AzureFest Wrap-up.

Cory [SyntaxC4] Fowler

Developer Profile
Cory Fowler refers to himself as a ‘Developer as a Service’. He is a Technology Community Leader, Mentor and Speaker that enjoys sharing his passion for Software Development with others. Cory has been awarded with a Microsoft MVP award for his Focus on Windows Azure (Microsoft’s Cloud Computing Platform). Even with his head in the Clouds, Cory finds himself developing a wide range of Solutions including but not limited to Websites (with ASP.NET MVC & Silverlight), Windows Phone 7 Applications (with Silverlight & XNA) and other solutions using the C# Programming Language.

Undoubtedly by now you have heard of AzureFest, with any luck you have been out to one of the events [if you live in the GTA]. For the rest of you, that haven’t been able to experience the event, I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce you to what AzureFest is and why you might be interested in the event itself.

Windows Azure Data Center Locations

What is AzureFest?

At it’s core AzureFest is a talk that focuses on a few barriers to Windows Azure Adoption including Pricing, Registration, Platform Confusion and Coding/Deployment. This is not your Grandma’s Windows Azure Presentation, It includes both a lecture and a hands on component which is rare for a Community Event.

Why Talk Pricing?

Simple, pricing is the first question that I get asked at the end of every presentation that I’ve done to date, so why not talk about it first?  Pricing goes hand-in-hand with the Platform, which means not only do you get to understand what the Windows Azure Platform consists of, but you also get an understanding of what it will cost as well. Finally, It would be rather irresponsible not to talk about the costs of Windows Azure when the first Hands-on-Lab is a walkthrough of the registration process.

What Will I Learn?

Besides the Overview of the Platform and the Pricing Strategies, each attendee who participates in the Labs will learn:

  • How to Register for a Windows Azure Platform Subscription
  • How to Create, Manage, Configure and Leverage a SQL Azure Database
  • How to Create and Configure a Windows Azure Storage Service Account
  • How to Create & Deploy a Project to Windows Azure Compute

Attendees will also learn some of the gotcha’s around the Tool Installation/Configuration Process and some strategies on how to debug your cloud based solutions both on premise [using the Compute Emulator] and “In The Cloud”.

Windows Azure CDN Locations

Bonus… We’re giving it away!

In the spirit of growing adoption of the Windows Azure Platform within Canada [or any country for that matter], ObjectSharp is releasing the content as an Open Source Presentation. This means it is FREE for anyone to download, learn and/or deliver.

If you are interested in doing an AzureFest presentation in your area, download the Resources for AzureFest. The resources include:

  • An AzureFest Slide Deck
  • Hands-on-Lab Kit [Ready to deploy cspkg and cscfg files]
  • Modified NerdDinner Source Code for Hands-on-Lab

If you have specific questions about delivering an AzureFest presentation, or need clarification on the content, please direct your questions to me via twitter.