Microsoft Joins the Cloud Native Computing Foundation

Microsoft continued to expand its influence in the world of cloud computing by joining the Cloud Native Computing Foundation as a Platinum member. Microsoft’s participation and collaboration in open source projects is a win-win for Microsoft and Microsoft customers.

Microsoft has been steadily expanding its relationship with and involvement in the cloud in recent years. Microsoft’s philosophy has evolved – somewhat rapidly – from a more or less Microsoft-centric approach to a broadly inclusive strategy that benefits both Microsoft and Microsoft customers. Last week Microsoft continued with the announcement that it has joined the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) as a Platinum member.

“Microsoft is committed to helping organizations of all sizes achieve more, and we see cloud native technologies and open development as a way to enable this,” said Corey Sanders, Partner Director, Microsoft Corp in a CNCF press release about the news. “We have contributed across many cloud native projects, including Kubernetes, Helm, containerd, and gRPC, and plan to expand our involvement in the future. Joining the Cloud Native Computing Foundation is another natural step on our open source journey, and we look forward to learning and engaging with the community on a deeper level as a CNCF member.”

The CNCF membership follows Microsoft joining the Linux Foundation in 2016. A Microsoft blog post describes the move as a natural next step for Microsoft to invest in open source communities – particularly in the area of containers.

Once upon a time, Microsoft had a much more self-centered view of the world and built its product and marketing strategies around ways to keep customers inside a limited, Microsoft-centric world. I’m not entirely sure it’s a difference between the leadership of former CEO Steve Ballmer and current CEO Satya Nadella, but the transformation does appear to coincide with the transition in leadership. Regardless of the catalyst, Microsoft has shifted to a strategy that understands the complexity of the cloud and the value of open source tools and cross-platform cooperation.

Check out the full story on Forbes: Microsoft Expands Role In Cloud By Joining Cloud Native Computing Foundation.