Architecture @ Microsoft Blog

April Newsletter – Debates on the Cloud

architecture — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:41:00 GMT

April 2010

One of the challenges in adopting a new platform is finding usable design patterns that work for developing effective solutions. The Catch-22 is that design patterns are discovered and not invented. Nevertheless it is important to have some guidance on what design patterns make sense early in the game.

Editor's picks

[Forbes] Dissecting The Cloud

Cloud computing brings up myriad questions.

[Computer World] Managing the cloud

How to manage cloud computing as part of an overall IT strategy.

[CIO] How Not to Build a Cloud

Here are six no-no's for cloud computing planning in your enterprise. From legacy software to outdated metrics, these potential pitfalls deserve careful consideration.

Henrik Kniberg: Kanban vs. Scrum

There's a lot of buzz on Kanban right now in the agile software development community. Since Scrum has become quite mainstream now, a common question is "so what is Kanban, and how does it compare to Scrum?"

Vince Kellen: The CIO is Dead! Long Live the CIO!

When viewed as a whole, the CIO community is paranoid and schizophrenic. Not only do we hear multiple conflicting voices in our collective heads, we have a sense that the future we created is out to get us.

[Enterprise Systems] Privileged Access in the Virtualized Data Center

No single solution can prevent all security risks in a virtualized data center, but automation can help.

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March Newsletter – Architecture Modeling and Processes (Issue 23)

architecture — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 23:55:00 GMT

Exploring our space—partly science, partly art—is always a fascinating and complex task. We could take the contextual approach and address a context-specific subject or we could take the introspective approach of analyzing the role that we play. Yet we could take a third approach that is neither context-specific nor introspective, when we review what we produce.

Issue 23 – March 2010

Dear Architect,

Exploring our space—partly science, partly art—is always a fascinating and complex task. We could take the contextual approach and address a context-specific subject, as we did recently ( BI, SOA, and so on), or we could take… [Read the foreword]

Contents

Keeping Architectures Relevant: Using Domain-Driven Design and Emergent Architecture to Manage Complexity and Enable Change Sound advice on how to keep architecture relevant, and not forgotten, after a solution's implementation.	Multiple-Context Systems: A New Frontier in Architecture Identification and illustration of the implications and trade-offs of adaptable solutions for different deployment contexts.
Evaluating Application Architecture, Quantitatively An explanation of ways to confirm that a given approach meets specific criteria before going to the next level.	UML or DSL: Which Bear Is Best? An exploration of the pros and cons of both UML and DSLs showing that they can eventually be combined.
Software Architecture in the Agile Life Cycle A set of techniques and practices for leveraging the agile approach to software architecture.	Modeling in an Agile Context An illustration of how to help the architecture emerge as a consequence of an agile process, instead of a big design up front.
Driving Efficiency and Innovation by Consistently Managing Complexity and Change A detailed description of the four pillars of holistic enterprise architecture that will help ensure success.	Videos Don’t forget to review the 10-minute videos that we’ve made as companion material.

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Windows Azure Design Patterns (Webcast)

architecture — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:10:38 GMT

This webcast attacks the problem through a set of application scenario contexts, Azure features and solution examples. It is unique in its approach and the fact that it includes the use of features from all components of the Windows Azure Platform including the Windows Azure OS, Windows Azure AppFabric and SQL Azure. In this webcast you will learn about the components of the Windows Azure Platform that can be used to solve specific business problems.

Presenter: Bill Zack (Architect Evangelist, Microsoft)

When: March 26, 2010 at 1:00pm – 2:00pm EST

Register now: https://swrt.worktankseattle.com/webcast/4241/preview.aspx

February Newsletter – Virtualization Call for Papers

architecture — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:22:00 GMT

We are calling for papers on Virtualization for the 24th Architecture Journal. If you are interested in participating, submit your proposal by Thursday, March 11 end of day.

Virtualization Call for Papers

February 2010

VIRTUALIZATION PRACTICES AND TECHNIQUES

Call for Papers

We are calling for papers on Virtualization for the 24th Architecture Journal. If you are interested in participating, submit your proposal by Thursday, March 11 end of day.

Get full details...

IT Architect Resources: Editor's Choice

Claims-Based Architectures This chapter, from "A Guide to Claims-Based Identity and Access Control", shows you how to evaluate UX, performance implications, and other aspects of claims-based architectures.	Architectural Validation inside Visual Studio 2010 (webcast) New tools come together to help understand existing code bases, maintaining the proper control and visibility of software systems.
[SEI] Reviewing Architecture Documentation This paper is intended to assist stakeholders in reviewing architecture documentation for gaps and weaknesses.	[infoQ] Managing Legacy Systems In this on demand session, Amit Uttam and Derek Longmuir discuss typical vs phased approaches.
Top 25 Most Dangerous Coding Errors A new study describes the top 25 programming errors that can open up security holes in software.	[ESJ] 7 Deadly Sins of DB Design How to avoid the worst problems.

