The Azure Experience Lab

Every year ObjectSharp puts on a handful of events, and this year we are pushing hard for Azure.  Next week we have such an event geared towards ISV Developers and Business people.  ObjectSharp would like to welcome you to the Azure Experience Lab!

Windows Azure is Microsoft’s cloud operating system. Leveraging the .NET Platform, developers can easily take advantages of their skills to move their applications to the cloud.  The Azure Experience Lab is all about discovering new business opportunities and learning new technologies to leverage cloud computing for your organization and your customers.

For ISVs looking to augment their traditional software models with subscription and service models, cloud computing represents a huge growth opportunity. Join us for a day of exploration and experience with Windows Azure as we explore both the business value and the technologies available for cloud computing with Microsoft.

There are two tracks available for this event, and ideally, we recommend you include individuals in both tracks from your organization to get the most value from our Experience Lab.

  • The Business Value Track is recommended for product managers, strategic planners, CTOs, architects and other decision making leaders who evaluate strategic directions for their organization and their customers.

  • The Azure Development Track is recommended for Solution and Infrastructure Architects, Lead Developers and other technologies who evaluate technologies as part of their solution offerings.

What's Windows Azure About?
Windows Azure is Microsoft’s cloud operating system. Developing for Azure leverages your existing ASP.NET Development Experience and provides developers with on-demand compute and storage to host, scale, and manage web applications in the cloud through Microsoft® datacenters or even hybrid off/on premise hosting models. In the Experience Lab you'll learn how to develop ASP.NET Applications and Services for Cloud Computing.

We Provide
Light refreshments and a networking lunch. Attendees of the Hands-on-labs in the Azure Development Track are provided with computer equipment, labs and various technical resources.

You Provide
To get the most out of this event, we recommend those attending the Azure Development Track bring their personal or business credit card required for Azure activations as part of the hands on labs. This is required, even if you only setup for a trial period and shut down your account after the event.

When:
Monday, February 7th, 2011.
Two Learning Tracks:
Business Value of Azure - 9:00am - 5:00pm
Developing for Azure - 9:00am - 5:00pm

Where:
Azure Experience Lab
11 King Street West, Suite 1400, Toronto, ON M5H 4C7

Admission:
$99 (incl. refreshments)

Registration:
By invitation only. Please quote Invitation code XLAB02
Limited to 20 ISVs (max 2 people, 1 in each track)

8:30-9:00 Registration
9-10:15 What is Azure? All up overview and demonstration of the various services and capabilities of Windows and SQL Azure including a review of costs and benefits associated with each.
10:15-10:30 Break
  Business Value Track Azure Development Track
10:30-12:00 Fireside chat about Business Scenarios for Cloud Computing and Azure and how to unlock business value for your organization and your customers. All about Storage in Azure (including hands on lab)
12:00-1:00 Networking Lunch
1:00-2:30 Understanding, evaluating and mitigating Risks associated with Cloud Computing Building Services in Azure (including hands on lab)
2:30-2:45 Break
2:45-4:15pm Open Discussion for business discussions, individual break outs, q&a panel discussion with ObjectSharp and Microsoft Executives All about Security in Azure (including hands on labs)
4:15pm Closing Summary, Next Steps

If you are an ISV and are interested in attending, please register now!

PrairieDevCon Identity and Security Presentations on June 13th and 14th

Sometime last week I got confirmation that my sessions were accepted for PrairieDevCon!  The schedule has not yet been announced, but here are the two sessions I will be presenting:

Changing the Identity Game with the Windows Identity Foundation

Identity is a tricky thing to manage. These days every application requires some knowledge of the user, which inevitably requires users to log in and out of the applications to prove they are who they are as well as requiring the application to keep record of the accounts. There is a fundamental shift in the way we manage these users and their accounts in a Claims Based world. The Windows Identity Foundation builds on top of a Claim based architecture and helps solve some real world problems. This session will be a discussion on Claims as well as how WIF fits into the mix.
Track: Microsoft, Security
Style: Lecture
Speaker: Steve Syfuhs

Building a Security Token Service In the Time It Takes to Brew a Pot of Coffee

One of the fundamental pieces of a Claims Based Authentication model is the Security Token Service. Using the Windows Identity Framework it is deceivingly simple to build one, so in this session we will.
Track: Microsoft, Security
Style: Lecture
Speaker: Steve Syfuhs

What is PrairieDevCon?

The Prairie Developer Conference is the conference event for software professionals in the Canadian prairies!

Featuring more than 30 presenters, over 60 sessions, and including session styles such as hands-on coding, panel discussions, and lectures, Prairie Developer Conference is an exceptional learning opportunity!
Register for our June 2011 event today!

Okay, how much $$$?

Register early and take advantage of Early Bird pricing!
Get 50% off the post-conference price when you bundle it with your conference registration!

Conference Conference +
Post-Conf Workshop
Bundle
Until February 28 $299.99 $449.99
Until March 31 $399.99 $549.99
Until April 30 $499.99 $649.99
May and June $599.99 $749.99
Post-Conference Workshop Only $299.99

For more information check out the registration section.

Vote for my Mix 2011 Session on Identity!

Mix 2011 has opened voting for public session submissions, and I submitted one!  Here is the abstract:

Identity Bests – Managing User Identity in the new Decade

Presenter: Steve Syfuhs

Identity is a tricky thing to manage. These days every website requires some knowledge of the user, which inevitably requires users to log in to identify themselves. Over the next few years we will start seeing a shift toward a centralized identity model removing the need to manage users and their credentials for each website. This session will cover the fundamentals of Claims Based Authentication using the Windows Identity Foundation and how you can easily manage user identities across multiple websites as well across organizational boundaries.

