Microsoft's Ballmer (surprise) big on cloud computing's potential

Steven Ballmer, chief executive officer for Microsoft, kicked off the software giant's Worldwide Partner Conference on Monday with a speech outlining the company's vision for a technology that could soar: cloud computing.

"If you don't want to move to the cloud, we're not your folks," said Ballmer, who repeatedly emphasized the value proposition of the nascent technology, which shifts computer functions like data storage and word processing to the Internet.

The cloud will enable customers to streamline their operations, improve agility, and spend more money on innovation and less on IT and maintenance, Ballmer argued. Starbucks, Nokia and McDonalds, according to the CEO, are among the Fortune 500 companies working with Microsoft to incorporate the cloud into their operations.

The conference, held at the Washington Convention Center, is being attended by 9,500 people, including 3,000 Microsoft employees.