Last week Microsoft announced some interesting additions to their Azure platform. As a Windows infrastructure Consultant I didn't make use of the Azure platform but I think this will change soon. The two additions to Azure that I'm most interested in are the Azure virtual network and the Azure Compute VM Role.
To start with the last, the VM Role will allow you to run a Windows 2008R2 machine 'in the cloud'. The VHD of this machine is created using an on-premise Windows server machine and then uploaded to Azure. As soon as it is uploaded, the VM can be run on demand. Although this is really nice by itself it will be even better when used in combination with another new addition to the Azure platform, Azure connect.
Azure Connect will enable you to setup a secure IP-level network connection between your Azure environment and your on-premise resources. By extending your network to the azure cloud in a safe and secure manner you will extend your Datacenter to the cloud.
These two additions will make azure a platform you can use to temporary get computing power when needed, and even think about moving a lot of your local resources into the cloud. It will give you more options and a lot of flexibility when designing your IT Infrastructure.