The holidays are just about to end, but there's still time to boost your knowledge or learn something totally new.

During these two weeks we'll be giving the fourth and final topic of these Architect summer issues their place in the sun, namely Windows Azure Platform Interoperability. Click through and you'll find all the best material about Interoperability, presented based on the amount of time you want to spend on it.

Explore and dive into the Windows Azure Platform Interoperability Journey

Microsoft is totally committed to interoperability and as such the Windows Azure Platform has been built from the ground up with interoperability in mind, offering various choices to architects.

It allows you to use multiple languages, runtimes (.NET, PHP, Ruby, Python or Java) and development tools (Visual Studio or Eclipse) to design and build applications that run on Windows Azure and/or consume any of the Windows Azure platform offerings from any other cloud or on-premise platform.

Are you ready to explore the interoperability choices offered by the Windows Azure Platform? Have a look at our website and discover a handpicked choice of articles, white papers and videos on the subject.

Speaker : Bart Vande Ghinste

Other interesting Summer Campaigns :

- For IT Professionals : Virtualisation(Part 1), Desktop Deployment, Virtualisation (Part 2), Best of TechDays 2011

- For Independant Software Vendors (ISV) : Leveraging the Cloud, Unlocking your Data, Mobility Scenarios, Leveraging the Web

- For Developers : Windows Phone 7 Mango, Visual Studio 2010 ALM, HTML5, Windows Azure Platform

Take advantage of this special about Cloud Patterns and Practices to dive a little deeper into one of the hot topics of the moment during the summer months. We have information geared to fit in with your busy schedule. Only have 30 minutes or half a day to spare? Choose from the basics through to the best tools and resources for getting to know these important patterns and practices like the back of your hand.

Cloud Patterns and Practices is the third topic that we're diving into this summer. You can expect one last topic by mid-August on the Windows Azure Platform Interoperability.

So keep an eye on your mailbox and dive in this summer with MSDN!

Explore and dive into Cloud Patterns and Practices

When designing and building architectures, architects need to be able to rely on a repository filled with commonly used patterns and best practices. Not only for avoiding pitfalls made by their predecessors, but also for saving time in building the solution and delivering value to their customers.

Building cloud-oriented solutions is not different as such. The paradigm is different and the patterns and practices used might be different as well, but the objectives are still the same: avoiding mistakes, maximizing the potential
of the architecture and delivering cost-effective value to customers.

Are you ready to explore the different Cloud Patterns and Practices? Have alook at our website and discover a handpicked choice of articles, whitepapers and videos on the subject.


Speaker : Bart Vande Ghinste

Other interesting Summer Campaigns :

- For IT Professionals : Virtualisation(Part 1), Desktop Deployment,Virtualisation (Part 2)

- For Independant Software Vendors : Leveraging the Cloud, Unlocking your Data, Mobility Scenarios

- For Developers : Windows Phone 7 Mango, Visual Studio 2010 ALM, HTML5

Summer's here and for the most of us this is the time we take that well-deserved rest and stand back a little from
the daily grind. It's also a time for some reflection, a time to think about the things that we would like to do during the next couple of months. 
This is why we will be serving you up with such a refreshing cocktail of new things to enjoy in 4 special issues of the Architect newsletter.

The second topic of this summer edition lets you dive into the Windows Azure Platform.

Explore and dive into  the Windows Azure Platform: Focus on the application, not the infrastructure.

The Windows Azure platform is an Internet-scale cloud computing services platform hosted in Microsoft data centres.

The Windows Azure platform provides architects with an Internet-scale hosting environment with a runtime execution environment for managed and unmanaged code. With geographically distributed data centres, Windows Azure compute provides architects with the functionality to build, host and manage complete and compelling applications across the world.

Are you ready to explore the Windows Azure Platform? Take a look at our website and browse through a handpicked choice of articles, white papers and videos explaining what the Windows Azure Platform has to offer.

