Microsoft Azure continues growth FY16 Q4

Wad of moneyMicrosoft has released their earnings report for the 4th quarter for fiscal year 2016. Microsoft Azure experienced revenue growth of 102%. Excerpt from the earnings report:

Intelligent Cloud

Intelligent Cloud revenue increased $415 million or 7%, mainly due to higher revenue from server products and cloud services and Enterprise Services. Revenue included an unfavorable foreign currency impact of approximately 3%.

· Server products and cloud services revenue grew $253 million or 5%, driven by Azure revenue growth of 102%. Revenue included an unfavorable foreign currency impact of approximately 3%.

· Enterprise Services revenue grew $159 million or 12%, driven by growth in Premier Support Services. Revenue included an unfavorable foreign currency impact of approximately 2%.

Intelligent Cloud operating income decreased $443 million or 17%, primarily due to higher operating expenses. Operating expenses increased $471 million or 22%, mainly due to higher research and development expenses and sales and marketing expenses, driven by strategic investments and acquisitions to drive cloud sales capacity and innovation. Gross margin increased slightly, mainly due to higher revenue, offset in part by higher cost of revenue, driven by an increased mix of cloud offerings. Gross margin included an unfavorable foreign currency impact of approximately 4%.

Source: Microsoft