Windows 8 may get cloud storage

Microsoft seems to be planning robust integrations between its online services and Windows 8, possibly including a cloud-based backup service, according to Microsoft job postings.

One job posting for a Windows Server position, which is no longer available but was quoted by the unofficial Windows8beta blog, states: "We are currently working on a Windows Azure-based service and integrating with certain Microsoft online services and Windows 8 client backup."

Another opening, which had been available on Monday this week but since pulled off the Microsoft career site, was for a Windows Live systems engineer, and says: "We are a growing team with a strategic and highly visible charter helping to build and operate some of Microsoft's most strategic Internet assets. Our service supports hundreds of millions of users, who exchange billions of instant messages, photos and email each day, and store billions of contact relationships in our service. We live the life of 'software and a service' every day, at high scale and you will play a pivotal role as we integrate our online services with Windows 8."

Windows has, of course, been integrated with online services for years such as via Windows Update. But these job postings indicate that integrations with online services will be a major focus during development of Windows 8, which makes sense given Microsoft's efforts to bolster its cloud computing offerings.

Although Windows 7 is just getting started, with its first successful year behind it, some details have begun to leak out about Windows 8. Microsoft, for example, has begun telling partners that it will outdo rival Apple by building a better touch screen for slate PCs.