Oops.

Welcome!

Seems you've found by blog by an old link or something, which is totally cool.  But... you won't find anything new here.  Please visit me at my new blog location - www.techbunny.com.

Thanks!

Goodbye November

November seemed like a pretty busy month for me, so I'm looking forward to starting off a more relaxing holiday season, where I can get caught up with friends, family and abandoned side projects!  I was doing a lot of presentations at a variety of places this past month and I know many of you might have asked for access to slides and various content.

If you've attended any of the "Ignite Your Business" events for Windows 10, you can find content related to that at: http://aka.ms/ITInnovationResources

If you've seen me at:

• LearnIT! (San Francisco, 10/31)
• Silicon Valley Code Camp (San Jose, 10/3)
• Central CA .NET User Group (Fresno, 11/19)
• IC3 DevOps Conference (San Jose, 10/10)

You can find those presentations on docs.com: https://docs.com/jennelle-crothers/5543/presentations

Upcoming Events... Cool Stuff, In Person!

Are you in the Portland area?  Are you a SharePoint fan?  A favorite MVP of mine, Zubair Alexander will be presenting at SharePointlanda 2015 this coming Saturday (Nov 14th).  You can still join him!

Not into SharePoint? Are you thinking about Windows 10 for your enterprise instead?  I've got you covered for that too...  My fellow Tech Evangelists are hitting a bunch of cities across the US over the next several weeks.  Boston, Atlanta, Philly, Dallas, to name just a few.  Learn more at Ignite Your Business.

And for you folks who are stuck in the office, check out Part 7 of Blain Barton's "To The Cloud" series! Blain Barton welcomes Microsoft MVP Adnan Cartwright to the show as they discuss the inner workings of Server Manager in Windows Server 2012 R2 and how you can manage roles and features in the cloud.

• [10:04] DEMO: Introduction to Server Manager

If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information:

Websites & Blogs:

• Blain Barton's Blog
• Florida IT Server Group
• Integrity Solutions
• Check out the book! "Setting up your business in the cloud"

Videos:

• (Part 1) To the Cloud! What the Cloud can do for your Business
• (Part 2) To the Cloud! Getting Started with Office 365
• (Part 3) To the Cloud! Storing your files in the cloud with OneDrive for Business
• (Part 4) To the Cloud! Keeping track of customers with Microsoft Dynamics CRM
• (Part 5) To the Cloud! Managing Devices in the Cloud with Microsoft Intune
• (Part 6) To the Cloud! Building and Running Servers without the Hardware

Blain Barton's "To the Cloud" Series Continues!

In Part 6 in the “To the Cloud” series, Blain Barton, Tommy Patterson and Dan Stolts, provide an overview of the benefits of running servers without the physical hardware using Microsoft Azure.   Learn how large and small to mid-sized companies can rent compute, storage, and networking resources by using datacenter hardware to deploy virtual machines (VMs).

• [10:25] DEMO: Azure Virtual Machine Gallery

If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information:

Websites & Blogs:

• Blain Barton's Blog
• Tommy Patterson’s Blog
• Dan Stolts’ Blog
• Cloud Solutions Hub
• Building Clouds blog
• Check out the book! "Setting up your business in the cloud"

Videos:

• (Part 1) To the Cloud! What the Cloud can do for your Business
• (Part 2) To the Cloud! Getting Started with Office 365
• (Part 3) To the Cloud! Storing your files in the cloud with OneDrive for Business
• (Part 4) To the Cloud! Keeping track of customers with Microsoft Dynamics CRM
• (Part 5) To the Cloud! Managing Devices in the Cloud with Microsoft Intune

Follow the conversation @MS_ITProBecome a Fan @ facebook.com/MicrosoftITPro
Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS

The Tech of Blogging

I've been blogging about technology for about 10 years now.  And the majority of that time has been on the Blogger platform.  I went with Blogger back in the day, because it was a simple platform that was flexible enough for what I needed without too much hassle.

But now, in 2015, I'm starting to hit some limitations. And sure, a lot of those limitations might be worked around and I'm a geeky person, but the reality is - out of all the things I like to geek out about, tweaking my blog platform and website just…. isn't it.

Also, my domain registrar starting charging for things that used to be free a while back (like probably close to two years ago) and I've been so busy with "life" that I just pay to keep the lights on so to speak, without really looking at the offerings and seeing how that ties in with what I'm doing with my blog.

So I starting thinking about how I wanted to manage it next… And never really thought about it much until Troy Hunt put it into words a bit earlier this month.

So I started thinking about my domain and blog related things that needed improvement. Some points…

1. I like the convenience of widgets and easy theme management.
2. I've dabbled with WordPress in the past, but not sure I want to go with the hosted version or run my own web server in the cloud.  And honestly, at the time I didn't really feel like learning another platform.
3. I did take a peek at ghost.io, but didn't feel it had the dashboard management that comes with WordPress and I kind of want to stay away from CSS editing if I can help it for theme adjustments.
4. I married a UX designer who's spent some time designing for WordPress (handy!).

So I quizzed the hubby about what he thought and recognized the fact that I really want my blog management to be as "non-techie" as possible, because it really has to be the least of my worries.   As fun as it might be to self-host my own WordPress instance in Azure, I don't want to have to deal with having to do any "webmaster" things - I don't want to be THAT responsible.  I just want to post when I need to post and change or update other elements of the site (like navigation and colors) without having to dig into HTML or CSS.

So that being said… I'll probably start looking at working out my migration to a new platform before the end of the year.  Let the side project begin!

TechNet on Tour: Resources for Backup/DR in the Cloud

If you attended (or didn't get a chance to attend) the TechNet on Tour series covering Backup and Disaster Recovery in the Cloud, I wanted to list out some of the resources that are available if you'd like to review the slides or try out the labs.

• Hands on Lab Guide - http://aka.ms/labguides
• Videos of HOLs - http://1drv.ms/1WPmFvt
• Slides - http://aka.ms/technetontour

So Much to Watch - So Little Time!