Issue 22 on BI

Visual Studio 2010 RC

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Code Visualization and Architecture with Visual Studio 2010

architecture — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:55:23 GMT

Come learn how the new code visualization, UML, and Architectural Validation tools inside Visual Studio 2010 come together to help you understand existing code bases, model domain specific problem domains, and maintain the proper control and visibility of those software systems.

Date: February 25, 2010
Event Start Time: 10:00 AM Pacific Standard Time (UTC - 8 hours)
Duration: 1 hour

Presenter: Cameron Skinner (Product Unit Manager, Microsoft).

Cameron Skinner joined Microsoft in 2005 and is currently a product unit manager on the Visual Studio team. He is responsible for overseeing the Visualization and Architecture capabilities found in Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate. Prior to Microsoft, Mr. Skinner was the CTO and chief architect of application development tools for Embarcadero Technologies. Earlier in his career, he served as CTO for Advanced Software Technologies. In his limited spare time, Mr. Skinner enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, Crossfit, and playing his acoustic bass.

[Network World] Microsoft juices Visual Studio with secure coding tools

architecture — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT

At the Black Hat Conference taking place in Washington, D.C., Microsoft said it will deepen ties between its Visual Studio development tools and the secure applications development processes first developed inside the company and now available to outsiders.

Read the full story…

January Newsletter – Cloud Computing and the New Decade

architecture — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

We have left the century’s introductory decade behind us. Will the Cloud be massively adopted during the 2010s? Let's take a look what industry experts have to say.

Cloud Computing

January 2010

Cloud Computing and the New Decade

Dear Architect,

Greetings and happy New Year. We have left the century’s introductory decade behind us. The decade, as you may painfully remember, started with the popping of the dot-com bubble. This unfortunate financial event didn’t show us that Internet was the wrong place for investment, but did help us realize that business needs must always precede technology usage.

We, as a community, were still meditating on those findings when the promise of SOA erupted. The next few years we saw how that promise was coming to fruition -- still understanding that even creative solutions sometimes come at the expense of some new dilemmas (governance, federated identity, etc.) Frederick Brooks Jr. would have reminded us again that there is "no silver bullet." I'm one of those who think that SOA has been a success; if not a complete success, it is certainly hard to believe that SOA is dead.

We were still busy planning our business services when the "service" concept reappeared in another form and with yet another acronym: SaaS. Software delivered as a service brought another turn to an ASP screw originally envisioned for application hosting only.
The SaaS challenge is twofold. For consumers, the challenge lays in how to deal with privacy and reliability. Providers, however, must determine how to tackle multi-tenancy in order to maximize infrastructure usage.

In the meantime, other trends emerged. Virtualization, for instance, emerged as a solution for compatibility and efficiency. In another example, green computing appeared -- partially out of a necessity for energy cost reduction and partially to address additional regulations requiring lower CO2 footprint thresholds.
All these trends together molded into what may gradually become the paradigm in the 2010s: cloud computing. We have seen increasing numbers of platform vendors taking positions in this new arena.

Originally announced back in late 2008, Microsoft just released its own cloud offering called the Windows Azure Platform. However, is Microsoft now proposing to move all the IT portfolio to the cloud? Certainly not. Some lessons have been learned from the dot-com crash and our SOA experiences. Radical moves (particularly when we lose our business sense) don't seem to be destined to succeed. Therefore, Microsoft’s approach combines software as a service with traditional, on-premise deployed applications and services.

What's going to happen with all these during the 2010s? Let's take a look what industry experts have to say.

Sincerely,
Diego Dagum
Editor-in-chief

IT Architecture in 2010: Editor's Choice

[ZDNet] The decade in tech: Top 5 stories of the 00s (video)

From the Google IPO, to the rise of social networking, it's been an important decade for tech innovation, Two IT content editors talk about the five most important tech events of the decade and what they mean for the technology industry going forward.

[The Economist] Cloud Computing in the Times Ahead

An interview to Brian Boruff, CSC's vice president of Cloud Computing and Software Services. CSC is a Gold Certified MS Partner.

[Redmond Magazine] Microsoft, Google Debate Cloud Future

Google Vice President of Research Alfred Spector and Microsoft Architect Evangelist Bill Zack debated their views on how data will be stored and shared in the future.

Finally Released: Windows Azure platform, Microsoft's Own Cloud

Windows Azure is now commercially available. Usage during the month of January 2010 will be at no charge. Customers to be charged from February 1st, 2010.

[Information Week] The Top 10 CIO Issues For 2010

For CIOs, 2010 will require new emphases on customers, revenue, external information, and a passion for rapid change.

[Datamation] It's Time for IT Managers to Adopt Cloud Computing

The author of this opinion column considers that those who don’t make the move in 2010, will not only be left behind, but will risk losing their jobs as well.

[IT Business Edge] Fully Clouded by 2012?

The author predicts that virtualization and cloud computing will bring an end to IT infrastructure at small and mid-sized organizations, who would outsource these resources to regional dedicated data centers.

