Windows Azure customers who want to run Windows or Linux in virtual machines on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform platform will be able to do so this year. Microsoft is planning to launch a Community Technology Preview (CTP) test-build of the persistent VM capability in the spring of 2012.
The new persistent VM support also will allow customers to run SQL Server or SharePoint Server in VMs, as well. And it will enable customers to more easily move existing apps to the Azure platform.
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