Tag: azure

Categories
Enterprise Tech Microsoft News

Microsoft Azure services now available via India Datacenters

Microsoft today announced the availability of Microsoft Azure services via local datacenter regions in India. As the first public cloud provider from India, Microsoft has opened three new regions – Central India in Pune, South India in Chennai, and West India in Mumbai.

Few months ago, in July 2015, Customers were able to participate in a private preview of Microsoft Azure from India datacenter. This has seen significant interest from BFSI, government departments and organisations, ISVs, ecommerce organizations and startups with participation from over 125 customers. Organizations such as Mahindra, Aditya Birla group, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Bank, BPCL, AIIMS, Fortis Healthcare, Narayana Healthcare, Apollo Hospitals, Haryana State Electronics Development Corporation, MIDC, TN ePDS, UP Power Corporation, Wipro, Infosys, Rediff, BookMyShow, Sony Corporation, NanoBi Data and Analytics, etc. have been using Microsoft local cloud services under this private preview program.

In addition to the Microsoft Azure services launching today, Office 365 services are slated for availability in October 2015, with Dynamics CRM Online services to follow in the first half of 2016.

With the local cloud services, regulated industries such as BFSI, government departments and state-owned enterprises will now be able to leverage public cloud services and be able to take advantage of local data residency. In addition, businesses that deal with large amounts of data e.g. media companies, will benefit from data replication in multiple regions within India for backup and recovery, reduced network distance, lower latency, and the option of a private connection to the cloud.

cloud

Microsoft local cloud services are well-suited for governments and businesses that already have significant investments in owned IT infrastructure.  They will now be able to extend their existing IT infrastructure and private clouds to Microsoft local (public) cloud, thereby creating compelling hybrid cloud scenarios and reducing their cost of IT operations significantly.  The impact on citizens is expected to be all the more significant as it will accelerate e-governance and roll-out of citizen services at unprecedented scale and speed by governments, thereby accelerating the governments’ Digital India and Smart Cities programs.

“The Microsoft cloud in India will transform the way computing is done in the country.  The hyper-scale cloud will empower governments, businesses and users and offer enough computing power that will support all their existing workloads. We are happy to partner with Government and businesses to make the Microsoft cloud work for India and for Indians.” – Bhaskar Pramanik, Chairman, Microsoft India. 

Microsoft local cloud services are well-suited for governments and businesses that already have significant investments in owned IT infrastructure.  They will now be able to extend their existing IT infrastructure and private clouds to Microsoft local (public) cloud, thereby creating compelling hybrid cloud scenarios and reducing their cost of IT operations significantly.

Here are some best practices and recommendations on when can you move your applications to cloud. 

The impact on citizens is expected to be all the more significant as it will accelerate e-governance and roll-out of citizen services at unprecedented scale and speed by governments, thereby accelerating the governments’ Digital India and Smart Cities programs.

In order to help organizations evaluate their path to the cloud, Microsoft published a Cloud Decision Framework  for BFSI and Government earlier this year. It is an open framework to help BFSI, government and other regulated industries to choose the right cloud model in a structured and auditable manner. The framework builds on international ISO standards and incorporates India-specific guidelines from IRDA, IDRBT and the IT Act to help organizations arrive at a cloud roadmap specific for their business needs.

Microsoft has also launched Cloud Accelerator Program along with its partners to help businesses create cloud adoption blueprints to identify applications which can move to the cloud.  More than 15 Microsoft partners including HCL, Wipro and Tech Mahindra are a part of the Cloud Accelerator Program in India.

Categories
Enterprise Tech Microsoft News

Microsoft Azure: Private Preview from India Datacenters begins in July 2015

Customers will be able to participate in the private preview of Microsoft Azure from India datacenters in July 2015, which is a key component of our Microsoft Cloud services. This will give them a head-start to run trials of their apps on Microsoft Azure from local infrastructure. With these hyper-scale datacenters, Microsoft will offer enterprise-grade cloud services from local data-centers to customers of all sizes and industries including government departments and banking and financial services. Microsoft will launch the commercial cloud services from local datacenters by the end of this year.

In addition to Microsoft Azure and Office 365, Microsoft also announced that Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online will also be available from India datacenters in the first half of 2016.

Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Cloud and Enterprise Group, said, “Building an intelligent cloud is a key Microsoft strategy for global markets, including India. We deliver the most open, complete and secure enterprise-grade cloud services.  Services from local datacenters will open infinite computing capacity for Indian government departments, banks, telecom companies and enterprises or all sizes. This will help make Digital India a reality.”

IMG_4950

 

With the availability of Microsoft’s commercial cloud service from local datacenter, public and hybrid cloud adoption will likely accelerate in India. Organisations in the country will benefit from data sovereignty, lower latency and geo redundancy with the availability of local infrastructure.

Microsoft’s cloud services in India have grown over 100 percent in revenue in the past year, and the commitment to offer locally hosted Microsoft Azure, Office 365 and CRM Online will further accelerate this. Microsoft’s locally available cloud services will open opportunities for customers across many different segments and industries including banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) companies, state-owned enterprises and government departments, to now adopt the public cloud. The services offered via the local datacenter will create new avenues for Microsoft India’s 10,000+ partner ecosystem, comprised of hosters, independent software vendors (ISVs), system integrators (SIs) and others.  It can open new possibilities in e-governance, financial inclusion, healthcare and education, and positively impact the lives of a billion people.

