Conditions will be particularly tough for mid-size retail chains, with 100 to 250 branches, because few of them have the financial resources to tide them over.

Microsoft recommends WS8 for all cloud sizes, from mid-size businesses that need only dozens of servers to enterprises with hundreds of servers or hosting providers with thousands of servers.

First introduced in 1970 as a full-size car, the Monte Carlo had been downsized to a mid-size by the time the last rear drive model appeared in 1988.