Yeah, I know... I barely have time to watch these things too, but there is some good stuff out on the interwebs that you might want to check out.

Available Now

On TechNet Radio, in Part 4 in our “To the Cloud” series, Blain Barton examines Microsoft Dynamics CRM and shows us how you can improve your customers' experience with sales, marketing, and customer service anywhere, anytime and with any device.

• [2:50] DEMO: Dynamics CRM

Tuesday, October 6th

Watch the Microsoft 2015 Virtual CIO Summit, streaming LIVE from the Microsoft Campus in Redmond, WA!

Time: 8:00am - 2:45pm PDT

Hear from industry thought leaders, key Microsoft experts and your peers at this year’s CIO Summit. The Summit will cover key topics ranging from how the digital age is changing the way IT leaders do business to understanding the threats of cybercrime and how changing customer expectations are making strategic IT investments and partnerships all the more important.

Save the date and join us online for the 2015 Virtual CIO Summit to learn more about these key trends and new technologies that can empower you and your business.  Check out the agenda and register here!

Learn Quick with Azure Documentation Short Videos

It's hard to carve out 45 minutes (or more!) to watch a video training or webcast.  Sometimes 10 minutes or less is all you can spare.  So look no further than the Azure Documentation Shorts.  You'll find quick, to the point videos showing you how to perform specific tasks in Azure.  New videos are added weekly.  Here's a sample:

Azure Resource Manager Overview

Attaching a Data Disk to a Windows VM

One of these days, I'll figure out how embed videos. But meanwhile, just click. :-)

Business Continuity and the Cloud

This week marks the start of TechNet on Tour, coming to twelve cities.   The full day workshops include lecture and hands-on-labs where you can learn about some of the ways you can utilize Microsoft Azure to help with your disaster recovery planning.

But let me tell you about the first "business continuity" plan I was part of.  It involved a stash of tapes, daily backups on a two week cycle with the Friday backups being held for a month.  The nightly backup job fit on two tapes and every morning, I ejected the tapes from the machine and dropped them in my bag.  They went home with me, across town, and came back every day to be swapped with latest ones.  Whenever I took a vacation, I designated an available person to perform the same task. 

That was it.  The tapes were rarely looked at, the data never tested and fortunately, never needed.  We were partying like it was 1999. Because it was.

Still, the scenario isn't uncommon.  There are still lots of small businesses, with only single locations and still lots of tapes out there.  But now, there is more data and more urgency for that data to be recovered as quickly as possible with as little loss as possible.  And there are still only 24 hours in the day. How annoying to arrive at work in the morning, only to find the overnight backup job still running.

As I moved through jobs and technologies evolved, we addressed the growing data and lack of time in many ways…  Adjusting backup jobs to capture less critical or infrequently changing data only over the weekends.  More jobs that only captured delta changes.  Fancier multiple-tape changers, higher density tapes, local "disk to disk" backups that were later moved to tape, even early "Internet" backup solutions, often offered by the same companies that handled your physical tape and box rotation services.

We also chased that holy-grail of "uptime".  Failures weren't supposed to happen if you threw enough hardware in a room.  Dual power supplies, redundant disk arrays, multiple disk controllers, UPS systems with various bypass offerings.  Add more layers to protect the computers, the data.

Testing was something we wanted to do more often.  But it was hard justify additional hardware purchases to upper management.  Hard to find the time to set up a comprehensive test.   But we tried and often failed.  And learned.  Because each test or real outage is a great opportunity to learn.  Outages are often perfect storms… if only we had swapped out that dying drive a day before, if only that piece of hardware was better labeled, if only that was better documented… and each time we made improvements.

I remember, after a lengthy call with a co-location facility that wanted us to sign a year agreement even though we only wanted space for 3 months to run a recovery test, how I wished for something I could just use for the time I needed.  It's been a little over 5 years since that phone call, but finally there is an answer and it's "the cloud".

Is there failure in the cloud? Of course, it's inevitable. For all the abstractness, it's still just running on hardware. But the cloud provides part of an answer that many businesses simply didn't have even five years ago.  Business that never recovered from the likes of Katrina and other natural or man-made disasters, might still have a shot today.

So catch a TechNet Tour if it passes through your area.  Look at taking advantage of things like using the cloud as target instead of tape, or replicating a VM to Azure with Azure Site Recovery.  Even starting to dabble in better documentation or scripting with PowerShell to make your key systems more consistently reproducible will go a long way.  Do a "table top" dry run of your existing DR plan today.

Sysadmins don't let other sysadmins drop  DLT tapes in their bags.  Let's party like it's 2015.  Because it is. 

Server 2016 TP3, Containers and Azure - All Together

Sometimes I think I'll never get caught up. Every day, there are new, interesting announcements from the technology companies we use every day, plus we have to juggle the tasks, fires and projects we have at work.  It's really hard to keep up.  I'll bet you are feeling that way right now.

This week, it's possible for you to check a few new things off your list - ALL AT ONCE!  (And it's already Friday!)

1. Try out Azure
2. Check out Server 2016
3. Learn about Containers

 Ready?

First make sure you have an Azure subscription or trial.  If your company has an enterprise agreement with Microsoft, you might have credits to use in Azure and not even know it.  So check there first.  If not - go to http://aka.ms/NewAzureTrial to sign up for $200 you can use for the next 30 days.

Once you've got access to Azure, you'll find we have two web portals for accessing it.  The "classic" or current portal at http://manage.windowsazure.com and the preview portal at http://portal.azure.com. Depending on what you need to do, the feature set varies between portals.  But for this, it doesn't matter.

Whichever portal you pick, you've opened the door to the easiest way to test out new versions of Windows Server.  No hunting around for free hardware, no downloading ISO images and practically no wait. Just take advantage of your own personal datacenter in the "cloud". 

