Microsoft announces Windows Azure HDInsight Service preview
Redmond promises to ‘democratise’ big data
Microsoft has announced previews of Windows Azure HDInsight Service and Microsoft HDInsight Server – the Apache Hadoop products for Azure and Windows Server – which the company promises will help customers easily gain insights from big data.
The previews, announced at O’Reilly Strata Conference & Hadoop World, are now available here and deliver Apache Haoop for enterprise users. Microsoft promises they simplify the deployment of Hadoop-based systems. By using Windows Server and Azure, Microsoft added, customers can use all the usual Microsoft products such as Excel, PowerPivot, and Power View to take away insights from data.
Technical fellow at Microsoft David Campbell said that by providing Hadoop compatibility on Windows Server and Azure, deployment barriers are “dramatically” lowered. “Big data should provide answers for business, not complexity for IT,” he said.
Additionally, Microsoft announced it would expand on its partnership with Hadoop vendor Hortonworks to provide customers with access to enterprise-ready Hadoop distribution. Hortonworks CEO Rob Bearden said in a statement that his company is “the only provider of Apache Hadoop that ensures a 100 percent open source platform”.