Microsoft, Accenture partner on hybrid cloud offering

Microsoft and integrator partners Accenture and Avanade have jointly funded and built a new hybrid cloud bundle designed to get more enterprise companies on Microsoft's cloud.

The Accenture Hybrid Cloud Solution for Microsoft Azure integrates and builds on services and features from Microsoft, Accenture and Avanade -- a solution provider created and launched by Microsoft and Accenture in 2000 -- "to help enterprises deliver 'everything as a service,'" according to the press release announcing the coming offering.

The new hybrid cloud bundle includes Azure, Windows Server, System Center and Azure Pack, designed to run in customer data centers; the Accenture Cloud Platform, which provides a central dashboard, plus the governance, security and operations services needed to run the hybrid offering; and other professional services from Accenture and Avanade.

Azure Pack allows hosters and larger enterprise shops to run certain Windows Azure technologies in their own datacenters. The components in the Azure Pack include a management portal; service management programming interface; a Web sites service; a virtual machines service; and service bus support.

The Accenture Hybrid Cloud Solution will be commercially available next year. It is being tested in private pilots now. Some additional information about the offering is available on Accenture's Web site.

Avanade currently has 22,000 employees and $2 billion in global sales, according to today's press release.