Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has partnered with Cloud.com to provide integration and support of Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V to the OpenStack project, an open source cloud computing platform. The addition of Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V provides organizations and service providers running a mix of Microsoft and non-Microsoft infrastructure with greater flexibility when using OpenStack.

As part of the collaboration, Microsoft will provide architectural and technical guidance to Cloud.com. Cloud.com in turn will develop the code to support OpenStack on Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V. Once complete, the project code will be checked into the public code repository at https://openstack.org.

OpenStack uses open source software on standard hardware. Simply put, the software can run on an individual server in an existing datacenter or run on hardware configured as a modular datacenter. It uses virtualization technology to create and manage large groups of virtual machines.

The addition of Microsoft’s virtualization product puts customers in an excellent position to reach economies of scale to run Windows- and Linux-based infrastructure. Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V can efficiently run multiple different operating systems in parallel.

“Support for Windows Server Hyper-V on OpenStack reinforces Microsoft’s commitment to delivering choice and flexibility to customers in the cloud,” said Ted MacLean, general manager for the Open Solutions Group at Microsoft. “Giving customers the option to use Microsoft’s enterprise-ready virtualization platform, Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V, when they deploy OpenStack as their cloud solution is a win for all.”

“We’re extremely pleased to welcome Microsoft to the OpenStack community. Its contributions to the open cloud platform will expand the opportunities for customers, vendors and channel partners,” said Jim Curry, general manager of OpenStack and Chief Stacker.

“As the demand for cloud computing continues to grow throughout the industry, there is an increased demand from customers for support of their existing technologies, such as Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V,” said Sheng Liang, CEO of Cloud.com. “Microsoft’s support for both the OpenStack project and Cloud.com’s CloudStack underscores its commitment to providing customers with technologies that promote interoperability and openness in the cloud ecosystem.”

OpenStack was launched with code contributions from Rackspace US Inc. and the NASA Nebula cloud platform. Today, OpenStack is supported by 35 software and hardware providers from across the IT industry.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.