David Gristwood's Blog

Real World Windows Azure: LinkFresh Cloud QA – An application that helps businesses deliver safe, fresh, high quality food

2012-05-11T09:35:40Z

One of the best things about my work with Windows Azure is when a system actually goes live, so our team are going to be doing more blogs about people building on the Windows Azure platform, so you can what sorts of applications they built, why the chose the cloud and Windows Azure, and what they learnt in the process.

The blogs will all be on our partner blog under the “Real World Windows Azure” tag, and I will post some of the projects on my blog, such as this first one:

LINKFresh Cloud QA by Anglia Business Solutions.

Fresh food producers are subject to stringent food safety and quality standards, so managing and monitoring this requires a flexible and powerful mobile solution. LINKFresh Cloud Quality Assurance, part of the Anglia Business Solutions' LINKFresh Cloud platform, delivers a mobile device application which offers a complete Business Management solution for the food supply chain industry. The application runs on Windows Azure and captures produce information, including photo capture, signatures and geo location and stores it safely and securely in the cloud for processing.

Richard Jones, Anglia’s Director of Technology, shared their reasoning for building this application on the cloud and the benefits that it brings to their customers “Reaching a large volume of mobile users stretching across the globe always presents challenges for support, infrastructure and rollout. Using cloud technology simply made sense for us; we didn’t want the expense of building a backend server environment for each territory we wish to deploy in. The cloud means that we can switch on and off IT infrastructure as and when we require. This makes a great customer experience as the end user is always presented with a fast and useable App. That works reliably all the time. Being able to provide a unparalleled level of service to mobile users; makes our solution scale and keeps customers enthusiastic and loyal to our product offering.”

He has also commented on how the company made some if its key technical decisions “Windows Azure takes the pain out of deploying large scale systems. The ability to use familiar development tools such as Visual Studio to manage and deploy a cloud solution is truly remarkable. Microsoft's ability to ramp up the number of instances and servers we deploy on makes reaching a large geography of users very straight-forward; we are deploying to a large mobile workforce and Azure fits perfectly with our requirement”

David Gristwood, Windows Azure architect with Microsoft, noted that “This is a really innovative use of Windows Azure. The peak loads that there system has to deal with during busy periods is a perfect match for Windows Azure’s elasticity, which can scale up to cope with high throughout and traffic, then scale back down in quiet periods to reduce the running costs, which make for a really compelling story. Wrapping up their programming logic in Windows Azure web roles reduces the amount of programming effort required to manage this elasticity. Mobile scenarios are very common with Windows Azure, because they enable a wide range of devices to connect to Windows Azure through REST based webs service calls, to upload data and get the very latest information, whilst on the move, or in this case, working in the middle of a field”

Fast Facts

The LINKFresh Cloud Quality Assurance runs on Windows Azure and uses SQL Azure and Windows Azure storage. The mobile client runs on Windows Phone, Android and iOS
To cope with peak time demands, the system has been designed to handle hundreds of GB per day from thousands of workers in fields, farms and warehouses
The single code base used for this solution has simplified the development and deployment, and Windows Azure gives Anglia resilience, high availability and international reach without the up-front capital expenditure.
Anglia Business Solutions was founded in 1981 and is a gold certified partner based in Cambridge, UK, and was Dynamics partner of the year 2010

For more information

Read more about LINKFresh Quality Assurance
Get help exploring Windows Azure from Microsoft UK
Learn more about Windows Azure by watching the Six Weeks of Windows Azure sessions
Check out the Windows Azure Marketplace
Connect with us on our ISV Dev LinkedIn group

Windows Azure Platform, UK, Article, Windows Azure, Cloud Computing, Real World Windows Azure, Application, customer evidence

An interesting Windows Azure architectural discussion – synchronizing multiple nodes

2011-11-29T15:25:41Z

One of the interesting architectural discussions that comes up when designing highly scalable systems, such as those that run on Windows Azure, is how to co-ordinate multiple “nodes” so that they use use unique keys within an application or system. It sounds a fairly trivial task, but as with lots of engineering issues, when you examine it in more depth, there is more to this than first appears.

Fortunately, a colleague of mine, Josh Twist, who used to work at Microsoft in the UK, but now a Program Manager in the Windows Azure team, wrote an interesting article on this subject in MSDN Magazine, and I have pointed a few folk to the article, so its well worth a read.

The many ages of mobile application development

2011-11-29T11:58:50Z

It’s great to see one of the partners I have worked with, bbits, who developed the excellent Windows Azure application Love Clean Streets, get involved in the discussion around the future of mobile development, in a recent Computer Weekly article, “The many ages of mobile application development”:

Ian Blackburn, CEO of bbits, "Developing mobile applications is a very different approach to desktop apps - essentially you're keeping complexity out of the mobile apps and putting it in richer desktop apps or in automated services running in cloud services like Windows Azure. For mobile apps we've moved from a very fragmented collection of devices, resolutions and capabilities to devices which are more standardised and predictable."

