Strategy and Architecture Council : Azure

Architect Cafe | December 2009 Series | Online Webcasts

dpeuswr — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:04:24 GMT

December 22, 2009 at 11:00am – 12:30pm PST
Securing REST-Based Services with Access Control Service
Michele Leroux Bustamante
The Access Control Service (ACS), part of Windows Azure platform AppFabric, makes it easy to secure REST-based services using a simple set of standard protocols. In addition to enabling secure calls to REST-based services from any client, the ACS uniquely makes it possible to secure calls from client-side script, and enables federation scenarios with REST-based services. This webcast will provide a tour of ACS features and demonstrate scenarios where the ACS can be employed to secure REST-based WCF services and other web resources. You’ll learn how to configure ACS, learn how to request a token from the ACS, and learn how applications and services can authorize access based on the ACS token.

Link to Register: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032435379&Culture=en-US

For session recordings and content from the December 2009 series, please visit http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/cafe-2009-12.aspx.

For information on other events part of the Architect Cafe series, please visit http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/architect-cafe.aspx.

Free and no Azure token required - PDC Windows Azure walkthrough, Step-by-step ‘hello world’

dpeuswr — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:57:33 GMT

If you learn best by doing, here's how to get started with the PDC Azure tools without signing up for Azure or buying any software.

This will provide you the scaffolding you need to build more interesting Azure programs.

If you are an Architect, this will give you a "hands-on" feel for Azure.

Notes:

All you need is Windows
No Azure token required
Warm up your skills using the Azure Simulation Environment
No purchase of Visual Studio required

Read the full post on Kevin Boyle’s blog.

Architect Council | 2010: A Cloud Odyssey

dpeuswr — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:34:00 GMT

The forecast for 2010 is looking very cloudy, with every technology company delivering some type of cloud offering, and analysts estimating that almost everyone will try some form of cloud computing. But from a practical stand point, how should organizations leverage cloud computing effectively? Is it to simply host existing and legacy assets somewhere else, or to create next-generation applications that enable differentiated capabilities? In addition, what role does SOA play in the age of cloud computing? And does this impact the way we manage and interact with data?

Facilitated by Microsoft, the premise of this half-day event is to provide an open forum where architects can meet to discuss technologies and insights with peers. This forum will provide first-hand experiences and best practices intended to help the community to collectively discover and generate knowledge. Please join us for this opportunity to learn, share and network with your peers and other thought leaders.

Event Summary

Provide a clear and profound understanding of Microsoft’s cloud strategy and roadmap, and latest updates on the Windows Azure Platform
Discuss the state of SOA, and its relevance in the age of cloud computing
Review case studies and models of cloud usage, and examine approaches to build next-generation capabilities leveraging the cloud
Explore trade-offs, best practices, and guidance on today’s myriad of data storage options
Explain the differences and patterns of using various data interaction frameworks

Who Should Attend

Technology and business stakeholders, including CTOs, CIOs, VPs, Directors, Program and Product Managers, Architects, Lead Engineers, and IT Managers

When & Where

12/01/09: Irvine, CA

12/02/09: Los Angeles, CA

12/03/09: Phoenix, AZ

12/08/09: Mountain View, CA

12/09/09: San Francisco, CA

12/10/09: Seattle, WA

12/15/09: Denver, CO

Agenda

12:45PM: Introduction and Announcements

01:00PM: Windows Azure Platform – Overview of the Microsoft Cloud

01:30PM: SOA and Cloud Computing

02:00PM: Architecting Solutions Leveraging the Cloud

02:30PM: Making Sense of Cloud Data Storage

03:15PM: Understanding Data Access Options

04:00PM: Groupthink

How to Attend

This is a FREE event; only an online registration is required. Please follow the links on the event page at http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/council-2009q4.aspx

Presentation Content

For the content we delivered at these events, please visit the event page at http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/council-2009q4.aspx

Architect Cafe | November 2009 Series | Online Webcasts

dpeuswr — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:27:47 GMT

November 24, 2009 at 11:00am – 12:30pm PST
An Architect’s perspective on Silverlight 3
Tim Heuer
Many .NET developers are becoming more and more interested in the Rich Internet Application development space, and in particular Silverlight. In this session we will step back from a detailed implementation technology and take a higher level look at Silverlight from the architect’s perspective. We will discuss the types of applications where Silverlight makes sense and some scenarios where Silverlight may not be the appropriate technology. We will also delve into some of the architectural decisions that the architect must consider when writing applications for this platform and where some of the tradeoffs may lie.

