Accelerate DevOps with the Cloud - Parts 5 & 6 on TechNet Radio

In case you are curious, there are 8 parts to this TechNet Radio series, so expect 2 more.  Part 8 will be especially exciting since I'll be the host!

In Part 5 of the  “Accelerate DevOps with the Cloud” series on TechNet Radio, Tommy Patterson welcomes Developer Technology Solutions Specialist Randy Pagels to the show as they discuss ways in which your budding DevOps organization can find effective testing methods by using Microsoft Azure and Visual Studio Online.   

• [2:00]Why is having an effective Testing process so critical when an organization is considering their DevOps strategy?
• [4:50] How does Visual Studio Online + Azure help to streamline and accelerate the testing process?
• [6:00]  Performance is another area that Dev and Ops teams struggle with prior to the release of a solution, how can it be tested to determine what kind of load it can handle?
• [8:30]  What's the difference between test plan management in Visual Studio Online vs Visual Studio Ultimate?
• [9:00] DEMO: Creating and walking through a web-based test plan in Visual Studio Online

Continuing the series in Part 6, Yung Chou welcomes Sr. Program Manager Charles Joy to the show as they discuss the be the importance of automation in your datacenter especially when it comes to advancing your DevOps strategy.

• [2:36] How does automation help organizations accelerate the delivery of new solutions as they move to the Cloud?
• [5:18] What tools and resources are available to help IT Pros get started with automation? Do they need to be a professional "scripter"?
• [6:04]  Do IT Pros need to learn a different set of tools for automating each component?
• [6:26]  If an IT Pro is automating cloud resources in Azure, do they have to spin up an entire set of infrastructure components just to handle automation? How does Azure automation organize and leverage these automation sequences?
• [7:22] How can Runbooks be triggered? Based on schedule? Based on other events?
• [8:24] Is Azure Automation extensible? Can I incorporate other PowerShell modules?
• [9:10] DEMO: Quick walkthrough of Azure Automation accounts, assets, runbooks, schedule

Enjoy!

Yesterday's Tweets

Yes, these really are tweets from yesterday.  I found myself marking a lot more tweets as "favorites" for reading in the future so I figured I'd share them.

• @macsound - Interesting video focusing on technical data from Challenger. I've learned heaps. http://vimeo.com/97129318 
• @CoreySandersWA - Yu-Shun's blog is a great step-by-step walk on how to set-up a cross-region network connection. Check it out. http://azure.microsoft.com/blog/2014/06/17/vnet-to-vnet-connecting-virtual-networks-in-azure-across-different-regions/
• @markmorford - I just wrote an actual paragraph about expensive digital toilets that are susceptible to hackers. Life is amazing. http://fb.me/2ZvkOu5JJ 
• @SFoskett - Good Read: Switch Prices Will Get Cheaper. Design Models Will Change. http://bit.ly/1i8FdXo 
• @VirtualChrista - @WindowsITPro: Is Excel the Next Killer BI App? http://ow.ly/yaPby <I'm storytelling with analytics these days. This is worth a read

Good stuff you might have missed, because I almost did!

Hybrid Cloud - The Three Part Series

Looking for more ways to learn about how the "cloud" is changing the IT industry?   

Then join Microsoft Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich and Microsoft Corporate Vice President Brad Anderson, for a three part Hybrid Cloud series.  Learn more about what the emergence of cloud means for your IT strategy and how Microsoft is driving innovation as we create more options for customers to extend from the datacenter to the cloud.

Episode 1 covers the basics of hybrid cloud including Microsoft’s definition of the hybrid cloud, its key benefits, and how hybrid cloud solutions will evolve with broader trends in the IT industry.  Get the background you need to understand what “hybrid” means today. Available on-demand: https://info.windowsazure.com/April2014_Hybrid_Cloud_Series_Episode_One_Register.html

Episode 2 focuses on how hybrid options are changing the way companies approach IT infrastructure. New capabilities mean new opportunities, and we’ll look at concrete examples of how you can make hybrid part of your toolkit.  Rethink the basics and learn what’s new.  Available June 23, with live Q&A from Mark and Brad: https://info.windowsazure.com/May2014HybridCloudSeries-EpisodeTwo_Registration.html

Episode 3 features an in-depth discussion of infrastructure modernization. As you upgrade from Windows Server 2003, how should you think about hybrid options?  How can cloud help you create a more agile infrastructure?  Hear from our experts about how to make this transition work for you.  Airs July 17, 2014, with live Q&A from Mark & Brad.  Registration info coming soon!

Accelerate DevOps with the Cloud - Part 4 on TechNet Radio!

About this Video:

In Part 4 of the  “Accelerate DevOps with the Cloud” series on TechNet Radio, Keith Mayer welcomes Developer Technology Solutions Specialist Jeff Fattic to the show as they discuss source control in the cloud with the help of Microsoft Azure and Visual Studio Online.

• [1:48] What is Visual Studio Online?
• [2:32] Is Visual Studio Online only for Developers, or does it provide value to IT Pros as well?
• [3:08]  What's the difference between Visual Studio Online and TFS?
• [4:28]  How can Visual Studio Online be leveraged with Microsoft Azure to help accelerate projects?
• [7:08] How is Github different than Visual Studio Online? Are there advantages for Enterprises to use Visual Studio Online vs. Github?  
• [9:52] What's the single most exciting capability for you about Visual Studio Online?
• [11:47] How can IT Organizations best get started with Visual Studio Online? Where can they go to learn more about Visual Studio Online?
• [12:05] DEMO: Visual Studio Online in action

Check out the full series of posts and videos at http://aka.ms/DevOpsInTheCloud!

Accelerate DevOps with the Cloud - Part 3 on TechNet Radio!

In Part 3 of the  “Accelerate DevOps with the Cloud” series on TechNet Radio,  Blain Barton and Keith Mayer turn the conversation towards enabling self-service on demand Developer environments in the cloud. Learn how you can use Microsoft Azure along with System Center 2012 R2 App Controller and the Azure Pack to increase work efficiency across your organization.

• [1:16] It seems like Dev and Test environments have been a key workload that organizations are considering for the Cloud. What do you think makes Dev/Test so attractive for the Cloud?
• [3:44] What's the best way to consider licensing my Developers for provisioning Dev/Test workloads on Azure?
• [5:44]  $150/mo sounds like a great starting point, but realistically how much can a Developer really do in Azure for $150 / mo?
• [8:04]  I'm concerned about my developers spinning up their Azure MSDN subscriptions using individual Microsoft accounts. Can I somehow link these to my organization and Active Directory?
• [9:39] You mentioned that MSDN includes special prebuilt images for Azure? What do these images provide?
• [11:50] If I'm using my own custom developer images in my environment, can I upload these to Azure for my developers to leverage?
• [13:50] Lots of organizations have workloads that span on-premises and, potentially, public cloud ... Does Azure provide the ability to integrate with on-premises datacenter management?
• [16:50] DEMO: Azure Management Portal, System Center 2012 R2 App Controller, Azure Pack

Have you missed on the series so far?  Looking for the previous TechNet Radio episodes?  Find it all here!