Tag: Azure

Moving Web Apps to the Cloud at WI .NET User Group

As a developer with years of experience developing web apps using ASP.NET, SQL Server, Windows Server and Active Directory, how do you move to the cloud with Windows Azure? How can you apply your existing skills and experience to developing cloud apps in Windows Azure?

These are common questions that get raised when considering Cloud Computing, PaaS and Windows Azure. Often, developers and technology managers have applications that come to mind when hearing about Windows Azure, but they are existing apps that were designed to run on-premise and not in Windows Azure. Since the apps already exist and it doesn’t make sense to throw them away and start over, Windows Azure seems out of reach.

Next Tuesday, July 12, 2011, at 7PM, I will be presenting on this very topic at the WI .NET User Group. We will take a simple, ASP.NET web app, designed to run in the traditional data center, and walk through the migration to Windows Azure. We’ll discuss the important considerations, practices, architectural differences, challenges, advantages and economic benefits to consider when migrating to Windows Azure.

If you are planning to attend, please take a moment to register for the event. There will be FREE pizza and soda sponsored by Centare. And I will bring some additional cloud giveaways.

One important detail to take note of, we will not be meeting at the normal Direct Supply location, but instead at Northwoods Software. Thanks to Northwood Software for providing the location this month.

Northwoods Software Development, Inc
4600 West Schroeder Drive
Brown Deer, WI 53223
Map & Directions

Talking Cloud at Architect Factory in Boston

As a senior member of a technology team, you can likely relate to the constant pressure to rapidly innovate and deliver new systems. It feels like the executives expect you to instantly produce the latest cutting-edge innovation they just learned about in their most recent business periodical. And you are already overwhelmed with your projects, responsibilities and are likely drowning, trying to drink from the massive fire hose of information. How can you juggle all of this and still provide solid guidance to your business community on increasing effectiveness with technology improvements?

This Thursday, June 9th, I will be helping a group of architects and senior software developers gain a better understanding of cloud computing and the value it can contribute to their organizations. I will be presenting “Understanding the Value of the Cloud” at Architect Factory 3 in Cambridge, MA (Boston) at the Microsoft NERD. Architect Factory is a 1-day conference that is designed to provide architects and senior software developers with a unique opportunity to learn the solutions, tools, techniques and processes of software architecture and services, first hand from leading software architects.

In my session, Understanding the Value of the Cloud, we will reminisce about the major milestones in computing history, look at where we are now, and consider what the future will look like with the introduction of the cloud. Next, we will examine the challenges of the traditional data center and dig into the benefits and value provided by leveraging the cloud. Finally, we will discuss how you can identify opportunities in your organization that are a good fit for the cloud, explore strategies for getting started and identify some items you must consider as architects when moving to the cloud.

My goal is for you to leave this session with a good understanding of what the cloud is all about and inspire thinking about your projects that are ideal for cloud computing. I also want you to be equipped to explain the value of cloud computing to your your business community in terms that resonate with them.

If you are in the Boston area, a senior software developer or architect, and haven’t yet registered for Architect Factory, do so soon! This is a FREE event and the number of remaining tickets are decreasing rapidly. The agenda is posted, the speakers are listed and registration is still open.

If you are considering or currently developing apps on a cloud platform, be sure to check out Bill Wilder’s session, “11 Scalability Concepts Every Architect Should Understand”. Bill’s session will help you understand how to design and build applications to take advantage of the massively scalable characteristics of cloud platforms like Windows Azure.

Lastly, if you like FREE stuff, I will also be giving away some Microsoft Cloud and Windows Azure t-shirts, mugs, keychains and most importantly books.

See you in Boston on Thursday!

Follow-Up to Centare Lunch & Learn

Thank you to everyone who attended the Centare Lunch & Learn last week. I hope you left with a good understanding of what cloud computing is and how you can benefit from the cloud. I also hope that the time we spent exploring common cloud application scenarios will help you identify cloud opportunities in your organization.

Cloud Computing takes multiple forms, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Generally, as you move from the “Traditional Data Center” and IaaS towards PaaS and SaaS, more value and ROI is realized. While the value proposition is usually greater with SaaS over PaaS, often mass-market software products don’t meet your specific needs. When this occurs, you must consider PaaS.

In our discussion of PaaS, we discussed the benefits of PaaS over IaaS and walked through a high-level overview of Windows Azure. The following are some Windows Azure resources that will be helpful as you explore the Windows Azure Platform on your own.

Windows Azure Features Overview
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/features

Windows Azure Case Studies
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/evidence/

Windows Azure TCO Calculator (Link on the right hand side)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/tco

New Windows Azure Pricing Calculator
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/pricing-calculator/

Windows Azure Service Level Agreement (SLA)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/sla/

If you would like help assessing and planning your organization’s cloud strategy, feel free to contact me.

If you would like the a copy of the slide deck that I presented, you can get it on my SkyDrive.

Finally, please let me know what other cloud computing topics, either business or technically focused, you would like to learn more about. Your feedback will help guide future presentations and events. Thank you for attending and providing valuable feedback.

