Azure Live Q&A is ending. Join the farewell tour

If you’ve ever joined an Azure webinar to get unstuck, validate an architecture idea, or simply learn your way around the Azure portal, you already understand why live Q&A is so powerful. It turns “I think I understand” into “I can do this.”

After nine years of hosting Microsoft Azure Live Q&A sessions, I’m bringing the series to a close, but not without one last run. This post shares how the program started, how it evolved, and how you can take part in the final three months.

To get involved in the farewell tour, skip ahead to my 5 Asks of You to learn how to participate.

At a glance: the 9-year story in 60 seconds

The origins (January 2017)

In January 2017, I received an email from Guy Burstein, who was a Program Manager on the Azure.com team at the time. Guy’s email asked if I would be interested in delivering several “Getting started with Azure” webinars.

I had been an Azure MVP for several years by that point. Guy had seen some of my videos on YouTube, and we had probably even met in person at one of the MVP summits in Redmond.

In his email, he explained that his team was looking to help new Azure users take their first steps and answer frequently asked questions during the early days of their Azure trial accounts. He stated they wanted to experiment with some webinars, once or twice a week for several weeks, to see if it would be helpful for new users getting started with Azure.

I responded that I’d love to explore the opportunity to see if I was the right fit. It sounded like something I would enjoy and was aligned with my passion for helping people learn and get started with Azure. I mentioned that Herve Roggero and I had done a similar experiment called Azure MVP Digital Office Hours the year before with Esther Lee and Frank Kyei-Manu. We then met over Skype for Business (yeah, this was before Teams was a thing), and we discussed the idea further. It was a good fit, and we agreed to move forward.

The beginning of Azure Live Q&A (March 2017)

Over the next several weeks, I prepared content, did training on the ON24 platform, and ran rehearsals and dry runs. Then on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at 11 AM Central Time, I presented the first Azure Live Q&A webinar.

It was a success. The next week we did it again at the same time on Tuesday, and then added a second session on Thursday at 11 PM Central Time to accommodate different time zones. I only did the late-night sessions for a couple of months before we settled into a regular cadence of Tuesdays and Thursdays during normal daytime hours.

The original format (and why it worked)

The original webinar format started with a demo that flowed like a guided tour of Azure, walking through the early steps that many struggle with.

I started with an overview of the Azure portal and ended with creating resources like Virtual Machines, App Services, and SQL Databases. It was designed to help new users get comfortable with the Azure portal and the initial steps of creating and managing resources in Azure by observing me work in the portal and create Azure resources live.

At the end of the 45-minute live demo, I would open the floor for 15 minutes of live Q&A. Attendees could ask questions via chat, and I would answer them live on air.

How the format evolved over time

As the audience got more comfortable (and as the questions got deeper), the sessions shifted to a 30-minute format that was all live Q&A.

To replace the original 45-minute presentation (without losing the “getting started” foundation), I recorded a series of short videos covering those same topics. You can find them on my @EricDBoyd YouTube channel. There, you’ll discover an Azure Live Q&A playlist with videos from 2023, and you’ll also find a playlist with updated versions. In those playlists, you’ll find videos like the one below.

If you joined webinars titled Getting Started with Azure, Azure Live Demo, or Azure Live Q&A, you were part of this journey. Like many things in tech, the program evolved based on audience feedback, questions, and needs. And like many things at Microsoft, the program got renamed a few times along the way.

Impact and gratitude

Over the nine years, I’ve delivered hundreds of webinars, answered thousands of questions, and helped hundreds of thousands of people who were new to Azure.

I’m thankful for everyone who attended the sessions, asked great and sometimes challenging questions, and made it fun and rewarding. I’ve received many emails, messages, and social media shout-outs from people who said the sessions helped them get started with Azure, land a new job, or solve a tricky problem. Those messages have been encouraging to me and a joy to read.

I’m also extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with so many amazing people from Microsoft (and Microsoft vendors) who helped make the program and sessions a success. This program wouldn’t have existed without the incredible vision and leadership of Guy Burstein, Becky McAuley, and Pamela Franklin.

Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with many talented folks who have helped evolve the program to meet the ever-changing needs of Azure users. A few of the many people who have contributed to the success of the Azure Live Q&A program include: Stacey Peterson, Karin Mepani, Stephanie Van Kol, Aneeta Sidhu-Patel, Johanna Vanderpool, Kristin Schmidt, Sara Dodd, Anna Bond, Melissa Kidwell, and many others.

I’ve also worked with a great team supporting the logistics and execution of all the things that make the webinars function including Nick Phillips, Colleen Hardy, Nikki Melby, Laura Muriel, D’von Fields, Gena Roby, Eleanor Huss, and more. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to this program.

Lastly, but certainly not least, is one of the most important groups of people during the Live Q&A sessions: the folks from my team who helped moderate the sessions, answer questions in chat, and keep questions flowing to me. Attendees don’t ever get to see or hear them, but April Rains and Derek Wade from my team at responsiveX have been instrumental in making the sessions successful over the years. April has been on nearly every session helping answer questions and routing questions to me. And Derek has even filled in for me a couple of times in front of the camera, answering questions when I couldn’t make it. Thank you both for your dedication, dependability, and support in making this successful.

The farewell tour (final three months)

After an incredible journey and nine years of engaging with the Azure community in live Q&A sessions on Azure.com, it’s finally time to say goodbye and bring this series to an end. But before I do, you can join me for the final three months of the Microsoft Azure Live Q&A series as I embark on a farewell tour of sorts—answering your questions about Azure one last time.

Don’t miss this final opportunity to get insights, tips, and answers to your burning Azure questions before we conclude the Azure.com Getting Started with Azure: Live Q&A series.

My asks of you

As we bring this series to a close, I have a few requests to help make these final Azure Live Q&A sessions memorable and valuable for everyone.

Register and attend the sessions live

Make sure to register for the upcoming Azure Live Q&A sessions during the farewell tour. Mark your calendars and secure your spot to join me for this special conclusion to the series.

The following are the dates for the farewell tour sessions:

Send me your questions in advance

If you have specific questions you’d like me to address during these last sessions, feel free to send them my way in advance. You can reach out and @-mention me on X/Twitter, BlueSky, or LinkedIn. Use the hashtag #AzureLiveQA so I can easily find your questions.

Spread the word

Help me make the most of these final sessions by spreading the word to your colleagues, friends, and anyone interested in Azure. Share the news about the farewell tour on your social media platforms, in your professional networks, and within your organizations. Let’s make these last sessions as impactful and engaging as possible.

Stay connected

Even though the Azure Live Q&A series is coming to an end, my commitment to helping you with Azure continues. Stay connected with me through my social media channels, blog, conference sessions, and future webinars. I’ll continue to share valuable insights, tips, and updates about Azure and cloud computing.

Provide feedback

Your feedback has always been invaluable in shaping the content and format of the Azure Live Q&A sessions. As we wrap up this series, I encourage you to share your thoughts on what you found most helpful and any suggestions for future content or formats that could benefit the Azure community.

Thank you

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been a part of the Azure Live Q&A journey over the past nine years. Your participation, questions, and enthusiasm have made this series a rewarding experience for me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have connected with so many of you and to have contributed to your Azure learning journey.