Cloud computing and SaaS can provide benefits in today's tough economy, offering quick application deployment, Hindsbo said.

"I think one of the things that we're all facing right now is the big software projects that require massive up-front investments before our business customers see any return are probably very dubious," he said.

Microsoft's emphasis on cloud computing drew an endorsement from conference attendee Curtis Pope II, CEO of MetroDataOne, a software development and consulting firm.

"Just the fact that people are able to store not only their personal information but also their work information or work from anywhere, even, that's a beautiful thing," Pope said. Cloud computing harks back to the days of terminal-based computing but is flexible, he said.

Azure currently is offered in a pre-released, community preview format. General availability of Azure technology is anticipated for some time in 2010.