If you think this session should be presented please vote: http://live.visitmix.com/OpenCall/Vote/Session/182.

(Please vote even if you don’t! Winking smile)

SharePoint Summit Token Conference Advertisement

Got an email the other day with a bunch of pictures to stick into my email signature, website, blog, slide decks, and etc for the SharePoint Summit in 2011 here in Toronto.  Since I’m content with the size of my signature, have no access to modify this website’s layout, and will never remember to stick them into any of my slide decks, here they are Smile

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Please go visit the site, see if you are interested in any of the presentations, and if you are, go!  It’ll be well worth the cost!

Minor Change to TechDays Presentation

Just a quick update to let everyone know that Miguel Carrasco and I are switching sessions so he can get back home for a prior engagement.  As such, I will now be doing OPT315: Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Tips and Tricks. This session is on the 2nd day at 3:40pm - 4:45pm.

Managing Identity in SharePoint

Yet another presentation on the docket!  I submitted an abstract to SharePoint Summit 2011 and they accepted!  I will be presenting on SharePoint and how it manages Identity.  More specifically, how SharePoint 2010 uses WIF to handle Claims based authentication and Federation.

Here are the details

Event: SharePoint Summit 2011, January 31st 2011 – February 2nd, 2011

When: 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. February 1st, 2011

Where: Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto

Abstract: Managing identities within an organization is relatively easy. However, as business changes, we need to be able to adapt quickly. Identity is something that often gets overlooked in adaptation. In this session we will discuss the Windows Identity Foundation and how SharePoint uses it to adapt easily to change.

Link: http://www.sharepointsummit2011.com/Toronto/conference_day2.htm#session_7_3

Changing the Identity Game with the Windows Identity Foundation

Similar to the TVBUG presentation, I will be presenting on the Windows Identity Foundation to the Metro Toronto .NET User Group.

Here are the details:

When: November 10th, 2010

Where: KPMG, 333 Bay Street, 10th Floor, Toronto

Abstract: Identity is a tricky thing to manage. These days every application requires some knowledge of the user, which inevitably requires users to log in and out of the applications to prove they are who they are as well as requiring the application to keep record of the accounts. With the Windows Identity Foundation, built on top of a Claims-based architecture, there is a fundamental shift in the way we manage these users and their accounts. In this presentation we will take a look at the why's and dig into the how's of the Windows Identity Foundation by building an Identity aware application from scratch.

Presenting a TechDays Local Flavours Track Session!

Earlier this morning I got an email from John Bristowe congratulating me on being selected to present a session for the local flavours track at TechDays in Toronto!  This bumps up my count to 2.  Needless to say I am REALLY excited.

I was a little disappointed to find out there weren’t any sessions on the Windows Identity Foundation, so that just meant I had to submit my own to the local flavours track…and they accepted it!  Here are the details:

October 27, 3:40 PM to 4:45 PM

Breakout | LFT330: Windows Identity Foundation Simplified: All the Scary Things Made Un-Scary

The Windows Identity Foundation helps simplify user access for developers by externalizing user access from applications via claims and reducing development effort with pre-built security logic and integrated .NET tools. This presentation is an intimate discussion on the basics of the Windows Identity Foundation and its claims model. In this session, you’ll learn how to refactor an existing sample set of applications to use WIF, to connect identities to the Cloud, and to remove the burden of managing multiple disparate user stores.

Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre - South Building (255 Front Street West, Toronto)

Room: TBA

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Presentation: Changing the Identity Game with the Windows Identity Foundation

Rob Windsor and TVBUG are letting me present on November 8th on Claims-Based Authentication and Identification.  Here are the details:

Location: Room 1, Library, 2nd floor, North York Public Library

Date: Monday, November 8, 2010

Time:
6:30 to 6:50 (Pizza - Meet and Greet)
6:50 to 7:00 (Group Business)
7:00 to 9:00 (Presentation)

Topic: Changing the Identity Game with the Windows Identity Foundation

Abstract: Identity is a tricky thing to manage. These days every application requires some knowledge of the user, which inevitably requires users to log in and out of the applications to prove they are who they are as well as keep a record of their accounts. With the Windows Identity Foundation, there is a fundamental shift in the way we manage these users and their accounts. In this presentation we will take a look at the why's and dig into the how's of the Windows Identity Foundation by building an Identity aware application from scratch.

Directions

All TVBUG meetings are held at the North York Public Library or North York Memorial Hall. Both are located in the same building at Yonge Street and Park Home Avenue (North of the 401 between Sheppard and Finch across from Empress Walk). If you are taking the Subway get off at the North York Centre Station. The library meeting rooms are on the 2nd Floor. Memorial Hall meeting rooms are on the Concourse Level near the food court.

Techdays 2010 Presentation: Build Websites Fast with Visual Studio 2010

Joey Devilla has graciously offered me the opportunity to present at Techdays in Toronto this year!  The Toronto event is October 27th-28th.

Here is the session abstract:

DEV355: Build Web Sites Fast with Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 (click for more information)

Day 1 - 1:00pm - 2:05pm

Learn about the new Web developer innovations in Visual Studio 2010. Visual Studio 2010 makes development of standards-based Web sites better than ever with new support for CSS 2, HTML code snippets, powerful dynamic Intellisense for Javascript, and more! Visual Studio 2010 also makes it easy to deploy applications from development to test and production environments with new support for Web Configuration Transforms and integration with the IIS Web Deployment Tool.

For more details:

*Early Bird discount ($349.99 + taxes) expires on September 16, 2010.
Toronto October 27-28, 2010
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
255 Front Street West
Toronto ON M5V 2W6

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