Microsoft announced today that Windows Azure has met two significant milestones. The milestones are related to compliance and security. The lack of PCI compliance is one thing that has kept some potential Windows Azure customers away from building services and applications on the platform. Compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS) will allow you to build credit card processing and transmission applications and services on Windows Azure. The ISO Certification was expanded to include several additional services provided by Windows Azure.

See a snippet from the announcement below:

Windows Azure Validated for PCI DSS Compliance Payment fraud continues to be a huge concern for the growing number of organizations that accept credit card payments. We are pleased to announce that Windows Azure has been validated for compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS) by an independent Qualified Security Assessor (QSA).

The PCI DSS is the global standard that any organization of any size must adhere to in order to accept payment cards, and to store, process, and/or transmit cardholder data. By providing PCI DSS validated infrastructure and platform services, Windows Azure delivers a compliant framework for you to run your own secure and compliant applications. You can more easily achieve PCI DSS certification for those applications using Windows Azure.

To assist customers in achieving PCI DSS certification, Microsoft is making the Windows Azure PCI Attestation of Compliance and Windows Azure Customer PCI Guide available for immediate download.

Visit the Trust Center for a full list of in scope features or for more information on Windows Azure security and compliance.

ISO Certification expanded to Include SQL Database and Many More Windows Azure Features

Windows Azure has successfully completed its annual ISO audit. In addition to Windows Azure Cloud Services, Storage, Virtual Machines and Virtual Networks, the ISO audit scope has been significantly expanded to include SQL Database, Active Directory, Traffic Manager, Web Sites, BizTalk Services, Media Services, Mobile Services, Service Bus, Multi-Factor Authentication, and HDInsight among others. This includes the Information Security Management System (ISMS) for Windows Azure, encompassing infrastructure, development, operations, and support for these features.

This expanded certification reaffirms Microsoft’s commitment to implementing internationally recognized information security controls so that customers can comply with the laws and regulations applicable to their use scenarios.

Visit the Trust Center for a full list of in scope features or for more information on Windows Azure security and compliance.

You can read more details on the announcement directly from Microsoft here.

Microsoft is offering several opportunities to get up to speed on Windows Azure. I’m listing just a few options available this month (January 2014). The below items are available via the Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) or via webinars. Also coming up in March is the Global Windows Azure Bootcamp (#GWAB), a full day of hands on Windows Azure training. Look for a location near you. I will be organizing a GWAB event in Mobile, AL.

Web Sites are by far one of my favorite features on Windows Azure. As a developer, I didn’t like having to manage the infrastructure. Web Sites allow me to focus on my application and data and let the platform manage the rest. In the last couple of updates there have been a few improvements to Web Sites.
Some of the recent updates include:

• WebSocket and Remote Debugging support.
• TFS and GIT provide continuous integration and deployment.
• Developer Analytics for Web Sites and Mobile Services.

I invite you to check out Scott Guthrie’s blog post for additional details. If you have any Windows Azure related questions please let us know!

In the past, it has been a bit of a pain to move large amounts of data from on-premises to the cloud. As of the end of October Windows Azure released a new service to make the transition a lot smoother. Now you can securely ship hard disk drives to the Windows Azure data centers. Once they receive your drive(s) they will transfer the data to your storage account. You can even use BitLocker to encrypt your drives before sending them to a data center.
If you’re interested in finding out more take a look at the announcement and the getting started guide.

I’ve been using Twitter for some time. While I don’t normally take part in all the conversations, I do know how to get help from colleagues in the community. Hashtags have been around for several years and are now used in most main stream social networks. Hashtags are mainly used for joining people with similar interest. Hashtags do get overly used for a lot of pointless reasons as well. If you don’t believe me take a look at Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake take on Hashtags (may not be suitable for all working environments). Most Twitter clients allow you to search for hashtags and have a separate feed/column within your client.
Recently the Windows Azure team started using #AzureChat to allow people to ask questions and get answers either from them or experts in the community. #AzureChat is a recent addition on Twitter for this Q&A approach. I would like to mention another that has been around for a while #SqlHelp. A lot of the experts in the SQL Server community that speak at SQL Saturday’s and the PASS Summit all watch #SqlHelp.  This has proven to be one of the fastest ways to get answers, in my opinion.
If you uses twitter and have questions related to Windows Azure use #AzureChat. If you have questions related to SQL Server use #SqlHelp. If you know of other hashtags similar to #AzureChat and #SqlHelp, please let us know in the comments. If you need a Windows Azure subscription, here is the link for a free trial.

One of the primary methods that schools can innovate is with technology. I live in an area where they’re trying to provide technology to all students by providing laptops or tablets from kindergarten to seniors in high school, all grades K through 12. In any one school district they now have to manage these devices and make sure they are working correctly on a day-to-day basis or the students will not be able to complete their school work. The area I live in is calling this initiative the “Digital Renaissance”. Overall I think this is a great initiative, though I have several concerns.