  

Next, look for the Server 2016 versions - there are two of them. One is the Full GUI version, listed as Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 3.  (In the new portal, the Full GUI version can be found in the Marketplace.)  The other one is listed as "Windows Server Container Preview".

If poking around with the new full version is your goal, spin that up and get started.  RDP to it and you are good to go.  If you need a walk-thru on how to set up a VM on either portal, you can find it here : https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/virtual-machines-windows-tutorial/

If your company develops software and is thinking about micro-services and "containers" are new buzzword in the office, you'll want to spin up the Container Preview.  And even if your company doesn't fit that description and you just want to see what this container/Docker thing is all about, spin up the Container Preview too.

Once that machine is up and running, you'll log into to find yourself at a command prompt window and nothing else.  Containers are supported only on the Windows Core (and eventually Nano) versions. To get you started, take some time to review this documentation (http://aka.ms/windowscontainers) and dust of your command line skills.

Viola!  Now go check off that list. :-)

Note: With the preview, there is A LOT of work to be done still, so don’t be surprised when things aren't super polished and feature-rich yet.  And seriously, don't try to use any of this for production.  This is just the tip of the iceberg to come.

Summer Reads!

Ah, summertime…. Vacations, relaxing on the patio, fruit salads, sparkly drinks and learning. Right? I spent some time by the beach and the pool recently and then came back to a pile of interesting things I wanted to read or try out.

• (Read) Containers: Docker, Windows and Trends 
• (Do) 18 Steps for End-to-End IaaS Provisioning in the Cloud with Azure Resource Manager (ARM), PowerShell and Desired State Configuration (DSC)
• (Watch) Best practices for DR as a service 
• (Read) What's New in Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 3 

There are also two new video blogs available on Channel 9 that will keep adding new content you might want to check out.

• Raw Tech - Lots of Dev stuff, but a pretty interesting assortment.
• Azure Documentation Shorts - Quick videos covering the how-to of what's documented for Azure.

TechNet on Tour - Disaster Recovery!

We technical evangelists are at it again!  This September and October, we will visit 10 cities to talk about using Microsoft Azure as part of your disaster recovery plan.

Attendees will receive a free Microsoft Azure pass and the opportunity to complete several disaster recovery related labs during the course of the workshop.

• 9/1 - Seattle, WA
• 9/3 - San Francisco, CA
• 9/22 - Houston, TX
• 9/29 - Charlotte, NC
• 9/30 - Malvern, PA
• 10/6 - Indianapolis, IN
• 10/7 - Tampa, FL
• 10/8 - New York, NY
• 10/14 - Irvine, CA
• 10/16 - Dallas, TX

Register now to join in!

Hybrid Cloud with Azure and Yung Chou (AND with Videos!)

If you don't know Yung Chou, you should!  And if you don't regularly check out TechNet Radio, you should! :-)

That being said, Yung kicked off a short series back in June on Extending Your Datacenter with Microsoft Azure and he graciously invited me to be his guest co-host.  The first two parts are available right now and the final two parts should be available in a few weeks.

• Part 1 - Active Directory in the Cloud (32 minutes)
• Part 2 - Multi-factor Authentication with Azure (15 minutes)

Hanging out with Yung is always a blast, even if we can only do it remotely. We hope you enjoy the shows and learn a little something-something about making Active Directory work for you in the cloud.

It's Nearly August... Don't Ask Me How That Happened

I don't know where the summer has gone!  With vacations, keeping busy at work and all those things we love about managing our lives and families... I just can't believe August is approaching!

Of course, Windows 10 is coming!  I've got a couple devices just waiting for July 29th, including my parents machines... so I'll be enjoying some time helping them get their computers upgraded.  

However, once August rolls around, there are other things to do, so it's time to get out from behind the computers and check out some upcoming events.

First off, for you Seattle folks, SITPUG will be having their August 5th meeting from 6:00 to 8:00pm in Bellevue.  Visit www.SITPUG.com for more information.

If you are in Boston, Portland and Denver, be sure to check out the upcoming Angelbeat events in those areas.  My Tech Evangelist colleagues and I have been presenting at those events as we can and they are a great way to get a quick update on tech topics.  The Boston and Denver events will even be having special extended sessions on Azure.

Config Manager and IPv6 (...not together!)

I got word of a couple new things floating around the web that you might want to catch...

First off, my good friend and all-around tech nerd, Ed Horley, just released his first Pluralsight course on... you guessed it... IPv6!  Read more about it on his blog and if IPv6 is on your radar, I can't think of a better person to get you started.

Second, the fine folks at LearnIT! are teaming up with Wally Mead for a webinar on Wally's Favorite Configuration Manager Features.  It's on July 23rd at 9am Pacific Time, the full blurb is below!

You have a Configuration Manager 2012 environment installed and running. All is going good as things are working OK. However, have you really been able to gain the best you can from it? Do you just get by using the handful of features you need to use?

In this session, we'll discuss the features that I love in Configuration Manager 2012 R2, and why. Hopefully this will give you some insight to some features that you may not be using, and why you should look into them further.

Register here - http://www.learnit.com/learning-options/events-and-webinars

Instructor Bio: Wally Mead

Wally is a Principal Program Manager at Cireson. He currently focuses on the improvement and development of products, and drives further innovation between Configuration Manager and Cireson apps. He also consults on Configuration Manager as a key part of the Cireson team.

In addition, Wally continues to provide education for the community through presenting webinars, speaking at conferences (such as TechEd, System Center Universe, Midwest Management Summit), and conducting training courses, as well as assisting the community on the Microsoft TechNet forums.

Goodbye Windows Server 2003!

Time flies and today marks end of support for Windows Server 2003.  In case, you missed some of the available information to help you migrate onto a more modern copy of Windows Server, here are some links!

Listen to @RicksterCDN's letter to Windows Server - The End of a Affair... 

