Who owns the cloud business inside Microsoft?

To understand Microsoft Corp.'s cloud software strategy, look not just to what the software maker plans to deliver, but how.

For instance, its massive data center investments show the seriousness of Microsoft 's purpose around software-as-a-service (SaaS), however belated it may be.

Or how Microsoft plans to develop and roll out to customers its new cloud software such as Windows Azure, Exchange and SharePoint Online, or Office Web.

Rather than creating a new business division devoted to building and selling its SaaS offerings, Microsoft plans to house each hosted service in the same group as its on-premise counterpart, according to an interview with Bob Muglia , Microsoft senior vice president, at the Professional Developers Conference last week.

For instance, Exchange and SharePoint Online are being built today by a team led by corporate vice president for Microsoft Online, Dave Thompson.

Thompson reports to Muglia, who runs the Server and Tools Business (STB). A $13 billion-a-year enterprise software business in its own right, STB's trademark products include SQL Server, Windows Server and the Visual Studio developer tool.

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