At the start of the month, Microsoft made the big announcement that it would be bringing its popular SQL Server database product to Linux, a move hailed by many in the industry. And now the company is already touting the number of businesses jumping on board to try the new offering out.
According to Takeshi Numoto, Microsoft’s Corporate VP of Cloud and Enterprise, the company’s customers are very excited by the news. Indeed, according to his estimate, roughly 8000 companies have already signed up to try SQL Server 2016 on Linux. And that number includes approximately 25% of Fortune 500 companies.
This is no doubt a big win for Microsoft which has been competing fiercely with both Oracle and Amazon Web Services for domination in cloud services. This segment of its business, one that Satya Nadella the current CEO of Microsoft helped develop, is quickly becoming the company’s most important asset.
Indeed, it’s seen as the pivotal business for Microsoft’s future as a company. Moves to expand cloud services, offer flexibility and attract more customers, coupled with double or even triple-digit growth in this domain, across every quarter have brought new confidence in Microsoft’s relevance in the future.
If Microsoft continues to leverage its position and offer customers highly-desirable features and flexibility in how they use the company’s products and platforms, the company may win the long war that it’s currently fighting against Amazon Web Services, which is the current number one cloud platform.
Source: Business Insider