"Sphere 3D wants to use Azure as a platform."
That is correct & they are doing exactly that.
But, it appears to be much more than that. Here are some quotes from Eric Kelly at the CC:
"The Microsoft relationship is long term."
"What rolled out is Phase I"
Microsoft sees value on a Global basis."
What you see now is just the beginning."
So, what does all that mean? Since Kelly seems to be a sincere guy, most people would take it to mean that this relationship is MUCH MORE than Sphere just using the Azure platform.
And there is more. Kelly again speaking about what has happened in the last 30 days:
"When you have an alliance partner such as Microsoft and they move that fast, it kind of gives you an indication of their belief in the market opportunity with the technology and the partnership. And it wasn't just us moving fast in the last 30 days, it was our friends & partner there in Redmond moving just as fast."
Sort of gives me the impression that MSFT thinks there is something important enough there so as to want to really get going on it. But that's just me I guess. Another thing of interest is that in referencing Microsoft Kelly has used the terms "alliance partner" & "strategic alliance" several times. Here's the definition of "Strategic Alliance":
"A strategic alliance is an agreement between two or more parties to pursue a set of agreed upon objectives needed while remaining independent organizations. This form of cooperation lies between mergers and acquisitions and organic growth. Strategic alliances occurs when two or more organizations join together to pursue mutual benefits.
Partners may provide the strategic alliance with resources such as products, distribution channels, manufacturing capability, project funding, capital equipment, knowledge, expertise, or intellectual property. The alliance is a cooperation or collaboration which aims for a synergy where each partner hopes that the benefits from the alliance will be greater than those from individual efforts. The alliance often involves technology transfer (access to knowledge and expertise), economic specialization,[1] shared expenses and shared risk."
But to you all of this is "a non-event", "unimportant", "so what" stuff. One could get the idea that you might be walking around with a closed mind towards what is really going on with Sphere.
