微软云的路在何方

2021年对微软的云服务来说是个丰收年，并没有什么值得惊奇的。而2022年预计会有更大的丰收，微软现在是企业公有云供应商的老二，每年新建50到100个数据中心。

But what, exactly, is the Microsoft Cloud? It's not a single SKU or service that customers can purchase. Nor is it synonymous with Azure. It's much more complicated and increasingly intertwined than that.

但微软云到底是个啥东西呢？微软云并不是客户可以购买的单一SKU或服务。微软云也并非Azure的同义词。微软云要复杂得多，而且变得越来越错综复杂。

This past fall, Microsoft quietly renamed the bucket of services that its officials have been calling "commercial cloud" to "Microsoft Cloud." Many at the company already had been using this term, but as of the start of Microsoft's fiscal 2022, it's now officially part of its earnings terminology, as well. The Microsoft Cloud includes Microsoft 365/Office 365, Azure and the various Azure services, Dynamics 365, several LinkedIn commercial services, cloud-database and analytics services, Enterprise Mobility + Security, the various "online" versions of Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, and more.

微软去年秋天悄悄地将微软官员一直称之为“商业云”的一条龙服务更名为“微软云”。微软已经有许多人在使用这个术语，但微软从2022财年开始正式将微软云纳入了旗下收益术语的一部分。微软云包括Microsoft 365 Office 365、Azure和各种Azure服务、Dynamics 365、几个LinkedIn商业服务、云数据库和分析服务、企业移动性+安全性、各种Exchange Server、SharePoint Server“在线”版本以及其他等等。

In October, Microsoft reported that the Microsoft Cloud generated .7 billion in revenues for Q1 FY22, meaning it is on a roughly billion annual run-rate pace. So even though you can't buy -- or subscribe to -- a "Microsoft Cloud" SKU, Microsoft sales and partners are aiming to sell users as many pieces of the Microsoft Cloud as possible.

微软10月的报告称，微软云在22财年第一季度创造了207亿美元的收入，意味着微软云正以大约800亿美元的年运行速度发展。因此，即使你不能购买或订阅“微软云”SKU，微软销售和合作伙伴的目标却是向用户销售尽可能多的微软云。

What's likely coming to the Microsoft Cloud in 2022?

2022年的微软云可能会出现什么？

For one, the Microsoft Cloud is poised to get a new infusion from Nuance. Microsoft announced intentions to buy Nuance back in April 2021 for .7 billion. Nuance's business is currently largely healthcare-focused; its speech-recognition technology helps streamline the doctor-patient interaction process. Microsoft officials have said that Nuance's tech would make a good fit for many vertical industries beyond healthcare if and when the deal clears antitrust regulation hurdles (expected in calendar Q1 2022). Maybe that new Dynamics Contact Center bundle would dovetail nicely with Nuance, as well....

首先，微软云准备从Nuance获得新注入。微软早在2021年4月就宣布打算以197亿美元收购Nuance。Nuance的业务目前主要集中在医疗保健领域，Nuance语音识别技术有助于简化医生和病人的互动过程。微软官员曾表示，如果交易通过了反垄断法规的障碍（预计2022年第一季度有结果），Nuance的技术也将很适合医疗保健以外的许多垂直行业。也许新的Dynamics Contact Center可以与Nuance很好地对接，以及诸如此类……。

Speaking of verticals, I'm expecting Microsoft to turn up the sales pitches for its vertical/industry clouds. These industry clouds are bundles of Microsoft 365/Office 365, Azure, Dynamics 365 and various templates and application programming interfaces tailor-made for vertical markets like healthcare, retail, finance, manufacturing, nonprofits and more.

说到垂直行业，笔者期待微软会加大对旗下垂直行业云的销售宣传。这些行业云是Microsoft 365 Office 365、Azure、Dynamics 365和各种模板以及为医疗、零售、金融、制造、非营利组织等垂直市场定制的应用编程接口的绑定。

Microsoft watchers who've been at this for a while may remember Microsoft's old "Better Together" campaigns, via which Microsoft tried to convince customers that they'd have the best computing experience if they used a Microsoft-centric stack of products that worked "better together." This is basically what officials are trying to achieve with vertical clouds. Industry-specific bundles also help upsell products like Dynamics 365 and Power Platform that might not be first and foremost in customers' minds when signing licensing deals.