On-Demand Events

• Windows Server 2003 Migration: Hardware Modernization: http://aka.ms/WS03blog
• Windows Server 2003: Most Common Application Migration Concerns: http://aka.ms/commonblog
• Windows Server 2003: Security Risk and Remediation: http://aka.ms/remeblog
• Windows Server 2003 End of Support Migration Overview
• How to Assess Your Windows Server 2003 Enviroment
• Modernizing Your Datacenter Jump Start

Ready for Windows as a Service?

If you are still trying to get your head around how managing and updating Windows 10 will be different than how it's been done in the past, mark your calendar for July 16th.  Simon May will be presenting "Preparing Your Enterprise for Windows 10 as a Service" live, from 9am to 1pm.

Go on and register... you know you want to!

Are You in Vegas? I'm in Vegas!

This is your last change to join in on the IT Camp happening tomorrow in sunny, warm (seriously 108 degrees) Las Vegas!

It's going to be all about Azure and Hybrid Cloud and even some Windows 10!

Check out details and register!

Tech Everywhere: Finds from the Internet

I spend a lot of time on the Internet, as you probably do as well. And as much as I enjoy the technology that is directly related to my job, it's also really interesting to see how technology is affecting our lives, our work and how we interact with others.

For your reading pleasure, check out a few things you might have missed on the "web" from the last couple months.  That last one is particularly crazy.

• Why the Freezer Is the Most Underrated Tool in Your Kitchen 
• Would You Show the Last Photo on Your Phone to a Stranger 
• Inside L'Oreal'sPlan to 3-Print Human Skin 
• To sleep, perchance: Screens before bedtime harm sleep
• The Policy Machine: The dangers of letting algorithms make decisions in law enforcement, welfare and child protection 
• Silicon Valley Finds It Harder to Ignore the Blind 
• Is Your Job"Routine"? If So, It's Probably Disappearing 
• How Medical Tech Gave a Patient a Massive Overdose 

Windows 10 Lands July 29th

Are you ready?  There has been a lot of information flying around about Windows 10 and I have to admit, I'm looking forward to seeing it officially released.  With the Windows Insider program and personally getting to use early releases internally at Microsoft, I almost feel like July 29th will be anti-climatic for a lot of people.

But then over the weekend I had a conversation with my father about the "notification" for Windows 10 in his task bar, a discussion about if he and my mother will want Windows 10 for their computers and the realization that part of my summer vacation to visit them will involve showing them Windows 10 and helping them decide if the upgrade is right for them.  So not every is on the cutting edge!

For a great overview of what's to come with Windows 10 for Enterprise, check out this overview video from Ignite. If you want to dig down into the changes we are making when it comes to cyber-threats, watch this one, too.

For those of you who dislike that little notification thingy or need it removed for some reason, it's delivered via KB33035583 and you can find lots of instructions on how to remove that on the 'net, like this.

If you aren't ready for Windows 10 yet, you can stay on your existing operating system if it's still supported and mark your calendar for these important dates:

• 4/11/2017 - Extended support ends for Windows Vista
• 1/09/2018 - Mainstream support ends for Windows 8.1
• 1/14/2020 - Extended support ends for Windows 7 SP1
• 1/10/2023 - Extended support ends for Windows 8.1

For those of you who want to get on-board with Windows 10 *right now*, visit the Windows Insider program and join in. It's not too late!

Upcoming IT Camp in the Bay Area and Beyond!

Explore the cloud for modern business!

Learn how to get your organization hybrid-ready at a FREE IT Camp near you. In just one day of hands-on training, you’ll learn how to move your IT workloads from on-premises to the cloud and back again. After all, who wants to choose between your datacenter and the public cloud? 

With Microsoft Azure, you get the best of all possible scenarios – plus, powerful virtualization, on-demand application scaling, complete data control and much more.

Sunnyvale: June 4th

Seattle: June 9th

Las Vegas: June 23rd

If those locations aren't for you, we have others! 

Find an event near you: http://aka.ms/itcampevent

Microsoft IT Camps

Events run from 9am‒4pm
Cost: Free!

Azure Infrastructure Services Implementation Guidelines

One of the things I've found the most challenging when working in Azure to design and build servers is naming things (because the external DNS names have to be unique across Azure) and keeping track of how servers relate to each other.  Mostly these challenges exist because everything physical has been abstracted away - no wires to color code/label or servers to group together physically!

When I was first experimenting in Azure, it took a few rounds of creating and deleting things until I really go a hang of what went where.  But to save you some time, you might want to check out this handy piece of documentation publish earlier this month.

It really helps to clarify how naming in Azure can work, how subscriptions and accounts work, how storage and networking tie in, etc, with an example implementation.  I hope you find it useful - I wish I had it two years ago!

Microsoft Virtual Academy for Office365, Windows 10, Enterprise Mobility and More!

I wish I had more time to watch some of the things that are available on the Microsoft Virtual Academy.  If YOU have some time, here are a few things that could be worth checking out.

• Office365
• Office365 ProPlus Deployment for IT Pros
• Getting the Most out of Your Office 365 Trial
• SharePoint
• Deploying & Managing SharePoint 2013 with PowerShell
• SharePoint2013 Best Practices
• Windows 10
• Windows10 Technical Preview Fundamentals for IT Pros
• Enterprise Mobility
• Enterprise Mobility Immersion V3.1
• Taming Android and iOS with Enterprise Mobility Suite
• System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager & Windows Intune
• Datacenter and Infrastructure
• Establish Microsoft Azure IaaS Technical Fundamentals
• Dive Deep into Networking Storage and Disaster Recovery Scenarios
• Active Directory and Identity
• Getting Started with Microsoft Azure Active Directory
• Azure Active Directory Core Skills Jump Start
• Azure Multi-Factor Authentication

Love 'em? Hate 'em? Let me know!  

Spring Cleaning? Nah... Go to Tech Events Instead!

