TechNet Flash, Volume 12, Issue 3 - February 10, 2010
TechNet Flash Editor's Note from Mitch Irsfeld

Moving Apps into the Cloud

First the news: Coinciding with the commercial launch of Windows Azure, Microsoft released the Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio 1.1 for creating, configuration, building, debugging, running, and packaging scalable Web applications and services on Windows Azure. And for getting your current Windows applications running in the cloud, the Windows Azure team released a beta of Windows Azure Drive.

We know that most IT pros are just starting to get their heads in the cloud, and there are some great resources to not only help you understand the scenarios for the Windows Azure cloud computing platform, but also a host of how-to instructional videos and training assets to get you started. To understand the core scenarios in which Windows Azure is proving its mettle in organizations, check out the short How-Do-I video Windows Azure Scenarios for IT Pros. Max Adams describes four scenarios, including scalable Web applications, Web applications with background processing, parallel computing, and data storage in the cloud.

To bring the first scenario to life, see how Kelley Blue Book saves $100,000 by making its server use during non-peak times more cost-effective with a pay-per-use model. The Kelly Blue Book solution is discussed in person in this Channel 9 video.

For more hands-on guidance, another How-Do-I video shows how to create your first Azure app. This time Max Adams shows step-by-step how to create a new Windows Azure Web role application in Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2, how to use the Azure storage assembly to create a storage location for the application, configure the application to use Azure storage, and modify the Web role application to do something useful.

Ready to go deeper? Download the Windows Azure Platform Training Kit, which offers a comprehensive set of technical content, including hands-on labs, presentations, and demos that are designed to help you learn how to use the Windows Azure platform (Windows Azure, SQL Azure and AppFabric).

The Scripting Guys Pick Up the Pace
If you are addicted to scripting, so are the Scripting Guys, and they're looking forward to no sleep this spring. They are now updating their Hey Scripting Guy blog seven days a week.

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Mitch Irsfeld
Editor, TechNet Flash

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