Microsoft extends support of some of its Azure cloud storage APIs

Microsoft said earlier today it has extended the period it will support some of its Azure (early cloud) storage APIs, though we are still waiting for additional details.

As explained by Azure's program manager Dinesh Murthy, Microsoft seems to have a couple of motivations for these changes.

One reason is probably to give users more time to switch to newer APIs, suggesting that they feel they're being rushed.

However, some APIs have had their day of doom postponed indefinitely, suggesting customers want to keep using code Microsoft thought they'd be happy to dump or simply upgrade.

This simply suggests that MS' Azure has won some very sticky incumbencies that Microsoft dares not to disrupt in any way. And we can certainly understand that.

Microsoft has made it very clear that it will constantly add new features and services to its cloud offerings.

Those extensions of older APIs, which keeps earlier versions of storage services alive for longer, suggests that as users spend more time in the cloud they find they don't always want new features.

Or perhaps they've simply made the mistake of building apps with tight coupling to particular services. Or is it something else? We might know more a bit later.

At any rate, whatever the reasons Microsoft has decided to move so slowly on this, it also teaches us that the cloud/SaaS mantra of one codebase for all users and everyone on the current version may not hold in all cases.

So if you really need older APIs, Microsoft is simply saying that it might find a reason to keep them alive.

Which leaves Microsoft, and maybe other cloud providers, running more than one service and perhaps with rather higher costs that first imagined. Time will tell.

Extending the life of these APIs also places a small dent in cloud critics' Hotel California argument that says “You can check in anytime you want but you can never leave” complaints.

Source: Microsoft Corp.