Microsoft kicked off its TechEd North America conference with a wide-ranging keynote session that was short on "wow" news but heavy on positioning for Windows Server 2012, Windows Azure and server-side products as key components of what the company is calling "the era of the cloud OS." Organizations need server tools and operating systems in their data centers that can deliver and support a wide variety of Internet-connected devices and of always-on Web applications, said Satya Nadella, president of Microsoft's Server & Tools division.