Microsoft's Beginner's Guide To Cloud ComputingMicrosoft's Beginner's Guide To Cloud Computing

Microsoft VP and its former CIO Ron Markezich is participating in a panel discussion on cloud computing today at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's CIO Symposium. Markezich will share five tips on how to get started in the cloud, based on the experiences of Microsoft's early cloud customers.Microsoft's own cloud services--Windows Azure and the Azure Services Platform--aren't yet available, but CEO Steve Ballmer has said Microsoft will deliver the first of those services later this year. In the meantime, demand for Microsoft's business productivity suite offered as a service--the "Online" versions of Exchange, SharePoint, Office Communications, and Live Meeting--is strong, Markezich says. A few weeks ago, Microsoft expanded availability of those online apps to 20 countries.

In its early going with software as a service, Microsoft has learned a few things about how customers need to adapt. Following are five points that Markezich says CIOs need to keep in mind as they move in this direction.