Six Weeks of Windows Azure will start on … Monday 23rd January 2012

2011-11-28T10:09:36Z

A few days ago, Eric Nelson and I locked down the dates for www.sixweeksofazure.co.uk which is fantastic news.

We also confirmed that our core set of webinars and online surgeries will happen on the Monday and Wednesday of each week – with additional activities happening on other days which we will announce nearer the start.

We are very interested to get feedback on what else you would like to see, any tweaks, other topics, etc. And to be clear – its is most definitely draft and is a subset of what we hope to finally deliver once we get more external subject matter experts involved.

Check out the draft agenda and please join up http://www.sixweeksofazure.co.uk/

Video case study - Newgrove, Orpheus, advertising and Windows Azure

2011-11-08T09:37:43Z

I met up with one of my UK ISV partners, Newgrove to find out more about their new cloud based product, Orpheus, used by client's such the FT, to help them make sure they are getting the best value from their advertising. In the video he find out how customers use Orpheus, why it's such a great candidate for cloud computing, and why they chose the Windows Azure Platform.

Video case study - Media Science, Big Data and Windows Azure

2011-11-08T08:33:35Z

In my latest video case study for Channel 9, I talk to Media Science about how they have used the Windows Azure platform to help solve the problem of "Big Data" - millions and millions of chunks of data, in a wide variety of different formats – so that marketing people can finally gain some real insight into their work and make key decisions based on facts.

In the video they talk about their innovative approach to this challenge, why it is so well suited to the cloud, why they chose Windows Azure as their cloud platform, and how they went about building their application.

Registration for Windows Azure BizSpark Camp, Friday 30th September, London, Now open….

2011-09-06T10:41:48Z

Our team are hosting another Windows Azure BizSpark Camp in London, on Friday 30th September, 2011. So, if you are a start-up and you have been wondering about Windows Azure, or more generally about your cloud strategy, why not come along for the day, hear about other start-ups that have built their business on Windows Azure, ask us any questions you have, network with other start-ups and perhaps even deliver a 3 minute pitch to help secure some prizes.

More details and registration here.

Key agenda information:

9am	Registration and Coffee
930–10:30	Keynotes
10:45–11:45	Windows Azure in Real World” – hear from startups that have built their business around the Azure platform
11:45-12:15	How to get going with the Microsoft Cloud
12:15-12:45	Lunch and Networking
12:45-13:45	Technical Track
13:45-14:45	Technical and Commercial breakout sessions
15:00-16:00	Pitches and Judging
16:00-17:30	Wrap up and Networking Drinks

And, of course, the event is free.

So, Who Else Is Using Windows Azure…?

2011-08-19T15:17:02Z

If you are in the process of evaluating the Windows Azure platform, one of the questions you are may be asking yourself is, who else is using Windows Azure? Our Developer and Platform Group within Microsoft here in the UK has been working closely with a number of early adopters, many of whom are now live with applications and services running on Windows Azure:

At the recent TechDays UK event, I asked four partners that I had been working with, to come on stage, and talk for around 10 minutes on what they been doing, why the chose the Windows Azure Platform, and what their experiences has been. They talked very openly and very honestly about their work, and if you want to know what they though of Windows Azure, and why they and their customers are building on Windows Azure, check out the four videos – they are short, and very watchable:

	Andy Milligan, All My Plans
	Richard Parker, Mydeo
	Mark Rendle Dot Net Solutions
	Neil Owen, Shoothill

Leading Case Management Vendor, Singularity, Announces Success on Microsoft Windows Azure Platform

2011-07-25T13:13:05Z

Our team do all our work with partners who are the early movers, those who see the cloud, and in particular, Windows Azure, as a great opportunity to reduce costs, create new ideas or take existing products to new levels of functionality. As part of that work, we often help them build a “proof of concept” to help them validate their ideas and make key design decisions.

Here is a great example of this from a recent engagement with Singularity, in which they talk about what they are building, why, and how we worked with them. You can read the full press release here.

Autoscaling Windows Azure Applications

2011-06-22T16:18:00Z

The whole area of autoscaling Windows Azure applications comes up as a regular topic in discussions about the platform, mainly because there isn’t an “out the box” solution for it. This is for a number of factors, not least of which is the fact that we charge for roles by the hour, so we don’t want to autoscale up and cause folk to be billed more unless they are sure they want the scale. Its also because a complex application with lots of moving parts could have a lot of logic about when, where and how to scale up and down.

