Pay-as-you-Go Windows Azure…Microsoft Prices its Cloud Computing Services

One of the big questions facing CIO’s with regard to cloud computing is…"how much will it cost." In an article in CIO Today, author Mark Long provides specific details on how Microsoft will price its cloud services through Azure but warns that comparing it to Amazon’s and Google’s cloud services needs more than just price shopping…the differences reside in the service level agreements. Details on Azure according to CIO Today:

The Azure platform includes a Web-based relational database in Microsoft SQL Azure together with connectivity and interoperability with .NET services. Microsoft said it will charge $9.99 for the basic Web edition of its SQL Azure database, which includes up to a one-gigabyte relational database; and $99.99 for the business edition with up to a 10GB database. By contrast, .NET services will be 15 cents per 100,000 message operations, including service-bus messages and access-control tokens, the company said. And when it comes to network bandwidth, Microsoft said it will charge between 10 and 15 cents per gigabyte for Windows Azure, SQL Azure and .NET services.