Microsoft Says Windows 8 Software to Help Manage Costs, Data

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system and Azure cloud computing service can help companies save money and glean new insights from data, said Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer.

Microsoft is tailoring its Windows 8 software for server computers, Visual Studio programming tools and Azure service for delivering customers’ software over the Internet so companies can combine its products in new ways, Ballmer said today at the Dell World conference in Austin, Texas. Companies can mix programs running on their own machines with those running on Azure to better mine data, Ballmer said.

“We’re not just reimagining Windows, we are also reimagining the rest of Microsoft at the same time,” he said. The next decade will see a “gradual migration” of companies’ software to cloud computing, which lets them access applications and data over the Internet. Using Windows 8 and Microsoft’s developer tools, companies will be able to combine large amounts of business information they produce with data on weather or other areas to realize insights, Ballmer said.

The world’s largest software maker is rushing to complete Windows 8 because the company wants an operating system capable of running thinner, lighter tablet machines with battery power that can rival Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPad. Windows 8 for PCs is likely to be introduced next year and the company is developing a version of the operating system for servers.

“We’re reimagining Windows not only in the server for that private cloud environment but also with Azure for the public cloud,” he said. “The whole world’s going cloud.”

Ballmer said combinations of Microsoft software on companies’ servers and in Microsoft’s data centers may help companies control their costs.

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, rose 9 cents to close at $27.27. The shares have lost 2.3 percent this year.

The company is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings on Oct. 20.

To contact the reporter on this story: Aaron Ricadela in San Francisco at aricadela@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net