Azurewatch is one of the first products to take the API, and create a service based on it. There is a good overview of this topic and how this specific product works here. If you look at it, you start to get a feel for how complex this whole area is. AzureWtach builds up all sorts of performance metrics, which can then have rules defined against them, such as if CPU is at more then 70% for 30 minutes, then increase the role instance count. But then it gets more complicated because, say, this should only happen under certain conditions, or to some maximum limit, etc.

Businesses running on Windows Azure–TechDays 2011

2011-06-20T16:50:31Z

The Windows Azure Platform went live in January 2010 which means that in the UK we already have some great examples of solving real business problems elegantly through the use of cloud computing. At TechDays in May, I introduced on stage four partners who had each developed on the Windows Azure platform. They talked very openly and honestly about their motivation and experiences, and it makes for a fascinating discussion. Each session is just 10 minutes long::

And, if you want to my session, check it out here, and the rest of the conference is on demand here.

Mind the GAP: Alert system saves lives

2011-06-09T15:35:07Z

Active Web Solutions, one of the UK partners that has been working with Windows Azure since before its launch, has launched their “Global Alerting Platform” on Windows Azure. Read more about it in this Register article, and how they build it here.

“How Microsoft Manages Its Cloud Infrastructure at a Huge Scale”–TechEd 2011

2011-06-07T16:45:56Z

As a software architect, I admit that I don’t have the practical experience around the hardware and operational side of the business, so I found Rick Bakken’s session at TechEd 2011 “How Microsoft Manages Its Cloud Infrastructure at a Huge Scale” a fascinating insight into how we run our Windows Azure data centers. .

Don’t forget that all the other sessions from TechEd are on-line, with many cloud computing sessions.

Windows Azure at TechDays 2011, London

2011-05-17T08:08:10Z

I, and some of the other folk at Microsoft who care about Windows Azure, will be presenting at TechDays next week in London. We have created a special track for the day, focused on cloud computing, and in particular, the Windows Azure Platform.

If you have been thinking about Windows Azure, or have started reading about it and are keen to know more, then this i a great way to find out more, and meet other technical folk interested in this exciting new platform, then come along for the day.

This is the session I am doing – it’s a quick overview of Windows Azure, then I will brings some ISVs on stage to showcase some great solutions they have created on the platform.

So, go and register now….

Follow the event @ #uktechdays

David Chappell on Windows Azure

2011-04-28T13:21:40Z

David Chappell has a gift for writing very clear and very readable white papers that explain quite complex topics, so it’s great that he has written a number of such papers on the Windows Azure Platform. So, if you want to read more, check out his blog.

How Active Web Solutions built their “Global Alerting Platform” on Windows Azure

2011-03-04T12:48:26Z

I got my camera out, and met up with Richard Prodger, from Active Web Solutions (AWS) to discover more about how they built their new “Global Alerting Platform”, a system that ushers in a new generation of devices that mean “no matter where you are, you can be sure that you will always be in contact and you can be found”, and finds out why the built it, and why they chose the Windows Azure platform.

Microsoft Azure BizSpark Camp, 25th March, 2011, London

2011-02-28T17:17:00Z

Our team are pleased to announce the second annual Microsoft BizSpark Camp for the Windows Azure Platform on the 25th March, 2011, in London.

The is a day designed to offer the following assistance to entrepreneurs, in particular, the CTOs and developers/architects within Technology Startups.

· Learn to build new applications in the Microsoft cloud

· Get insights and guidance from other startups who have built their applications on Windows Azure

· Potential Nomination for BizSpark One (an invitation only program) for high potential startups

· Generate marketing buzz for your brand.

We hope to see you there, so, for more details, and to register, visit here, and enter invitation code F1DF0F

The Last “Second Monday of the Month" Windows Azure Briefing for Partners takes place on the 14th March–Book now…

2011-02-25T17:19:21Z

I have been running our series of free One Day Windows Azure Briefings for Microsoft Partners, on the “Second Monday of Every Month" , for 6 months now. They have been very well received, and the informal environment we create has been ideal for helping folk work through all the import re-platforming questions they have.

We will be running the very last of them on the 14th March 2011. After that date, we will be running a series of more technical activities – details to follow. So, if you want a place at this last briefing, please email ukdev@microsoft.com.

Koodibook - publishing high-quality photo albums on Windows Azure

2010-12-18T13:25:20Z

I have worked with the folks from Koodibooks for many years, and indeed, two of the founders are ex-members of our team at Microsoft, so its great to see them up and running on Windows Azure. Its a really cool idea, so check out their site, and read how the did it.

Latest Windows Azure Briefing

2010-12-15T16:02:41Z

On Monday our team held a Windows Azure briefing to partners. My slides are now on-line here

Understanding the Windows Azure Platform – Dec 2010

View more presentations from DavidGristwood.

Eric Nelson has also done an excellent job of providing some useful links for some of the topics covered during the session on his blog here.