[Ars Technica] Microsoft and HP pump $250 million into cloud computing

Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard announced a three-year partnership to simplify IT environments through a wide range of converged hardware, software, and professional services solutions. The goal is to deliver the "next generation computing platform" by leading the adoption of cloud computing.

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[Tech Dispenser] ASP.NET 4.0 to Offer Search Engine Optimization Helpers

architecture — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:35:00 GMT

Microsoft's software development platform features tools to assist Web app builders in drawing more traffic to their sites.

Read full story…

Software Development Trends and Other Predictions for 2010

architecture — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:58:00 GMT

J.D. Meier, program manager with MS Patterns and Practices team, summarizes key trends to watch for 2010.

When doing that, J.D. declared “putting it together is a time-consuming exercise, but it’s one of the most important things I do for the year. It helps me see the bigger map. With the bigger map, I have a simpler way to understand what’s going on, anticipate what to expect, respond more effectively, and most importantly – make better bets on where to spend my time.”

Read full J.D. Meier’s post…

December Newsletter - Taking Business Intelligence beyond the Business Analyst (Issue 22)

architecture — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:39:00 GMT

In this, the 22nd issue of The Architecture Journal, you’ll get our coverage on business-intelligence (BI) aspects of which architects like you and me need to be aware today.

Issue 22

December 2009

Taking Business Intelligence beyond the Business Analyst

Letter from the Editor

Dear Architect,

In this, the 22nd issue of The Architecture Journal, you’ll get our coverage on business-intelligence (BI) aspects of which architects like you and me need to be aware today.

As we did in previous issues, so as to guarantee accuracy, relevance, and quality, we set up a board of subject-matter experts to analyze the problem space— harvesting today’s main topic concerns.

The articles that you are about to read were chosen based on those concerns. Let’s take a look at them:

-Enterprise BI strategy—Dinesh Kumar (Microsoft) introduces the notion of business infrastructure, which—together with capability models that are described in previous issues of The Architecture Journal—help organizations not only gain business insight, but act upon it, too.
Also, Sundararajan PA et al. (Infosys) propose a semantic enterprise data model for interoperability—adaptable for evolution through its life cycle.
-Embedding business insights into our applications—Traditionally, the final output of BI is considered to be scorecards and reports that are used as strategic decision support. Using implementation examples, Razvan Grigoroiu (Epicor) tells us how to put these outcomes within the reach of line-of-business (LOB) applications.
-Infrastructure and performance—Charles Fichter (Microsoft) explains the design principles for supporting a global data-warehouse architecture, with effectiveness and performance in mind.
-End-user and self-service BI—BI projects typically fall short in allowing users who have basic experience to handle how results are exposed, without any dependence on IT specialists. Ken Withee (Hitachi Consulting) shows multiple ways to tackle this issue by using facilities that are already available throughout the Microsoft platform.

As a side topic, outside the cover theme, this issue features an article by MVP Jesus Rodriguez (Tellago) on lightweight SOA implementations, and their patterns and principles.

The reader will also find more valuable BI input in side columns, as well as our second companion series of short videos, which are available at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/architecture/bb380180.aspx.

I’d like to finish by thanking the team of subject matter experts who helped me complete this challenge. First, I want to thank guest editor Matt Valentine for giving me direction in the makeup of this issue. Also, for its guidance and suggestions to give final shape to Matt’s ideas, I’d like to thank the editorial board that we put together this time.

Enjoy the issue! Remember that you may send any feedback to archjrnl@microsoft.com.

Diego Dagum
Editor-in-Chief

Contents

Thinking Global BI: Data-Warehouse Principles for Supporting Enterprise-Enabled Business-Intelligence Applications

By Charles Fichter (Microsoft).
Design principles to support a global data-warehouse (DW) architecture.

BI-to-LOB Integration: Closing the Cycle

By Razvan Grigoroiu (Epicor).
A discussion of the necessity of architecting BI solutions that focus on actionable data and information flow back to LOB applications.

Increasing Productivity by Empowering Business Users with Self-Serve BI

By Ken Withee (Hitachi Consulting).
A look at the latest wave of Microsoft tools and technologies that enable end-user self-serve BI.

Business Insight = Business Infrastructure = Business-Intelligence Platform

By Dinesh Kumar (Microsoft).
A prescriptive approach to planning and delivering BI services through the business-infrastructure and business-capability models.

Semantic Enterprise Optimizer and Coexistence of Data Models

By P.A. Sundararajan, Anupama Nithyanand, and S.V. Subrahmanya (Infosys Technologies).
Proposal of a semantic ontology–driven enterprise data–model architecture for interoperability, integration, and adaptability for evolution.

Lightweight SOAs: Exploring Patterns and Principles of a New Generation of SOA Solutions

By Jesus Rodriguez and Don Demsak (Tellago).
An exploration of how to address common challenges of traditional SOAs by using more scalable, interoperable, and agile alternatives.

Videos

Design and planning, embedding BI in line-of-business applications, high availability, dual partitioning and more...

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