Wow... it's been a pretty crazy few weeks around here in Microsoft-land.  First BUILD, then Ignite... plus a bunch of IT Camps.  There is a lot going on with more to come, I can barely keep track of it all.  I'm hoping this week I will have time to check out a few sessions that I missed at Ignite (I'll share my list!) as well as get more hands-on with whatever version of Windows 10 we have flighting for those Windows Insiders.

Meanwhile, don't miss a few more upcoming learning events!

Next week in SF on 5/19  - Hybrid Cloud and Azure, IT Camp!  If you are just starting to think about using the cloud for workloads you've had on-prem for decades or just want to get your feet wet with Azure, this camp is probably for you!  Seriously, come pick my brain about Azure IaaS.

• For other IT Camps in other cities, visit http://www.technetevents.com/

Mobility Transformed: The Path to Windows 10 roadshow will be coming to 11 cities in May and June. Join members of the Microsoft product team for interactive discussions & demos and be one of the first to learn tips and tricks for Windows 10, Office 365, and more to ensure you are on the leading edge of devices and services!

Check out https://itpro.mobilitytransformed.com/ and register for a city near you:

• 5/12 - Seattle, WA
• 5/12 - Houston, TX
• 5/14 - Denver, CO
• 5/19 - Minneapolis, MN
• 5/26 - San Francisco, CA
• 5/28 - New York City, NY
• 6/2  - Anaheim, CA
• 6/3  - Newton, MA
• 6/4  - Indianapolis, IN
• 6/9  - Charlotte, NC
• 6/11 - Jacksonville, FL

If you are Dev-minded or have Dev buddies who didn't get to BUILD, the Build Tour is starting and hits 5 cities:

18-May New York City - https://newyork.build15.com/
20-May Atlanta - https://atlanta.build15.com/
29-May Austin - https://austin.build15.com/
10-June Chicago -  https://chicago.build15.com/
15-June Hollywood - LA - https://losangeles.build15.com/

Didn't Get to Ignite? Free IT Camps in 6 Cities Next Week!

I've had the pleasure of spending this week at Microsoft Ignite, but not everyone can get away for a week long conference.  If you would like to learn how to get your organization hybrid-ready, consider one of the FREE IT Camps near you.

In just one day of hands-on training, you’ll learn how to move your IT workloads from on-premises to the cloud and back again. After all, who wants to choose between your datacenter and the public cloud? With Microsoft Azure, you get the best of all possible scenarios – plus, powerful virtualization, on-demand application scaling, complete data control and much more.

• Tempe (5/14) – http://aka.ms/AzureITCampAZ 
• Philadelphia (5/14) – http://aka.ms/AzureITCampPhil 
• Downers Grove (5/12) - http://aka.ms/AzureITCampDG  
• Minneapolis (5/12) - http://aka.ms/AzureITCampMPLS 
• Denver (5/12) -  http://aka.ms/AzureITCampCO   
• Orlando (5/11) – http://aka.ms/AzureITCampOFL  

These are all being presented by some of my good friends and colleagues, so you won't be disappointed!

Ignite Is Around The Corner!

Yeah, I keep calling it TechEd.  Old habits die hard, I guess, but I'm looking forward to being there next week.  However, I haven't had time to really look at the schedule, since I will be spending a lot of time hanging out in the Windows Client area on the expo floor.  Stop by to visit!

If you happen to be in the Chicago area early on Sunday and want to get a jump on some Azure and Hybrid Cloud learning, sign up for the Ignite version of our IT Camp!  We want it to be huge and it even comes with $100 voucher to the Microsoft Store!  It starts at noon, so you can still sleep in.

Register at http://aka.ms/monsteritcamp

But seriously, I need to nail down my schedule. If you've got a sessions you think can't be missed, let me know in the comments!

More IT Camps Coming Your Way this Week!

Extend your datacenter with Microsoft Azure - Learn how to get your organization hybrid-ready at a FREE IT Camp near you, particularly if you are in the midwest or on the east coast!

In just one day of hands-on training, you’ll learn how to move your IT workloads from on-premises to the cloud and back again. After all, who wants to choose between your datacenter and the public cloud? With Microsoft Azure, you get the best of all possible scenarios – plus, powerful virtualization, on-demand application scaling, complete data control and much more. 

Expect lively demos and hands-on labs from IT experts who will get you fired up and ready to apply what you’ve learned. Here are just some of the topics we’ll cover:

• Migration of on-premises virtualization to Azure Virtual Machines, Apps, and Storage
• ADFS on Microsoft Azure and Office 365 Integration, including  Multi-Factor authentication
• Microsoft Azure for Test and Development (IaaS)
• Application migration to Microsoft Azure (IaaS & PaaS)
• SQL BI, Media, Backup, DR and much more

Regardless of whether you’re new to the cloud or you currently use an on-premises, hybrid or fully cloud-based solution, you’ll learn valuable new ways to extend your datacenter and expand your IT options. Don’t miss this free event in your local area. 

This week events are upcoming in  Jacksonville (4/29),  Hartford (4/30), Miami (4/30) and Des Moines (4/30)!

SITPUG Meets Again on May 13th

If you are a Seattle local, the May SITPUG meeting has been scheduled!

Due to Microsoft Ignite conference in Chicago the week of May 4^th, the meeting has been moved to the following Wednesday. SITPUG will meet on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 from 6pm-8pm at the Microsoft Civica Office in Bellevue.

Presentation - Extending your Datacenter to Azure with Virtual Networks and PowerShell:

You might love your on-premises datacenter and the GUI tools Microsoft has provided since the NT 4.0 days but the cloud is here to stay and it’s sometimes easier to manage the cloud if you leave the GUI behind. Learn how you can use a VPN to connect your datacenter to Azure, or how to create your own test lab in the cloud, then use PowerShell to create and manage Virtual Machines (VMs) from your desktop.

RSVP Here!

Upcoming Online Events in April and May

Because you don't have enough on your calendars yet, right?