Speaker : Bart Vande Ghinste

Other interesting Summer Campaigns :

- For Developers : Windows Phone 7 Mango, Visuals Studio 2010 ALM

- For IT Professionals : Virtualization, Desktop Deployment

- For Independant Software Vendors (ISV) : Leveraging the Cloud, Unlocking your data

Summer's here and for the most of us this is the time we take that well-deserved rest and stand back a little from the daily grind. It's also a time for some reflection, a time to think about the things that we would like to do during the next couple of months.
 
For this very reason, MSDN is highlighting a number of topics that might be of interest to you. Topics that allow you as architects to build great solutions once the summer months are but a distant memory and the pressure is back on,
pushing you to be even more effective in what you are doing.

How does it work? There's a short introductory video, after which you have the chance to learn more about the topic at hand, depending on the time you have available or want to spend on it: half an hour, half a day or a full day. That way you can explore the presentation content to suit your personal timetable.

Explore and dive into Microsoft's Cloud Power

Microsoft is committed in leading the cloud story by having all its products aimed at the same cloud vision, effectively creating a whole spectrum of cloud solutions, aligned and integrated into a larger 'cloud continuum'.

Cloud Power is the key name in driving the Microsoft cloud vision across our solutions towards our partners and customers, It's the vision that sparks innovation with tools and solutions that lets you develop and deliver applications while using the tools, languages and products people already know. It gives your IT organization the power to focus on business instead of worrying about the plumbing behind it, saving you money, resources and enabling time to be spent elsewhere.

Are you ready to explore Microsoft's Cloud Power? Take a look at our site and browse through a handpicked choice of articles, white papers and videos explaining what 'cloud' means from a Microsoft perspective.

Speaker : Bart Vande Ghinste

Other interesting Summer Campaigns :

- For IT Professionals : Virtualization

- For Developers : Windows Phone 7 Mango

- For Independant Software Vendors (ISV) : Leveraging the Cloud

In this episode of ARCast, Denny Boynton discusses this Zen approach to software design with Juval, seeking a state of technological nothingness.

In this episode of ARCast, Joe Shirey sits down with Loren Goodman, CTO of InRule Technology, and talks about how to use business rules to drive good architecture in the software development process.

With the growing interest in "cloud computing", the subject of Identity is
moving into the limelight. Kim Cameron is a legend in the identity architecture
and engineering space. He is currently the chief architect for Microsoft's
identity platform and a key contributor to the field at large.

Traditionally, the identity stops at the edge of a domain - it works within a
closed boundary and that's it. If all your computing resources are local, then
they can be within that boundary, and all is fine.

However, as you move into a world where we want to take advantage of
resources and services within the cloud - we don't control aspects of this - so
we need identity that can reach beyond the edge of our own domain. Kim talks
about how they create an infrastructure that allows claims to be made both
within and outside of the domain, and be shared between them. He will also begin
a conversation about the future of Microsoft’s directory
technology.

by Kim Cameron

Hear about key problems that the Windows Azure Platform is adressing and it
fits into the Microsoft cloud computing initiatives. Learn about the pillars of
the Windows Azure Platform, its service lifecycle, and see how they fit with
both Microsoft and non-Microsoft technologies. Also, hear about the platform
services roadmap over the next few years.

by Rudy Van Hoe

Given the tremendous attention and company focus that Cloud computing is
getting lately, people might wonder what it actually takes to get upon the
wagon. This session will focus from a practical point of view on what is
currently possible with the Microsoft Azure platform whereby we will elaborate
on different aspects such as data handling and storage, security, cross-domain
connectivity, inter-role communication, debugging tactics, logging, potential
costs and overall benefits of working in the cloud.

by Miguel De Lathouwer

PDC 2010 has been completed successfully and a whole range of new features
have been announced when it comes to cloud computing. Part of the announcements
contained significant changes in how we deal with security and interoperability
and much more. During this session you will learn what the new features are,
when they are available and how they can be used by you in architecting cloud
based solutions.

by Bart Vande Ghinste

It’s Time for Private Cloud: Microsoft Data Center Services Solution

Get all you need to know about delivering Infrastructure as a Service using a
private cloud deployment model by leveraging the Microsoft Data Center Services
Solution? Find out what the Data Center Services Solution is, how Microsoft can
deliver an end to end solution, including Advisory Services Platform
Rationalization, architecture and implementation. Come join us to know how this
end-to-end solution addresses customer needs to maximize cost savings, improve
operational efficiencies, and drive business agility through IT.

