Cloud is to Datacenter as HAL is to PC

Something really big for the IT Pro just happened. Jeffrey Snover introduces it this way

"
Many years ago, Microsoft joined with other companies to define the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL), a set of standards to abstract the devices on a PC (and later, a server) for the OS. The HAL is the unsung hero of the
computing industry, allowing an amazing level of choice and interoperability in the x86 ecosystem. It is one of the critical hidden technologies behind why all this stuff “just works.” With Windows Server 2012, Windows has shifted its focus to become a Cloud OS, so a new abstraction layer is required – a Datacenter Abstraction Layer or DAL. Microsoft is, once again, joining with other companies to define the DAL. Instead of starting from scratch or advancing proprietary standards, we are embracing standards-based management to accelerate the process so we can get the ecosystem and our customers to the cloud as quickly as possible. "

Read about OMI and understand why your future is dependent on it at https://blogs.technet.com/b/windowsserver/archive/2012/06/28/open-management-infrastructure.aspx