April 23rd - Microsoft Intune Core Skills Jump Start 
Doesn't it seem like there's a shiny new mobile device released every other day? And another story about someone losing one of those devices (along with 100,000 customer records)? As the IT superhero you are, you do everything you can to enable mobility, but it often comes down to a tradeoff between flexibility and security. We can help, as we look at the latest mobility features in Microsoft Intune, a born-in-the-cloud device management solution, including how you can integrate with the existing market leader in endpoint management, Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), and manage mobile devices with Office 365. 

May 5th - Exploring Microservices in Docker and Microsoft Azure 
Get a look at the future of application architecture, and put it into practice now. Update your site in milliseconds with microservices, which are supported by Microsoft Azure and offered as a service. Self-contained for fit and purpose, they are a key part of the world of continuous delivery and DevOps. Investigate the benefits and challenges of microservices. learn from real-life examples and demos, and get lots of practical guidance.

May 14th and 15th - It's not an MVA course, but join Microsoft MVPs and Developer Experience CVP Steven Guggenheimer for a free 2-day virtual conference. Register today to learn about the latest tech trends. 

Need some Hands-On with Azure to learn more about Hybrid Cloud?

Get hybrid-ready at a free IT Camps in San Francisco and Sacramento next week!

Join us for this interactive, full-day training session and learn how to move your workloads from on-premises to the cloud and back again. You'll see how Microsoft Azure supports powerful virtualization, on-demand application scaling, complete data control, and the fastest customer response times around.

Get the scoop from a technical evangelist who can show you how to expand your IT options without adding complexity – or giving yourself a headache in the process. Here are just a few of the topics we'll cover:

• Extending your network with Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines 
• Tackling workload migration, networking and other key scenarios 
• Microsoft Azure for Test and Development (IaaS) 
• Application migration to Microsoft Azure (IaaS & PaaS) 
• SQL BI, Media, Backup, DR and much more 

Don't miss one of these valuable, free events in the bay area – regardless of whether you're new to the cloud, or you currently use an on-premises, hybrid or fully cloud-based solution. All IT Pros are welcome! Sessions run from 9:00am - 4:00pm. Attendance is limited, so save your seat today.

Tuesday, April 14th in San Francisco. Thursday, April 16th in Sacramento!

Join Microsoft DX for After Hours @Build - April 29 - San Francisco

The Microsoft Developer Experience & Evangelism (DX) team and the .NET Foundation have partnered together to bring to you After Hours @Build – a special event on April 29th designed for developers, startups, and technology leaders. Come join us to hear the latest news and innovations from Build 2015 during an exclusive evening at San Francisco's stylish Terra Gallery. You do NOT have to be a Build attendee.

Get the inside scoop from the .NET product teams, .NET Foundation, and GitHub on the innovations in .NET and the journey into open source. We'll also show you what's new and what we're building, including ASP.NET 5, C# 6, .NET compiler platform (Roslyn), and how we're taking .NET cross-platform in the open on GitHub.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015 | 6:00PM - 11:00PM
Terra Gallery
511 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 | 415.896.1234
*Must be 21 years of age, with identification, to attend

AGENDA

• 6:00PM - 6:45PM - Registration 
• 6:45PM - 7:00PM - Welcome & Announcements
  Featuring Matt Thompson (General Manager, US DX, Microsoft) 
• 7:00PM - 8:00PM - Keynote
  Featuring Scott Hanselman and Phil Haack (Github) 
• 8:15PM - 8:30PM - Closing Remarks & Event Drawing
• Featuring Martin Woodward (Executive Director, .NET Foundation) 
• 8:30PM - 11:00PM - After Hours @ Build Reception

Doors open at 6:00PM and the speakers will begin at 6:45PM. Enjoy lively presentations, delicious food and drinks, and lots of time to chat and sip with your peers. Space is limited, so register now!

Hybrid Cloud Resources

If you are trying to figure out how to take advantage of the distributed computing power of the cloud but aren't sure if you have to abandon or re-factor your existing on-prem infrastructure, the hybrid cloud is for you.

Yes, you need to start with good documentation about your infrastructure and key applications.  You need to know where the people you are serving are connecting from most often (Internet, local network, etc) and how you would like them to authenticate... and as you start pulling this information together you can start to see how building a hybrid cloud can help you put resources in the best place for your users or customers to access and how ease access issues with synchronized log-on credentials with Azure Active Directory.

To help with getting you started, my fellow friends and Evangelists pulled together 15 posts over the last few weeks to get you started, including 6 step-by-step guides! 

I have two posts in the series:

• Remote Desktop Services in Azure or Azure RemoteApp?
• A primer on Azure Storage Redundancy Options

For more general information about Azure, I have an Azure page where I list out links to information that's been hand to me. I really hope you find this stuff useful. There is a lot to learn, but a bunch of great ways to make it work for you.

Remote Desktop Services in Azure or Azure RemoteApp?

As IT Professionals, we often have a lot of projects on our plates, as do the people we support in our businesses.  These days, remote access to work resources isn't a bonus, it's a requirement.  How do you make sure employees have access to the work resources they need while keeping them secure?

One common solution that's been used for a while now is Remote Desktop Services.  Formerly known as Terminal Services, RDS provides a rich desktop or application experience and has evolved a lot since its debut in NT 4.0.  One of the most useful features of RDS in recent years has been RemoteApp. RemoteApp enables you to make programs that are accessed remotely through Remote Desktop Services appear as if they are running on the end user's local computer. Instead of being presented to the user in the desktop of the Remote Desktop Session Host (RD Session Host) server, the RemoteApp program is integrated with the client's desktop.

When it comes to implementing Remote Desktop Services within Azure, you have two choices:

1. Implement a full infrastructure like you would do on-prem, with a Session Host, Web Access and Broker server roles. This gives you full control from the OS up and is a potential option if you are looking to lift-and-shift your existing RDS infrastructure into the cloud.
2. Customize an image to use with Azure RemoteApp.

