And, as Sanders said, Linux and open-source are "where the customers are." So, what choices does Microsoft offer corporate Linux users on Azure? Well, first you can bring your own Linux distribution.

Microsoft boasted of its Azure datacenter support for open source software this week, while also announcing that Red Hat Enterprise Linux images are now available from the Azure Marketplace.

For the first time, Microsoft has released its own Linux kernel in a new Linux-based product: Azure Sphere.

The product strategy calls for gradually bringing the Windows and Linux/Unix access-control products that each firm has separately offered under a common management platform and console.

Microsoft’s bid to secure the Internet of Things: Custom Linux, custom chips, Azure This is Redmond’s first-ever Linux distribution.