Windows Azure learnings - Mydeo's 2 Week Proof of Concept

2010-11-15T12:16:42Z

Another video about Microsoft partners using Windows Azure, this time with Mydeo (http://www.mydeo.com//) at the end of an intense 2 week Windows Azure “Proof of Concept” activity at our Microsoft Technology Center (MTC) in the UK.

In the video they talk about their motivation for looking at Windows Azure, the architecture thy came up with, and what they achieved in the 2 weeks working with Windows Azure.

F# (and Windows Azure)

2010-09-29T10:21:25Z

One of the great strengths of .NET is its language neutrality –whilst I may be a C# programmer, because my background is C and C++, there are lots of developers who favour other programming languages. One language that has caught a lot of attention recently is F#, so I went down to Microsoft Research in Cambridge, with my colleague Dave Brown, to meet Don Syme, the language’s creator, to find out more.

So what was going to be a video on the language and its relevance to Windows Azure, turned into a series of 4 videos on the language, what makes it different, how to get started with it, and how it is being used:

An Introduction to F# (#1 of 4) – Don Syme introduces the F# language and describes the best way to begin developing with F#.

An F# Tutorial (#2 of 4) - Don Syme demonstrates the language with live coding examples, such as analysing a real-time Twitter feed using F# Interactive.

F'# and Windows Azure (#3 of 4) – Don Syme demonstrates the F# language with live coding examples in F# Interactive, focussing on Windows Azure.

F# in use at Microsoft Research (#4 of 4) - Dave Brown talks to several teams at Microsoft Research about their use of F#. Projects discussed include Project Emporia, which filters updates from the Twitter public feed , AdCenter & AdPredictor, which determines the best adverts to display in Bing search results, and The Path of Go, an AI implementation for the popular, ancient Chinese board game on XBOX 360.

Free One Day Windows Azure Briefings for Microsoft Partners - “Second Monday of Every Month"

2010-09-13T12:49:17Z

These briefings are designed for Business decision makers, CTOs, senior architects and system designers, and will cover Cloud Computing, and in particular, the Windows Azure platform. The sessions are designed to help ISVs and SIs understand the opportunities the Windows Azure Platform offers, how it is being used, discuss how they can move forward, and what resources are available to help them.

The agenda is

- Understanding Microsoft’s Cloud Computing Strategy (“We’re all in”)

- Just what is the Windows Azure platform?

- Exploring why ISVs should be in interested in Cloud Computing and the Windows Azure Platform

- Understanding the Windows Azure Platform Pricing Model

- How partners are using the Windows Azure platform today

- Getting Started Building Applications and Systems for Windows Azure

This format of the sessions are designed to encourage discussion and feedback, and ensure you get any questions you have about the Windows Azure platform answered. There will be the opportunity for more detailed one to one conversations over lunch and into the afternoon. If you have any questions about the suitability of the event, or want to book some “1 to 1” time at any event, please email ukdev@microsoft.com.

Registration is 9:30 for a 10am start. There will be lunch at around 1pm, after which the session will finish, after which there are “1 to 1”sessions and informal Q&A.

They sessions are usually run on the second Monday of every month in Reading, with additional dates at other Microsoft venues:

11th October 2010, 12^th October (Edinburgh), 8th November, 13th December, 10th January 2011, 14th February, 14th March.

Windows Azure Accelerated 2 Day Training Workshop, London 2010 / 2011 - £100

2010-09-07T09:24:24Z

Although there is a lot of on-line material for Windows Azure, there are times when you can’t beat the traditional instructor led training. We are pleased to announce this two-day intensive instructor-led workshop, which provides delegates with an early opportunity to gain insight into the nature and benefits of the Windows Azure Platform. Delivered through workshop style presentations and hands-on lab exercises, the workshop will focus on three key services – Windows Azure, SQL Azure and AppFabric.

Agenda
•Module 1: Windows Azure Platform overview
•Module 2: Introduction to Windows Azure
•Module 3: Introduction to SQL Azure
•Module 4: Introduction to AppFabric

Dates

London 30^th September 2010

London 15^th November 2010

London 8^th February 2011

London 5^th April 2011

Windows Azure 2 Week Accelerated Virtual Training Workshop

2010-09-07T09:17:01Z

Earlier this year, Eric Nelson and I ran a virtual course “6 Weeks of Windows Azure”. The format, a mixture of Live Meetings and coursework proved so popular that it has been re-run in other parts of the world, and an evolution of it, a two week version, is being run again this October, here in the UK:

This “Windows Azure Platform – Accelerated Virtual Training Workshop” is uniquely delivered over a two week period and combines instructor led sessions (delivered virtually over Live Meeting) with independent distance learning, email support and access to hands-on practical exercises. The training provides delegates with an opportunity to gain insight into the nature and benefits of the Windows Azure Platform. 11 October - 25 October 2010

For details of the full agenda, and to register, visit here.