Decision making on cost

As far as device choice goes schools are going to buy whatever they can get the best deal on. Which isn’t always going to provide the best device. This initiative is one area in which I believe Windows 8 and Surface-like devices could offer amazing benefits. I also believe device selection plays into other areas as well.

Security and consumerism in technology

The students being given devices to learn are now more like employees for the school system and should be treated as such. How will the schools secure the devices so that students can’t install applications or updates that don’t help with their studies? Most consumer-based devices will not have the features required to secure them properly and stop these “employees” from being able to improperly use these devices.
Students are going to try to find ways to use these devices in an unknown number of ways. Think of all the different ways children use smart phones and the trouble they get themselves into. To summarize, how is the school system going to filter the students’ activities on these devices?
Do the schools systems have the know-how and tools to manage these devices? School systems are not known to have high-paying technology positions. Will they be able to acquire people with the skills and experience to manage these devices and the backing infrastructure?
I have seen several articles where this area was the cause of failure for these initiatives in some school systems. Here is an article that talks about some school systems that have had issues already due to poor planning.

Bulk purchase for discount

If you’re wondering how the schools can afford these devices it’s really fairly simple. When purchasing devices in bulk you can traditional get them at a reduced price. Additionally the school system will no longer need to buy books and other learning materials as they will find and use digital alternatives that traditionally are inexpensive compared to the physical copies. This also helps schools seem to be more “Green” or more environmentally friendly to some extent. Though really they’re just saving trees and burning more coal, at least until green energy is main stream.
Also with only a few school districts leading this initiative, it allows them to get a discount or even donations for potential purchases down the road as more school districts follow the trend.
So you may be wondering why I’m posting this on a Microsoft based blog. (I’m getting to that point now even though I have made some hints before.)
Microsoft traditionally has made software for business and the enterprise, though an added advantage was that they could also slim their offerings down and offer similar capabilities for consumers. Windows 8 devices like Surface are being advertised more-so for consumers, but they’re enterprise ready. Microsoft has years of experience providing security and management needs. Don’t forget Windows Azure and other Cloud offerings could go a long way with this initiative as well. Even outside of the IT management side of things I believe Windows 8 devices are more versatile for the day-to-day needs of a device.
On a side note, when I talk about technology in schools with people not in the technology field, I get into some entertaining arguments. Especially around cursive writing no longer being taught in a lot of school systems.

Microsoft and the Windows Azure team are acting on their Cloud OS Vision. In a previous post I talked about the site improvements made as part of Microsoft’s vision. Microsoft I believe is truly committed to it’s customers and partners. The enterprise cloud in several cases is ready. Are you ready for the enterprise cloud? Besides the specifics of the announcement below, I’d also like to suggest taking a look at Satya Nadella reiteration of the commitment.

Here is some information directly from the announcement

• Enterprise Savings & Generous Terms. Starting November 1, we’re making it easier than ever for enterprises to use Azure. Their enterprise commitment to Microsoft will bring them our best Azure prices based on their infrastructure spend.  These enterprise discounts will be better than Amazon’s on commodity services like compute, storage and bandwidth (WindowsAzure.com will continue to match Amazon on those services).  We’ve also extended those same great rates to any unplanned growth they may have on Azure, so they are free to grow significantly in Azure as their organizations demand it.  Finally, customers can now pay us at the end of the year for that unplanned growth, as long as that extended use is within a certain threshold.  These changes bring significant value to enterprises looking to invest in a cloud platform that will allow them to evolve over time.
• More choice for private, fast cloud access. Today we announced a partnership with Equinix to provide peering exchange locations for connections to the cloud which are low latency, fast and private. With more than 950 networks and over 110,000 cross-connects, Equinix has a massive global data center footprint that will enable our customers even greater reach and choice. This partnership will building from our recent AT&T announcement, as we strive to offer more choice than any other public cloud vendor and work to bring the cloud to our customers. We will on-board a limited number of early trial customers this year and open up for general availability in the first half of 2014.

• Dedicated cloud environment for government agencies. Like enterprises, the U.S. government is eager to realize the benefits of the cloud, adopting a Cloud First policy for any new investments. Microsoft is committed to supporting these initiatives and today is announcing its plans to offer a dedicated public cloud environment designed to meet the distinct needs of U.S. state, local and federal government agencies. This announcement comes on the heels of last week’s FedRAMP JAB P-ATO for Windows Azure, adding to rapidly accruing momentum showcasing Windows Azure’s leadership in government and cloud security.

