Microsoft owns Azure, the cloud platform launched commercially in 2010.
Microsoft introduced Azure in 2008 under the name Windows Azure, and the platform became commercially available in February 2010. It provides computing, storage, databases, networking, analytics, artificial-intelligence tools, and other services through Microsoft data centers. The name changed to Microsoft Azure in 2014.
Azure became a central part of Microsoft’s shift from packaged software toward cloud subscriptions and enterprise services. It competes with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud while also supporting Microsoft products such as Windows Server, SQL Server, Microsoft 365, and developer tools. Azure’s growth helped investors view Microsoft as a major cloud infrastructure company, contributing to its position among the world’s most valuable businesses.