一些关注了这方面一段时间的微软观察家可能还记得微软之前的“Better Together”（好好在一起）活动，微软通过这些活动试图说服客户，假若他们使用以微软为中心的产品堆栈就可以“好好在一起”干活以及能拥有最好的计算体验。这基本上就是微软官员试图通过垂直云实现的目的。特定行业的捆绑产品也有助于追加销售Dynamics 365和Power Platform等产品，客户在签署许可协议时这些产品可能并不是他们心中的首要目标。

On the Azure front, Microsoft also will be working to sell customers on the idea that its work in up-and-coming areas like Azure Quantum, Azure for Operators (telco) and Azure Space (for those using satellite imagery and services) -- along with its federal cloud work -- are all interrelated and mutually beneficial. A couple of months ago, Microsoft reorganized (again) its Cloud + AI business unit and created a new single Strategic Missions and Technologies Team that is meant to use "learnings" (a favorite Microspeak term these days) from each of those businesses in building digital solutions in the others.

微软在Azure方面也将努力向客户推销旗下在Azure Quantum、Azure for Operators（电信）和Azure Space（用于卫星图像和服务）等新兴领域的产品以及旗下的联邦云产品，这些都是相互关联和互利的。微软几个月前重组了（再来了一次）旗下云计算和人工智能业务部门并创建了一个新的单一“战略任务和技术”团队，该团队旨在利用这些业务中的“各种学习”（这是最近最受欢迎的微言术语）构建其他业务的数字解决方案。

I'm thinking 2022 might also be when we finally start seeing Microsoft's MetaOS strategy manifest as new 'modern workplace' products and services. Sources said a year ago that Microsoft was working to bring together Microsoft Graph, Microsoft Search and Fluid Framework -- coupled with building blocks that have become core to its Office suites like Whiteboard, Planner, Lists, ToDo -- to create a "MetaOS" platform for work and play. (MetaOS has nothing to do with the metaverse, in case you were wondering, but has everything to do with Teams, Outlook and the rest of Office.)

笔者认为2022年可能也是我们最终开始看到微软的MetaOS战略展现到新的“现代工作场所”产品和服务的一年。有消息曾在一年前称微软正在努力将微软图谱、微软搜索和流体框架（加上已经成为旗下Office套件核心的构件，如白板、计划表、清单、ToDo）结合在起来，创建一个工作和娱乐MetaOS平台。（读者或许不知道，MetaOS与metaverse（元宇宙）其实并无关系，MetaOS平台和Teams、Outlook和Office的其他部分的关系多多。）

AI will undoubtedly be a key and oft-referenced component of Microsoft's MetaOS plans and platform, as it will also be for Azure. Microsoft increasingly has been pushing its take on "AI at Scale." At Microsoft, AI at Scale is meant to provide customers access to large-scale AI models, cognitive services and supercomputing resources, all in the form of Azure services.

人工智能无疑将是微软MetaOS计划和平台的一个关键部分，也经常被提到，因为人工智能也将是Azure的组成部分。微软不断大力推动自己提出的“规模化人工智能”说法。规模化人工智能在微软是指以Azure服务的形式提供大规模人工智能模型、认知服务和超级计算资源的客户访问。

And Microsoft will no doubt keep banging the data platforms and services drum in 2022 as another area where officials think it can grow the Microsoft Cloud. Keep an eye on Microsoft President James Phillips' Digital Transformation Platform Group \-- another place where Microsoft will be pushing the full-stack integration story, not just with the aforementioned industry clouds, but also across Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Azure AI Platform, Azure Data Platform and Azure IoT Platform.

微软无疑也将在2022年继续催谷旗下的数据平台和服务，微软官方认为数据平台和服务是发展微软云的另一个领域。微软总裁James Phillips的数字转型平台值得关注，微软在在这一块致力推动全栈整合，不仅仅是与前面提到的行业云的整合，还包括与Dynamics 365、Power Platform、Azure AI Platform、Azure Data Platform和Azure IoT Platform的整合。

"Better together" is back, baby. And Microsoft will be selling the heck out of the concept with its growing family of Microsoft Cloud services in 2022 and beyond.

各位宝宝，“好好在一起”又回来了。微软在2022年以及将来一定会通过旗下不断增长的微软云服务来推销这一概念。