• Enterprise-grade identity and access, for free. Last week we posted a blog highlighting Azure AD momentum. In addition, this month Microsoft will begin providing all Windows Azure customers enterprise-grade identity and access with Windows Azure Active Directory, providing a highly secure log-in experience and improved administrator capabilities for cloud applications. Every Azure subscriber will get a tenant for free, and multiple directories can be created under a tenant for maximum efficiency and scale.

Today’s announcements all support our Cloud OS vision, offering our customers consistency across environments and the ability to choose from a variety of clouds – Azure, service provider clouds, or their own data centers.  This provides a flexible, simple approach which no other cloud provider in the industry can match. And with more than half of the Fortune 500 using Azure, and a growth rate 2 times the speed of the market, it’s clear that demand for this unique approach continues to rise.

If you need a Windows Azure subscription, here is the link for a free trial.

I’ve seen several articles talking about the Surface “Blade” concepts. I truly believe this is a great innovation on Microsoft’s part. The possibilities are truly endless. I truly believe the Surface is the best tablet for those who want a device that can be used for work, play and entertainment. Having different “Blades” as accessories depending on your needs is an innovative feature in this new world. Different industries and profession would have different needs over consumers. What “Blades” do you think are needed by consumers or the enterprise?
Here are some of the ideas for “Blades” I have:

• Hand scanner – Does the police force still need to take finger prints with messy ink? I don’t think they do. Have a blade where officers can take a hand-print when making an arrest to see what information can be obtained from the systems about the offender. The hard copies could be printed out later if necessary. I’m sure there is other potential things law enforcement could have built into a blade.
• Portable POS – I can see restaurants having the waiters/waitresses use them to take orders and swipe credit-cards right at the table. No more worrying about what may happen to your credit card when the waiter/waitress doesn’t come back for a while. Maybe they even have the system attach to the table some how.
• Game systems at bars – I’m sure if you ever been to a sport’s bar style restaurant you seen the portable game systems like Buzztime. Rather then wasting as many TVs for the games, have everything show up on the tablet with specific controls on the blade geared towards the games.
• Wireless charger – When your Surface is plugged in to charge, maybe you could have a blade that could be used as a wireless charger for your other devices. Maybe even have a blade that is a solar panel to charge the Surface while your on the go.
• Medical equipment – Imagine blades that could break into separate pieces. One section could be bendable and wrapped around someone arm to take their blood-pressure and send the information back to the Surface.  A blade with a writing pad so doctor’s and nurses can take notes. Blades designed for specific diagnostics equipment.

What ideas do you have? What do you think of the potential of “Blades”?

Earlier today Scott Guthrie let everyone know about the new improvements to Windows Azure. Below is the bullet list straight from Scott’s blog.

This week we released some great updates to Windows Azure.  These new capabilities include:

• Compute: New 2-CPU Core 14 GB RAM instance option
• Virtual Machines: Support for Oracle Software Images, Management Operations on Stopped VMs
• Active Directory: Richer Directory Management and General Availability of Multi-Factor Authentication Support
• Spending Limit: Reset your Spending Limit, Virtual Machines are no longer deleted if it is hit
• Storage: New Storage Client Library 2.1 Released
• Web Sites: IP and Domain Restriction Now Supported

All of these improvements are now available to use immediately.

For me the Spending Limit change is a key feature on MSDN subscriptions. I have several speaking engagements a year where I talk about and demo different Windows Azure features. On several subscriptions in the past, I’ve had to remove the spending limit. If I remove the spending limit to conduct a demo, I no longer have to worry as much if I forget to tear-down the temporary services I created. I can now set it to re-enable my spending limit for the next billing cycle. So I will have to pay for any overages for the current billing cycle.
Another great feature related to the spending limit is that your VMs will no longer be deleted. Previously the VMs would have been deleted. Now the VMs are de-provisioned and stopped once you reach your spending limit.
For more details about the recent changes check out Scott’s post. I invite you to give Windows Azure a try. If you need a Windows Azure subscription, here is the link for a free trial.

Microsoft announced today that the Power BI for Office 365 preview has been updated. One of my colleagues, Andrew Tegethoff, previously mentioned the compelling features in a previous post. The features were not all available in the preview at the time of the earlier posting. They have added natural language search with Q&A, as well as made several improvements to Power Map and Power Query.

From today’s announcement found here, on the Q&A feature

Search-driven data visualization with Q&A
One of the Power BI features users have been most interested in is Q&A, which takes enterprise data search and exploration to a whole new level. With Q&A, we looked at how consumers experienced Bing search and used that knowledge to enable customers to query their enterprise data and generate stunning visual results. The search experience is instantaneous and uses natural language query – Q&A interprets the question the user is asking and serves up the correct interactive chart or graph. We’ve received great responses from customers who have tested this capability and look forward to hearing what you think. To see Q&A in action, check out this video:

Bringing big data to a billion users
Power BI for Office 365 is just one way we are delivering on our vision to enable the broadest set of people to gain actionable insights from big data, at any time and from anywhere. With Power BI we are providing access to powerful business analytics tools, built into our existing products including Excel and Office 365 to make data analysis engaging and impactful.
To learn more and register for the preview visit www.powerbi.com. You can also download Power Map and Power Query along with sample datasets on the Power BI add-in Getting Started page. To see Power BI for Office 365 in action, check out this demonstration.

