
Amazon.com’s Amazon Web Services business, facing looming competition for its business of renting online data storage and computing, is introducing a store where customers will be able to rent business software from a number of third-party providers, including I.B.M., Microsoft and SAP.
The store, called AWS Marketplace, will use the Amazon Web Services billing and fulfillment system. Payments will be based on use, either by the hour or the month. At opening, the store has databases, software developer tools and business applications.