Microsoft punches Cisco, VMware in the eye with Windows Azure Appliance

" The Windows Azure Appliance that Microsoft announced on Monday combines cloud services and virtualization with an on-premises flexible server, networking, storage. Partners for the device include Dell, HP, Fujitsu. Sound familiar? It should. The appliance takes on the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) platform, a product that heartily contributed to Cisco's estrangement with HP. HP has made it a mission to offer a networking product portfolio that lets users build a 100% Cisco-less environment. "

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