A little over a month ago I had a post about Windows Azure supporting Java and Oracle. I had mentioned that pre-configured options should become available. That day is now upon us. There is several pre-configured options for Java, Oracle Database, and Oracle WebLogic Server. Not just on Windows operating systems either, there is a few pre-configured options for Linux as well.


From today’s announcement on the Windows Azure blog:

Building on the recent announcement of strategic partnership between Microsoft and Oracle; today we are making a number of popular Oracle software configurations available through the Windows Azure image gallery.  Effective immediately, customers can deploy pre-configured virtual machine images running various combinations of Oracle Database, Oracle WebLogic Server, and Java Platform SE on Windows Server, with licenses for the Oracle software included. During the preview, these images are offered for no additional charge beyond the regular compute costs. After the preview period ends, Oracle images will be billed based on the total number of minutes VMs run in a month; details on the VM pricing to be announced at a later date.
These ready-to-deploy images enable rapid provisioning of cost-effective cloud environments for development and testing as well as easy scaling of enterprise Oracle applications. With Oracle license mobility, existing customers who are licensed on Oracle software can now deploy on Windows Azure and take advantage of powerful management features, cross-platform tools and automation capabilities.
Additionally, Oracle now offers Oracle Linux, Oracle Linux with Oracle Database, and Oracle Linux with WebLogic Server in the Windows Azure image gallery for customers who are licensed to use these products.
To get started with Oracle on Windows Azure, visit www.windowsazure.com/oracle and the technical walk-through documentation for Oracle Images.

I invite you to give Windows Azure a try. If you need a Windows Azure subscription, here is the link for a free trial.

Microsoft  and AT&T announced today they are working together to deliver private networks for businesses to connect to Windows Azure. Windows Azure already has virtual networking capabilities.  So now customers will have multiple options for connecting on-premises to Windows Azure.
From today’s announcement found here

The new solution will use breakthrough cloud integration technology from AT&T to pair virtual private networking with Microsoft’s industry-leading Windows Azure cloud platform. Customers of the solution are expected to benefit from the enterprise-grade security of virtual private networking, with as much as 50 percent lower latency than the public Internet, and access to cloud resources from any site using almost any wired or wireless device.
“This is a game changer for businesses that have been seeking a more secure way to reap the benefits of cloud services,” said Andy Geisse, CEO, AT&T Business Solutions. “By bringing the security and performance of our virtual private network to Windows Azure, we expect to energize enterprise demand for cloud solutions.”
Enterprises continue to cite concerns about security and reliable performance in their decision to adopt cloud computing. Working together, Microsoft and AT&T will address these concerns by enabling enterprise customers to quickly and reliably connect applications and services from their own datacenters (private clouds) to the Windows Azure cloud service using the protective confines and high transmission speeds of a highly-secure virtual private network.
AT&T’s cloud integration technology, AT&T NetBond, bonds networking and computing resources together and automates functions that are often performed manually. It allows the network and compute resources to flex in tandem to support the fluctuating demands on systems that enterprise cloud users often experience throughout the year. AT&T customers are already able to take advantage of the technology with AT&T’s own cloud offers.
The new cloud solution takes advantage of the Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology underpinning AT&T’s virtual private network solution. According to independent research firm Forrester Research Inc., 70 percent of multinational enterprises have already adopted global MPLS services*, high-performance networks that make it easy to create secure, virtual links between multiple geographic locations.
“There’s no question that the time for cloud computing is now, and it’s critical we help enterprises embrace the cloud on their terms,” said Satya Nadella, executive vice president of Cloud and Enterprise for Microsoft. “Through this strategic alliance with AT&T, we can reduce the barriers to entry for cloud computing by providing a more secure and reliable connectivity option for enterprise customers, accelerating the growth of cloud computing and the rapid adoption of Windows Azure.”
AT&T serves 3.5 million business customers and is the leading provider of IP-based services to multinational corporations, providing MPLS-based IP services to 187 countries, which represent 99 percent of the world’s economy. According to independent research firm Forrester, AT&T is a global leader in managed global MPLS services.* Similarly, Microsoft is a leader in the enterprise cloud space, with more than 50 percent of the Fortune 500 using Windows Azure and an unparalleled adoption rate at nearly 1,000 customers per day.
The new integrated solution is expected to be available in first half of 2014.
* Forrester Research Inc., March 2013, “The Forrester Wave: Managed Global MPLS Services,” Q1 2013
**AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.