A: Windows Azure is essentially Microsoft's operating system in the cloud. It is a PaaS offering that is starting to play an increasing role in the integration between cloud-based and on-premise solutions and services. The key difference between Azure and the other cloud options is that it does not involve actually hosting your SharePoint infrastructure in a public or private cloud. Rather, you are integrating your existing SharePoint infrastructure with additional capabilities and services offered through Azure to provide a richer experience for your end users. By integrating with Azure, you can potentially offset data costs, create efficient and reusable services, and extend your reach through wider service availability.