While hunting and gathering cloud-related white papers, I found a nice collection of our Windows Azure white papers:

• A Developer’s Guide to Service Bus for the Windows Azure Platform AppFabric
• Alinean TCO Case Study – Whitepaper
• An Introduction to Windows Azure Platform AppFabric for Developers
• Cloud Economics
• Cloud Optimization – Expanding Capabilities, while Aligning Computing and Business Needs – A Framework for Making Business Decisions About Cloud Computing
• Cloud Platform for Business Leaders
• Custom E-Commerce (Elasticity Focus) Application Migration Scenario
• Customer Web (Rapid Scaling Focus) Application Migration Scenario
• Cloud Optimization – Expanding Capabilities, while Aligning Computing and Business Needs – A Framework for Making Business Decisions About Cloud Computing
• Introducing Windows Azure
• Introducing the Windows Azure Platform
• IT as a Service
• Security Best Practices for Developing Windows Azure Applications
• System Integrator Whitepaper
• The Windows Azure Programming Model
• Windows Azure AppFabric Overview
• Windows Azure Blob – Programming Blob Storage
• Windows Azure Drive Whitepaper – Using a Durable Drive for Your NTSFS Cloud Applications
• Windows Azure: How Four Groups at Microsoft Developed Scalable, Efficient Applications That Unleashed Competitive Differentiators and Delivered High Value to Customers
• Windows Azure Marketplace DataMarket
• Windows Azure Queue – Programming Queue Storage
• Windows Azure Security Overview
• Windows HPC Server and Windows Azure

For more whitepapers, see the Windows Azure Home at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/whitepapers/default.aspx

If you know of some great Windows Azure or cloud-related whitepapers, please share in the comments.

Some folks have asked me how is my new role on the Microsoft Enterprise Strategy team different from my old role on the patterns & practices team. 

The short answer is … focus and scope of impact.

Here are some additional quick thoughts …

1. It’s a shift from a breadth focus of thousands/millions of developers to depth focus with a vital few of Microsoft’s largest Enterprise customers.
2. It’s a shift from a focus on tech capabilities to a focus on business capabilities and bridging the business + IT gap.
3. It’s a shift from technical implementation to broader and deeper business impact.
4. I’m way more focused now on connecting  business capabilities to IT enablers, including product capabilities and features.
5. Now I need to know the full Microsoft platform stack – not just the Microsoft application platform map
6. I need to have more of an industry perspective (including key business drivers and trends for the verticals)
7. I need to have the business language at my finger tips for key verticals, including the key business capabilities and main business scenarios for a given domain.
8. I need to be able to think through and evaluate an Enterprise’s investment plan and roadmap for reshaping IT, especially as it pertains to cloud.

That said, a lot of things are still the same.  I’m still focused on sharing and scaling expertise.  I’m still focused on principles, patterns, and practices.  I’m still hunting and gathering proven practices.  In this case, it’s really all about patterns & practices for Enterprise Strategy.

My three main priorities right now are:

1. Making doing Enterprise Strategy more programmatic / systematic.
2. Figuring out what a cloud Enterprise Strategy looks like and driving an end-to-end repeatable approach.
3. Shaping the prescriptive guidance platform across the business and IT continuum.

To make Enterprise Strategy more “executable” and to pave the way for prescriptive guidance, I’m in the process of building out a backlog of user stories for doing Enterprise Strategy engagements.

Separately, but related, I’m also building out a backlog of user stories for Cloud Strategy.  I’ll share those in the near future, both for feedback and to share the most effective way I’ve found to share user stories with many people in an iterative and incremental way.

If you haven’t seen it, TechNet has a Cloud Scenarios Hub.

I like the focus on scenarios – it’s a great way to bring together a problem and a solution in context, while pulling together all the relevant guidance.  It’s a focusing anchor-point in action.

Here’s a quick tour of the scenarios they have so far …

Public Cloud Scenarios

• How To Build and Manage a Business Database Application on SQL Azure
• How To Collaborate Securely with Business Partners Through SharePoint Online
• How To Grow Your Business in a New Region with Exchange Online
• How To Grow Your Business in a New Region with SharePoint Online
• How To Manage Server Costs with Windows Azure
• How You Can Avoid Outgrowing Your Email Infrastructure and IT Budget
• Implementing Windows-Based Applications for Burst Demand with Windows Azure

See the Public Cloud Scenarios Hub.

Private Cloud Scenarios

• Cut Costs, Carbon Emissions and On-site Support Complexity with Remote Desktop Services (RDS)
• Deploy a private cloud infrastructure for supporting customized applications using Virtualization
• How To Grow Your Business in a New Region with Exchange
• How To Save on Power Consumption b Consolidating Servers Using Virtualization
• Increase Server Availability and Support Burst Demand with Virtualization
• How To Improve Server Utilization and Reduce Infrastructure Costs
• How To Support a New Location with SharePoint Virtualization
• Manage Storage Migration with Virtualization
• Planning for Disaster Recovery Using Virtualization
• Use Virtual Clustering to Deliver High Availability Applications

See the Private Cloud Scenarios Hub.

While researching some cloud topics, I came across a nice resource on TechNet called How Microsoft IT Does It.

It’s an insider’s look showcasing how our Microsoft IT department plans for, deploys, and manages our enterprise solutions across the business lines using our Microsoft product and technology platforms.

Here is a roundup of the cloud-focused resources.

Videos

• Cloud Computing: What Customers are Discussing with Microsoft IT
• How Microsoft IT Built Application Segmentation and Migration Strategies for the Cloud
• How Microsoft IT is Implementing a Hybrid Messaging Deployment
• How Microsoft IT is Integrating Operations with the Cloud
• How Microsoft IT is Using SQL Azure to Enable Self-Service BI
• Microsoft’s Chief Information Security Officer on Cloud Security
• Microsoft IT CISO Perspective on Cloud Security
• Microsoft IT Developing Applications with Microsoft Azure
• Microsoft IT Enterprise Architecture and the Cloud
• Microsoft IT’s Lessons Learned: Moving Applications to the Cloud
• What Does the Cloud Mean to the CIO

Webcast

• Delivering Data as a Service from Microsoft SQL Azure (Level 300)

Podcasts

• Architecting a Global Human Resources System Using SharePoint, Azure, and Duet
• Delivering Data as a Service from Microsoft SQL Azure
• How Microsoft Does IT: Cloud Computing: What Customers are Discussing with Microsoft IT
• How Microsoft Does IT: How Microsoft IT Built Application Segmentation and Migration Strategies for the Cloud
• How Microsoft Does IT: How Microsoft IT is Implementing a Hybrid Messaging Deployment
• How Microsoft Does IT: How Microsoft IT is Integrating Operations with the Cloud
• How Microsoft Does IT: How Microsoft IT is Using SQL Azure to Enable Self-Service BI
• How Microsoft Does IT: Microsoft IT CISO Perspective on Cloud Security
• How Microsoft Does IT: Microsoft IT Developing Applications with Microsoft Azure
• How Microsoft Does IT: Microsoft IT Enterprise Architecture and the Cloud
• How Microsoft Does IT: Microsoft IT’s Lessons Learned: Moving Applications to the Cloud
• How Microsoft Does IT: What Does the Cloud Mean to the CIO
• TechNet Radio: Microsoft’s Chief Information Security Officer on Cloud Security