London, UK – May 25, 2011 – At TM Forum Management World 2011, Sitecore today announced that the company’s Vice President Global Strategic Alliances, Jean-Paul Gomes, has been invited to join Microsoft’s Windows Azure Platform Customer Advisory Board (CAB).  As a board member, Gomes will advise Microsoft’s Windows Azure product management team on industry trends and business priorities on building and hosting Web applications in the cloud.

“Sitecore eagerly accepted the invitation to this small, select group of senior technology leaders who play a critical role in guiding the future direction of the Windows Azure Platform,” said Gomes. “Over the last few years, Sitecore has been a member of both the Windows Azure and SQL Azure Technology Adoption Programs (TAP), helping to validate the platform and shape the final product by providing early and deep feedback. The synergistic TAP and CAB efforts will lead to the release of business driven Azure solutions.”

The Windows Azure Customer Advisory Board is made up of Microsoft customers and partners with the goal of working together with the Windows Azure Platform leadership teams in understanding and applying knowledge on how organisations can execute business strategies with the Microsoft Azure Platform. 

“Microsoft is focused on amplifying the voice of the customer with its customer advocacy programmes,” said Robert Duffner, director of product management for Windows Azure, Microsoft Corporation. “By collaborating with people like Jean-Paul we can help customers realise the power of cloud computing and allow organisations to focus on their applications without the need to manage the infrastructure.”

As a Gold Certified Microsoft partner, Sitecore is demonstrating its CMS Azure Edition Platform in the Microsoft booth at TM Forum’s Management Forum.

Learn more about Sitecore CMS Azure Edition Platform.