For that first option, simply lifting and shifting the RDS servers to Azure can give you some quick benefits. In many cases your RDS users are coming from outside your corporate network, thus moving those servers to Azure would relieve your on-prem network connect of that traffic load.  Plus Azure gives you the ability to scale up or scale out with ease - allowing you to adjust to any change in workload without incurring additional CAPEX costs for hardware.

For a great step-by-step guidance on building you own RDS infrastructure in Azure, I encourage you to read Keith Mayer's comprehensive posts Part I and Part 2 of RDS on Azure.

Now for that second option, customize an image to use with Azure RemoteApp, I suggest considering using a customized image because chances are you use more applications than just the Microsoft Office Suite. (If you happen to use just Office 365, there is an image for that already!)  You also have two choices to make within Azure RemoteApp - cloud only or hybrid.  With a cloud collection the data and applications are held in Azure, with no connection to your on-prem network.  With a hybrid collection the data and applications are still hosted in Azure, but also lets users access data and resources stored on your local network. 

With either customized option, you are responsible for the management and maintenance of that image, however that is still less maintenance than managing and maintaining all the servers required for a traditional RDS infrastructure. Plus, Azure Remote app handles all the scaling needs based on the number of subscribers you authorize.

Combine that with the fact that Azure RemoteApp is supported on Windows, Windows RT, as well as on the Remote Desktop apps for Mac, iOS, and Android, and you've got a robust way to let users access resources from any device.

To get started with RemoteApp on Azure, you will need an image which isn't trivial.  If you want to do the hybrid collection you will also need to consider how to sync your on-prem directory to Azure AD, this roadmap can help.  There is also an easy to implement trial that just includes 30 days of Office 2013 Professional Plus, but that trial can't be converted to a production RemoteApp installation after the trial ends.

So what is right for your organization? Only you can say.  But I have my short list of things I'd move to Azure and RDS would be right up there with SharePoint deployments. Hybrid collections provide the most complete experience since user will be able to access on-premises resources like they can with RDS you provide on-prem now.  But cloud collections provide an easy way to isolate your deployment, which could meet at audit requirement or limit access for a specific set of workers.

If you already have a VNET in place with Azure, lifting and shifting RDS might be what you are most comfortable with.  At this writing, RemoteApp can't use an existing VNET, but you can connect the RemoteApp VNET to an existing one if need be.  For more information about Azure RemoteApp, I highly recommend starting with the online documentation.

Live Virtual Event Coming Soon on Security & the Cloud

A Look Ahead: Security & the Cloud Virtual Event is streaming LIVE Wednesday, March 25^th.  

Industry thought leaders, Microsoft experts and other Microsoft customers will share their perspectives on what’s next for security and the cloud.  Virtual attendees will have access to behind the scenes interviews and the opportunity to download related session materials, take polls, share ideas, ask questions to experts and speakers through live chat and Twitter.

Agenda Highlights:

·       What is the current cybersecurity landscape? Gartner Research Vice President Lawrence Orans will discuss the current state of cybersecurity and analyze trends going forward.

·       Explore real-world approaches. Tom Flanagan, VP of Technology at Alain Pinel Realtors, and Steve Novoselac, Director of Digital Technology for Trek Bicycle Corp., will discuss their experiences with migrating to the cloud and share best practices.

·       Get an insider’s view on fighting cybercrime. David Finn, Executive Director of the Microsoft Cybercrime Center, shows us what Microsoft does today to deter cybercriminals.

·       It’s all about Windows 10! Stephen Rose, Senior Product Marketing Manager for US Windows and Devices and a former IT Pro, will discuss Microsoft’s next-generation operating system and its security features.

·       Learn how to move ahead with the cloud. The cloud provider market is crowded and the process of moving to the cloud can sometimes be daunting. Microsoft’s Dennis Garcia, Assistant General Counsel, will tell you how to choose a trusted cloud provider and share tips and tricks that will make your transition to the cloud successful. 

Register now so you don't forget!

More Online Training!!

Since it's Monday, it seems like a great day to tell you about some more free online training that's coming up from the Microsoft Virtual Academy.

• Azure Active Directory Core Skills Jumpstart - March 26th, 8am-12pm Pacific. (I actually mentioned this one a few weeks ago, but it's worth repeating.)
• Getting Started with Azure Security for the IT Professional - April 15 & 16, 9am-1pm Pacific

I know how it's hard to find time during the work week, so if you miss the live online times, the on-demand streaming is usually available about 3 weeks after.

Azure Storage Redundancy Options

There are a lot of components that make Azure tick and storage is a big one.  Azure has four types of storage - blobs, files (in preview), table and queue.  Every storage account you create in your subscription has the ability to contain all four types.  In addition to those types, you can pick from four redundancy options:

• Locally Redundant Storage (LRS)
• Zone Redundant Storage (ZRS)
• Geographically Redundant Storage (GRS)
• Read-Access Geographically Redundant Storage (RA-GRS)

Locally Redundant Storage (LRS) is the  cheapest storage option you can select and the end result will be three synchronous copies of your data within a single datacenter.  The SLA offered is 99.9% availability for read and write functions.  LRS is a good choice for data if you have compliance requirement that dictates your data remain in a specific location.

Geographically Redundant Storage (GRS) is the big brother of LRS.  Data is copied three times within a single datacenter, plus multiple asynchronous copies to a second datacenter hundreds of miles away.  This results in six copies of your data.  By default when you create a storage account, it will be GRS.  You can see what secondary location would be used for your redundant copy in the configuration settings of your storage account.  The alternative copy provides protection against a major datacenter outage or disaster, however you don't have control as to when the secondary copy is made available for access.

Read-Access Geographically Redundant Storage (RA-GRS) is the cool twin of GRS.  It’s the same as GRS, but you have the ability to access the secondary datacenter copy for read access whenever you like.  When you activate RA-GRS, you'll be given a second endpoint URL for access to that copy. Because if this, the SLA for read functions increases to 99.99%.

