a willingness to shy away from Windows-only platform support (and branding). The company’s upcoming “Microsoft Office on iPad” suite is an example.

It makes sense that Windows Azure would follow suit. Windows Azure is Microsoft’s cloud computing platform that enables developers to build, deploy, and manage applications in the cloud. It supports Linux workloads, and it also powers various capabilities of Microsoft’s Xbox One game platform, so it’s clearly intended to work beyond the Windows platform.

We expect Microsoft to announce the name change this week at its Build developer conference in San Francisco.