Well, that didn’t take long.

VMware made a splash last week by outlining its private cloud vision. Today, Microsoft got in on the act.

During the Microsoft Management Summit this week, Microsoft reiterated the role of cloud computing and virtualization in the OS maker’s future. Microsoft showcased its Dynamic Datacenter Toolkit for Enterprises service to jumpstart the private cloud ambitions of IT organizations. Another service, Dynamic Datacenter Toolkit for Hosters, blends cloud computing and Hyper-V server virtualization for managed services providers.

Both indicate that Microsoft is laying the groundwork just before its Azure push starts in earnest. This could get interesting!

Other highlights include the announcement of a second beta for Microsoft’s federated identity technology codenamed Geneva, the upcoming beta of System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP2, and System Center Online Desktop Manager, which will soon be released to private testers.