Speakers: Travis Gerber, Senior Product Manager Microsoft Data Services,
Microsoft Corporation. Alberto Boczar, Technical Architect, Microsoft
Corporation.

The Road to a Private Cloud Infrastructure

How does Data Center automatic look, how does it feel? What benefits could it
provide to you today? You may have some of these features… but how does it feel
when you have an integrated virtualization, end to end monitoring, heterogeneous
systems management, and automated backup/restore.

In this session we will present via 6 complex scenario video demos a clear
and pragmatic view of how to achieve integrated data center automation based on
current existing products and best practices through: performance based, as well
as power management based dynamic load balancing, application based disaster
recovery founded on backup and recovery automation, and finally heterogeneous
platform management.

Speaker: Eduardo Kassner, Enterprise Technical Architect, Microsoft
Corporation

Opening Keynote - The Microsoft Cloud Continuum

A proliferation of cloud service providers is happening claiming to provide
infrastructure, platform and application services consumable via the cloud. What
does this really mean from an IT perspective? Microsoft believes the industry is
going through a significant transformation across the entire stack.

During this session you will learn how Microsoft is driving this cloud
transformation and how it provides opportunities for your businesses. It
furthermore explains how Microsoft envisions the future of the cloud.

Speaker: Bart Vande Ghinste, Enterprise Architect, Microsoft Belgium
& Luxembourg

An Architecture Lap around the Windows Azure Platform

Hear about key problems that the Windows Azure Platform is adressing and it
fits into the Microsoft cloud computing initiatives. Learn about the pillars of
the Windows Azure Platform, its service lifecycle, and see how they fit with
both Microsoft and non-Microsoft technologies. Also, hear about the platform
services roadmap over the next few years

Speakers: Kurt Claeys, Technical Solution Specialist, Microsoft
EMEA.

Infrastructure as a Service: Principles and Patterns for the Private Cloud

Dynamic Data Center (DDC) is the provider's perspective on Infrastructure as
a Service. This session, aimed at Architects, and Operations Managers, provides
an introduction to DDC architectural and IT Service Management principles,
concepts and patterns derived from Microsoft’s own data centers. It identifies
the drivers which make customers want to build a DDC and uses the DDC Reference
Model to show how different aspects of IT technology and processes are impacted.

Speakers: Travis Gerber, Senior Product Manager Microsoft Data Services,
Microsoft Corporation. Alberto Boczar, Technical Architect, Microsoft
Corporation.

Alberto Boczar introduces his session called 'Infrastructure as a Service: Principles and Patterns for the Private Cloud'

Eduardo Kassner introduces his session called 'The Road to a Private Cloud Infrastructure'

Travis Gerber introduces his session called 'It’s Time for Private Cloud: Microsoft Data Center Services Solution'

Kurt Claeys introduces his session called 'An Architecture Lap around the Windows Azure Platform'

Bart Vande Ghinste introduces the opening keynote called 'The Microsoft Cloud Continuum'.

·         Bid Now Sample at http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/BidNowSample.

·         Windows Azure Platform training kit and Channel 9 learning course.

·         Windows Azure MMC

·         Windows Azure Table Browser

·         Windows Azure Management PowerShell CmdLets

In this episode David talks to Bob Familiar about the architecture patterns that lend themselves to building scalable services for the cloud.

In this episode David talk to Bob Familiar about Effective IT Innovation. David talks about how innovation is more than just coming up with great ideas. He makes the case that innovation is a change that provides value. He goes into some detail on his i3 approach to taking ideas and moving them through the implementation and infusion phases so that their value has the broadest impact.

In this episode Rocky talks to Bob Familiar about why patterns are important, the relationship between patterns and layered architecture and the emergence of MVVM as a key pattern for Rich Internet Applications.

More information on patterns and MVVM can be found on Rocky’s Blog.