Microsoft VP of Data Platform T.K. Rengarajan Speaking At PASS Summit 2014

Mirroring the trend in the data analytics space, open source is emerging as a key driver of innovation in the cloud, where the big vendors are wasting no time jumping on the bandwagon. Microsoft Corp. is leading by example and throwing its weight behind Docker in a landmark move set to bring the most buzzed-about technology in recent memory to Windows.

Currently, the container engine only works on Linux, but the partnership between the Redmond giant and Docker Inc. will see that changed. The goal is to make it possible for Windows Servers shops to take advantage of the interoperability afforded by containers to move their application to the most appropriate environment. That can be anything from Microsoft’s Azure to a competing public cloud such as Amazon Web Services or a pilot deployment meant to explore the new capabilities of the latest OpenStack release.

Codenamed “Juno,” the tenth version of the open-source cloud operating system made its official debut on Wednesday, introducing some 310 new features and more 3,200 bug fixes. Two additions stand out in particular: a new network function visualization feature designed to accommodate the needs of data-swamped carriers and a project called Sahara geared toward data-swamped enterprises. Originally developed at Mirantis Inc., the technology makes it possible to provision Hadoop on OpenStack clusters in combination with third party management tools with considerably less tinkering than would be required otherwise.

Over in the opposite corner of the cloud landscape, MongoDB Inc. released a landmark upgrade to its cloud-based management platform that promises to make it easier for customers to manage their database environments. The MongoDB Management Service (MMS) deploys agents to each server that implement the user-specified topology on an automated basis and to adjust to any changes using a built-in policy engine.

The platform also extends that simplicity to MongoDB installations running on AWS and removes the hassle involved in provisioning instances. The management of on- and off-premise deployments are centralized in a streamlined interface that packs monitoring and other essential administrative functions.

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