Understanding the Value of the Cloud at Miller Park

Cloud Computing is an overhyped buzzword that has been thrown around a lot over the past couple of years. Unfortunately, there is a mix of marketing messages and “the cloud” means different things to different people. If you have heard the hype and would like to better understand what cloud computing is and how leverage the cloud in your organization, this Thursday’s Centare Lunch & Learn is for you.

On Thursday, June 2nd, 2011, I will be presenting “Understanding the Value of the Cloud” at Miller Park. The event begins at 11:30AM at T.G.I. Fridays and will conclude at 1:00PM. This is a FREE event and lunch will be provided by Centare. In this presentation we will consider the future of computing resources and the typical challenges that are addressed by utilizing the cloud. We will dive into the economics and value proposition that drive cloud computing and make massively available computing resources possible. Finally, we will explore common scenarios that you can look for in your organization that make great sense for the cloud.

This event is filling up fast. If you would like to attend, please register by the end of today, May 31st at http://www.centare.com/events/understanding-the-value-of-the-cloud/.

Vote for Sessions You Want to See at PASS Summit 2011

PASS Summit is the world’s largest conference for Microsoft SQL Server professionals. If you use Microsoft SQL Server or Business Intelligence technologies, you should attend PASS Summit. If you consider yourself a database administrator, application developer, BI or IT professional working with SQL Server, the sessions at PASS will be very informative and valuable for you.

PASS Summit 2011 is in Seattle, WA, Oct. 11-14 and the six session tracks are:

  • Application and Database Development
  • BI Architecture, Development and Administration Topics
  • BI Client Reporting and Delivery Topics
  • Enterprise Database Administration and Deployment
  • Professional Development
  • SQL Azure

If you are interested in PASS Summit 2011 and the sessions that will be offered, you can see a list of sessions and even vote on the sessions that you would like to see. All you need to do is:

  1. Visit http://www.sqlpass.org/summit/2011/Speakers/SessionPreferencing.aspx
  2. Login or Create an Account
  3. Browse the sessions
  4. If you want a session at PASS, click the “Click here to Mark Session as Preferred” link

The following are my sessions that you can vote on for PASS Summit 2011. If you would like to quickly get to these sessions, you can select “Eric D. Boyd” from the Speaker dropdown.

BI in the Cloud with SQL Azure Reporting [200]
Session Track: SQL Azure
Why maintain infrastructure for operational reporting, when you can do it in the cloud with SQL Azure Reporting? SQL Azure Reporting provides a set of capabilities that are familiar for developers using SQL Server Reporting Services on-premise. We will begin this session by considering the benefits and scenarios for BI in the cloud. Next, we will walkthrough what you need to get started using SQL Azure Reporting. We will then develop and deploy some reports to SQL Azure Reporting. Unfortunately, SSRS and SQL Azure Reporting do not have complete feature parity. As a result, we will conclude by reviewing the challenges and limitations of using SQL Azure Reporting over SQL Server Reporting Services.

Consuming Cloud Data from Multiple Platforms: The Benefits of OData [300]
Session Track: Application and Database Development
The amount of data stored today is growing at a rapid rate. However, data is only valuable if it is accessible and can be consumed by people and systems. OData is an open protocol for sharing data that is positioned to solve this problem. OData uses the standard HTTP protocol using REST principles to make data accessible and has huge industry momentum with rapid adoption growth. In this session, we will explore what OData is all about and how to expose relational and non-relational data as OData using WCF Data Services. We will then walkthrough developing apps to consume the OData feeds from multiple clients including mobile devices. Finally, we will take a look at how you can benefit from using Azure to publish your data and OData services.

One-Stop Data Shop: Overview of Windows Azure Marketplace DataMarket [200]
Session Track: SQL Azure
Whether it is buying clothing, food, or software, consumers like the simplicity of the one-stop shopping experience. Product producers also benefit greatly by being a part of a community marketplace. These rules of commerce apply to data just as much as physical goods and mobile apps. The Windows Azure Marketplace DataMarket is the marketplace for data set distribution in the cloud. In this session we will explore the benefits of the marketplace and the cloud for distributing data. Next, we will review the features and capabilities of Azure DataMarket. We will then walkthrough subscribing to, consuming and paying for data from Azure DataMarket. Finally, we will explore what this means for data publishers and how you can get data into the Azure DataMarket.

Working with Data in Azure: SQL Azure, Azure Storage, Local Storage and AppFabric Caching [200]
Session Track: SQL Azure
The Windows Azure Platform provides a plethora of options for data storage and trying to make sense of it all can be overwhelming. In this session we will explore the many Azure data services including SQL Azure, Azure Storage, Local Storage and AppFabric Caching. We will walk through the scenarios that each storage service addresses. Next we will dig into how to use each storage service and how they can complement each other when used together. Finally, we will explore the pricing and economic drivers that encourage one storage service over another when multiple fit into your solution.

If you know me, then you know that I’m a Cloud Computing evangelist and I am excited to see the SQL Azure track at PASS Summit 2011. If you share the same Cloud Computing passion, please vote for the sessions in the SQL Azure track.