If you create a storage account with any of the three choices above, you can easily change it after the fact within the storage configuration settings. 

Finally, there is Zone Redundant Storage (ZRS).  Similar to LRS, but the three copies of data are stored across multiple datacenters within or across regions.  It's more durable than LRS and more economical than GRS, but is an option for block blobs only. There is no option to change from ZRS storage to the other options and you will see a warning that ZRS if for blob storage only.  Block blobs are used for VM storage as well as documents, videos, backups - any unstructured text or binary data -  but you can't use the same storage account for table or queue storage.  Still this a great option if you are looking for a little extra durability due to outage, but don't need the full on redundancy offered by GRS or RA-GRS.  Storage accounts used for testing purposes would be good use of ZRS.

In addition to these regular "spinning disk" storage options, you can also try out Azure Premium Storage (in Preview). Premium Storage gives you high-performance, low-latency support for I/O workloads running on Azure VMs.  These persistent disks are backed by SSD.  However, you need to have a premium storage account which can only be created using the Preview Portal and it's currently only in limited regions.  Learn more about Premium Storage here.

If you need to know more about the specific pricing for Azure Storage you can visit the pricing page. Your total cost will depend on several factors, not just the redundancy option you pick.  As you look at the hybrid cloud scenarios for storage, you'll find that the cloud won't be the best location for ALL your data, but storing some data in the cloud can be cheaper than expanding storage devices you already own.  Also, if you missed yesterday's series post on Azure Backup Solutions, check it at http://aka.ms/HybridCloudforITPro.

Hybrid Cloud - What's all the Fuss?

You've probably been hearing a lot about the hybrid cloud lately and this post won't be all that different.  But what is all the fuss?

We know the benefits of virtualizing compute and sharing other resources on-prem, but there are limits to what a lot of enterprises can obtain within their own four walls.  You can leverage what the cloud has invested in things such as storage, redundancy, failover and authorization services and use that to expand resources as your business needs them.  The hybrid cloud is the future because it's not "one size fits all" - build based on the needs of the business service or application that you are making available or improving on.

That being said, if you are looking to learn a bit more about how Azure can meet you hybrid cloud needs be sure check out the Hybrid Cloud for the IT Pro Blog Series in progress right now, covering a variety of topics related to developing your plan for extending your datacenter beyond it's current walls.

I also recommend checking out this MVA course on Moving to Hybrid Cloud with Azure. It's only 90 minutes and it's hosted by Keith Mayer and Brian Lewis, two of my favorite Tech Evangelists.  Plus they really know their stuff.

The Hybrid Cloud for the IT Professional - The Blog Series Begins Today!

Over the next three weeks, the US IT Pro Evangelists will be running a blog series on extending your data center with Azure.  You'll find the complete series, with links updated daily at http://aka.ms/HybridCloudforITPro.

The series will include posts by Yung Chou, Kevin Remde, Dan Stolts, Tommy Patterson, Blain Barton, Jessica DeVita and myself.  We will be covering a variety of Azure IaaS topics like:

• Infrastructure services
• Backup solutions
• Networking fundamentals
• Connectivity and Remote Access
• SQL Server
• Multi-factor Authentication
• Azure certifications

Enjoy!

Upcoming Community Tech Events in SoCal

For those of you in southern California, I've gotten wind of some upcoming events that might be of interest.  Check them out if you are in the area.

So-Cal Azure User Group - Costa Mesa, 2/24
     Register Here: http://www.meetup.com/SoCal-Microsoft-Azure-User-Group/events/220261351/

So-Cal System Center User Group - San Diego, 3/2 or Irvine 3/3
Wally's Top SCCM 2012 Features with Cool Tips and Tricks
     Register Here for March San Diego Event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/microsoft-system-center-so-cal-user-group-msc-scug-san-diego-march-2nd-tickets-15150502561
     Register Here for March Irvine Event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/microsoft-system-center-so-cal-user-group-msc-scug-irvine-march-3rd-tickets-15149810491

San Diego SharePoint User Group - San Diego, 3/11
Fundamentals of Creating SharePoint Apps with Tim Odell
     Register Here: http://www.meetup.com/San-Diego-SharePoint-User-Group-SanSPUG/events/219661901/

PFE Days - San Diego, 3/19
Getting the Best from Azure IaaS with Javier Dominguez
     Register Here: http://www.meetup.com/Microsoft-PFE-Days-Technology-Event-SoCal/events/220098582/

Los Angeles Big Data Users Group - Multiple Events (visit their link)

Upcoming MVA Courses

I was poking around on Microsoft Virtual Academy today and discovered a bunch of great looking live events that are coming up in the next several weeks.  If you've never checked out MVA, now is the time to visit and register!

• Feb 25th - Getting Started with PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) 
• March 3rd - Azure and Open Source: What You Need to Know
• March 26th - Azure Active Directory Core Skills Jump Start

The Imperfect Lab: Check out the Microsoft Test Lab Guides

If you've been reading along for a while now, you know I've been having a blast building and expanding my Imperfect Lab. But I admit, if you are looking for a full step-by-step guide to what to actually put in you lab, I've haven't given you all that.  But I do know somewhere you can look!

Available right inside the official Azure documentation is the details (including PowerShell) for setting up a hybrid cloud environment for testing.  Now, this first guide requires you to have a physical data center lab to connect to using RRAS, but you can easily rework it for a VNET-to-VNET if that's what you desire, by following these instructions instead.

Once you have the basics in place, you can do things like build a full SharePoint Farm (on my short list), set up a Web-based LOB application or set up DirSync. Or do all of them!

Set up a SharePoint intranet farm in a hybrid cloud for testing

Set up a web-based LOB application in a hybrid cloud for testing

Set up Office 365 Directory Synchronization (DirSync) in a hybrid cloud for testing

You can find the official post about all this goodness here - http://blogs.technet.com/b/tlgs/archive/2015/01/19/new-set-of-hybrid-cloud-test-environments.aspx