Link to Register: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032432980&Culture=en-US

November 25, 2009, 11:00am – 12:30pm PST
Cloud-computing architecture – designing multi-tenant applications on Windows Azure
Joseph Hofstader
Cloud computing is one of the hottest topics in information technology today. With all the confusion surrounding acronyms ending in ‘aas’ like Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) it can be intimidating for even seasoned IT professionals. This presentation will briefly discuss the different types of cloud platforms and then address one of the key business scenarios for the cloud: Software as a Service.
Software as a Service is a business model for making applications available over the Internet. One of the key tenets of SaaS is multi-tenancy, or software designed to be used by multiple parties. Designing SaaS applications touches on many of the technologies that comprise the Azure platform: Processing, Storage, Workflow, Database and most importantly security. This presentation will discuss how each of technologies can be utilized to define a flexible architecture for multi-tenant solutions.

Link to Register: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032432981&Culture=en-US

For session recordings and content from the November 2009 series, please visit http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/cafe-2009-11.aspx.

For information on other events part of the Architect Cafe series, please visit http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/architect-cafe.aspx.

Windows Azure World Tour with David Chappell

dpeuswr — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:29:56 GMT

This week our team hosted the silicon valley stop (at our Mountain View campus) in David Chappell’s world-wide tour to talk about the impact of cloud computing, and latest developments on the Windows Azure Platform.

David Chappell’s talk looked at the Windows Azure platform and what it means for enterprises. The topics he covered include:

An overview of the Windows Azure platform: Technology and business model
The cloud platform context: Google, Amazon, Salesforce.com, and more
Using the Windows Azure platform: Application scenarios

He also provided a foundation for thinking about the Windows Azure platform, and then offered guidance on how to make good decisions for using it.

CEO of CSRware.com also showcased their “On-Demand Performance Management solution” for Sustainability and Green IT initiatives. Their current cloud initiative utilized Windows Azure, SQL Azure and hybrid (Software+Services) app dev pattern, for capturing tens of thousands of data points from their customer data center and aggregating them into a single data point to an on-premise SaaS offering.

A copy of the CSRware.com slide deck can be downloaded here:

David Chou also presented some additional views on how to architect applications using the Windows Azure Platform:

Architecting for the Windows Azure Platform -

Thanks to everyone who attended the event, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like to discuss further.

Microsoft SQL Azure CTP Available

dpeuswr — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:12:30 GMT

Yesterday, Microsoft announced the first community technology preview of SQL Azure Database, a cloud-based relational database service built on Microsoft SQL Server technologies. With SQL Azure Database, you can easily provision and deploy relational database solutions to the cloud, and take advantage of globally distributed data centers that provides enterprise-class availability, scalability, and security with the benefits of built-in data protection, self-healing and disaster recovery.

Read the full post on Raj Ramabadran’s blog at http://rajramabadran.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/microsoft-sql-azure-ctp-available/

Windows Azure – Business Model and more…

dpeuswr — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:48:06 GMT

Today, at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference 2009, we announced the business and partner model for the Windows Azure platform including service level agreements and support programs.

The Windows Azure platform, which includes a cloud services operating system – Windows Azure, a Web-based relational database in Microsoft SQL Azure (formerly SQL Services), as well as connectivity and interoperability services with .NET Services. Today, we announced a consumption-based pricing model, allowing partners and customers to pay only for the services that they consume.

Read the full post on John Stame’s blog at http://jcstame.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/windows-azure-business-model-and-more/

Azure Commercial Availability Confirmed, Business Model Announced and More..

dpeuswr — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:34:41 GMT

Yesterday at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference 2009, we announced the business and partner model for the Windows Azure platform including service level agreements and support programs.

Here are few highlights from the announcement.

Commercial availability at Professional Developers Conference 2009 in November’09.
SQL Azure will be available later this summer as a cloud-based relational database platform built on SQL Server.
Free until the release in November. Now is the time to go check out the free CTP.

