New Features of Azure that make it really usefull!

With the recent release of Infrastructure Services for virtual machines and networking, the Windows Azure Cloud platform has set a new bar in maturity and sophistication against which other public cloud platforms will be measured. From cloud virtual machines networked to on-premises servers, to free web sites, to Identity Services (like Active Directory in the cloud), to Hadoop, Big Data, and a Marketplace, there are (new and old) features useful to the largest enterprise and the tiniest of hobby projects. Join us for a tour of Windows Azure platform features.

The emphasis will be on recently added features, but will also provide an overview of all features to provide sufficient context. You will leave with an appreciation of the breadth and depth of the platform, some concrete ideas on how Azure services can help your development project today (including some that are free), and general guidance on how you might plan your application architecture to leverage a future where cloud services are ubiquitous.

About the speaker.....

Bill Wilder (Principal Cloud Architect for Development Partners Software) is a hands-on developer, architect, consultant, trainer, speaker, writer, and community leader focused on helping companies and individuals succeed with the cloud using the Windows Azure Platform. Bill began working with Windows Azure when it was unveiled at the Microsoft PDC in 2008 and subsequently founded Boston Azure, the first/oldest Windows Azure user group in the world in October 2009. Bill is recognized by Microsoft as aWindows (http://mvp.microsoft.com/en-us/mvp/Bill%20Wilder-4030536) Azure MVP (http://mvp.microsoft.com/en-us/mvp/Bill%20Wilder-4030536) and an Azure Insider (https://insiders.windowsazure.com/home), and is the author of the bookCloudArchitecture Patterns, published by O’Reilly in September 2012. Bill can be found blogging at blog.codingoutloud.com (http://blog.codingoutloud.com/) and on Twitter at@codingoutloud (https://twitter.com/#!/codingoutloud). You can also check out the Boston Azure cloud user group at www.bostonazure.org (http://www.bostonazure.org/) and @bostonazure (https://twitter.com/#!/bostonazure). Got cloud questions? Feel free to reach out to Bill via www.devpartners.com (http://www.devpartners.com/).