Microsoft’s cloud is gathering steam, according to new data released by the company today.
Like Amazon and Google, Microsoft is trying to snag a piece of the cloud computing pie with Windows Azure. Microsoft has tried to make inroads with startups, which are traditionally Amazon’s turf, while Amazon has tried to pick up accounts with larger companies that traditionally used Microsoft products.
While it’s hard to say how Amazon’s strategy is doing, Microsoft’s newest billion dollar business is certainly growing.
In a new blog post on the company’s site, Steven Martin, Azure’s General Manager, wrote that Azure’s user base has grown to 250 thousand customers, including 50% of the Fortune 500.
According to Martin, the service averages one thousand new customers a day. It’s unclear from the post how many of those new customers stay with the platform after the service’s promotional period ends.
That growth in adoption also comes with a massive associated demand: the service averages 270 thousand requests per second, and at peak usage can exceed 800 thousand requests.
We’ve requested more information on the user numbers from Microsoft, and will update this post when we hear back.
Previously on GeekWire: Meet the 10 startups Microsoft just accepted into the TechStars Windows Azure accelerator