Read the full post on Raj Ramabadran’s blog at http://rajramabadran.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/azure-commercial-availability-confirmed-business-model-announced-and-more/

The Business Value of Cloud Computing

dpeuswr — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:31:04 GMT

I have written about cloud computing and specifically Azure Services Platform several times in the past. As we approach the market release of Azure Services Platform (Microsoft’s Windows cloud platform as a service) I thought it might be a good time to step back and write about the business value of cloud computing.

Read the full article on John Stame’s blog at http://jcstame.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/the-business-value-of-cloud-computing/

Microsoft .NET Services Whitepapers Released

dpeuswr — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:42:50 GMT

Microsoft .NET Services whitepapers are now available from the Microsoft download centers.

Read the full article on Sam Chenaur’s blog at http://blog.samchenaur.com/2009/05/11/microsoft-net-services-whitepapers-released.aspx

Eduify Innovates to the Edge – BizSpark, Azure..

dpeuswr — Sat, 09 May 2009 06:41:03 GMT

Eduify is a web application and its mission is to give every student the tools and services they so critically need to become better writers and more importantly deliver to President Obama’s impetus to re-invigorate education in America.

So before we talk about Eduify capabilities here is a real life scenario of a high school kid going through a very scattered process writing a paper.

T1 – Starting to thinking about the paper while at home

T2 – Next starting then start writing on a word processor at school.

T3 – Next at a friends house searching for sources and copy the quotes down by hand

T4 – Next writing the bibliography at home

T5 – Next proofreading the paper while on the bus

T6 – Finally turn it in the paper

With Eduify, a student can start writing in their web browser, find guidance from the available paper templates available, do research within the editor, have those sources automatically formatted, run the paper through a proofreader and plagiarism checker, and ask for help from family or friends when necessary.

Read the full article on Raj Ramabadran’s blog at http://rajramabadran.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/eduify-innovates-to-the-edge-bizspark-azure/

new CloudApp() – The Azure Challenge

dpeuswr — Sat, 09 May 2009 06:38:35 GMT

new CloudApp(), a US based developer challenge, was launched today. Its focus is to promote applications running on the Azure Services Platform. This contest will have three categories of winners for applications running on the Azure Services Platform:

best .NET application,
top PHP application, and,
community winner

The winning submissions will:

Be featured on www.azure.com as well as at major Microsoft events
Be featured in a video interview on Channel 9 with the application author
Winners will be announced at Structure 09
Receive cash ($):
- .NET Applications Category winner: $5,000 Visa gift card
- PHP Applications Category winner: $5,000 Visa gift card
- Community winner: $2,500 Visa gift card

Read the full article on John Stame’s blog at http://jcstame.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/new-cloudapp-the-azure-challenge/

And on Raj Ramabadran’s blog at http://rajramabadran.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/the-azure-developer-challenge/

Updates to Windows Azure

dpeuswr — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:42:29 GMT

Recently, at Mix09 actually, there were a few important updates to the Windows Azure CTP (Community Technology Preview).

Read the full article on John Stame’s blog at http://jcstame.wordpress.com/2009/04/06/updates-to-windows-azure/

Windows Azure and SQL Services Updates from MIX09

dpeuswr — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 02:21:53 GMT

The Azure™ Services Platform (Azure) is an internet-scale cloud services platform hosted in Microsoft data centers, which provides an operating system and a set of developer services that can be used individually or together. Azure’s flexible and interoperable platform can be used to build new applications to run from the cloud or enhance existing applications with cloud-based capabilities. Its open architecture gives developers the choice to build web applications, applications running on connected devices, PCs, servers, or hybrid solutions offering the best of online and on-premises.

Read the full article on Sam Chenaur’s blog at http://blog.samchenaur.com/2009/04/01/windows-azure-and-sql-services-updates-from-mix09.aspx

Microsoft Releases Update to .NET Services

dpeuswr — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 02:20:41 GMT

Today, Microsoft is releasing the latest coding milestone of .NET Services, a component of the Azure Services Platform. .NET Services are still in community technology preview (CTP).

The March 2009 release further enhances support for web standards and interoperability, making it simpler for developers to connect cloud applications and services across platforms. Specifically, .NET Services now includes improved support for web standards such as REST, ATOM, SOAP, and HTTP. This means that all developers – whether they are .NET developers or not - will now find .NET Services much easier to use because they can utilize industry standards and protocols to interface the services.

Read the full article on Sam Chenaur’s blog at http://blog.samchenaur.com/2009/03/31/microsoft-releases-update-to-net-services.aspx