Retalix Ltd., a global provider of software and services to retailers, announced today that Retalix 10, its next-generation store suite, is available as a service from the cloud. "Retalix 10 on the Cloud" takes advantage of the flexibility, power and performance of Windows Azure, according to a press release from the company.

"We believe SaaS and cloud computing will play a crucial role in tackling major challenges that retailers worldwide are facing today, mainly simplifying management of operations and IT infrastructure, reducing capital expenditure and decreasing upfront investment," said Shuky Sheffer, CEO of Retalix. "Offering our advanced store solution as a service from the cloud will enable retailers of all sizes to simplify their IT infrastructure and operations, reduce maintenance, IT resources and capital expenditure, and enjoy benefits of per-demand scalability and elasticity, as well as accelerated time-to-market. Additionally, smaller retailers can now afford access to enterprise applications that are currently only accessible to large retailers."

Designed around a single software engine, Retalix 10 unifies and streamlines deployment and management of in-store systems, mobile commerce and online storefront channels, the company said in a press release. The platform ensures a consistent and personalized shopping experience across all touch points and sales channels, which include POS, self-checkout, self-scanning, customer scale, customer kiosk, fuel sales, mobile commerce and e-commerce, as well as a range of store and chain management applications.

Retalix has worked with Microsoft to use Windows Azure, which provides an open and flexible Internet-scale cloud services platform hosted through Microsoft data centers, automating IT infrastructure through a platform designed for high availability and dynamic scaling.