Categories
General Microsoft

Microsoft announce preview of DocumentDB & Azure Search

Many applications use search as the primary interaction pattern for their users. Azure Search is a search-as-a-service solution that allows developers and cloud architects to embed a sophisticated search experience into web and mobile applications without having to worry about the complexities of full-text search and without having to deploy, maintain, or manage any infrastructure.

With Azure Search, a developer can enable the power of searching data in their application, reduce the complexity around managing and tuning a search index, and get up and running quickly using familiar interfaces and a consistent platform. Offered in combinable units that include dedicated throughput and storage, Azure Search allows developers to easily set up and scale a search experience cost-effectively. As your volume of data or throughput needs change, you can scale out to meet those needs and then scale back down to reduce costs.

Azure Search is available in the Azure Preview portal. During public preview, Azure Search will be offered at a discount in all regions where the service is available. For more information, read about Azure Search on the Microsoft Data Platform Blog or visit the Azure Search webpage. For a comprehensive look at pricing for Azure Search, visit the Azure Search Pricing Details

Azure DocumentDB is a highly scalable NoSQL document database-as-a-service that offers rich query and transactional processing over schema-free data. It helps deliver configurable and reliable performance and enables rapid development. This is all through a self-managed platform and is backed by the power and reach of Azure. DocumentDB is the right solution for web and mobile applications when predictable throughput, low latency, and flexible query are key. Offered in combinable units that include dedicated throughput and storage to meet the performance and storage needs of your application, DocumentDB enables you to quickly build, grow, and scale cloud applications. It’s designed for the cloud to enable rapid development and iteration. Robust data storage, integrated transactional JavaScript processing, and rich querying are delivered using industry-standard developer technologies such as JavaScript, RESTful APIs over HTTP, and a native JSON data model. This approach empowers developers to bring their application, data, and existing knowledge to build modern web and mobile applications.

DocumentDB is available in the Azure Preview portal. During public preview, DocumentDB will be offered at a discount in all regions where the service is available. For more information, read about DocumentDB on the Microsoft Data Platform Blog or visit the DocumentDB webpage. For a comprehensive look at pricing, visit the DocumentDB Pricing Details webpage.

Courtesy: Azure emailers

Categories
General Microsoft

Microsoft Announce a brand-new Microsoft Azure Preview portal

At the Build 2014 conference, Microsoft introduced the new Microsoft Azure Preview portal and the new Basic tier of compute instances. The new Microsoft Azure Preview Portal provides a fully integrated experience that will enable customers to develop and manage an application in one place, using the platform and tools of their choice. The new portal combines all the components of a cloud application into a single development and management experience. New components include the following:

  • Simplified Resource Management – Rather than managing standalone resources such as Microsoft Azure Web Sites, Visual Studio Projects or databases, customers can now create, manage and analyze their entire application as a single resource group in a unified, customized experience, greatly reducing complexity while enabling scale. Today, the new Azure Manager is also being released through the latest Azure SDK for customers to automate their deployment and management from any client or device.

Microsoft Azure New Portal

  • Integrated billing – A new integrated billing experience enables developers and IT pros to take control of their costs and optimize their resources for maximum business advantage.
  • Gallery – A rich gallery of application and services from Microsoft and the open source community, this integrated marketplace of free and paid services enables customers to leverage the ecosystem to be more agile and productive.

Microsoft Azure New Portal Galleries

  • Visual Studio Online. Microsoft announced key enhancements through the Microsoft Azure Preview Portal, available Thursday. This includes Team Projects supporting greater agility for application lifecycle management and the lightweight editor code-named “Monaco” for modifying and committing Web project code changes without leaving Azure. Also included is Application Insights, an analytics solution that collects telemetry data such as availability, performance and usage information to track an application’s health. Visual Studio integration enables developers to surface this data from new applications with a single click.

Try your Microsoft Azure Preview Portal here

Microsoft also announced the general availability of the Web Sites Basic tier along with enhancements to the Web Sites Standard tier, Active Directory Premium, Scheduler, RA-GRS, Dynamic Routing Gateways and Point-to-Site, AutoScale, and Visual Studio Online. Read this article to know more.

Categories
General Microsoft

Basic Tier of Compute Instance, Scheduler, Autoscale and other Announcements

Microsoft Azure was an important area of focus in this year’s Build. Along with the brand new Azure Preview Portal, Microsoft also announced the general availability of the Web Sites Basic tier along with enhancements to the Web Sites Standard tier, Active Directory Premium, Scheduler, RA-GRS, Dynamic Routing Gateways and Point-to-Site, AutoScale, and Visual Studio Online. In addition, Azure Automation public preview was announced and Azure Backup pricing was reduced.

A new Basic tier of compute instances offers similar CPU and memory configurations as the Standard tier of instances, but these instances cost up to 26.67 percent less. The Basic tier doesn’t provide load-balancing and automatic scaling features, as the Standard tier does. Instances in the Basic tier are best suited for applications such as single-instance production workloads, development workloads, test servers, and batch processing, where those features might not be required. Visit the Virtual Machines Pricing Details here.

Azure Web Sites Basic tier now generally available (GA); Web Sites Basic tier, a new entry-level tier, provides support for small, medium, and large virtual machine (VM) sizes and enables you to scale up to three VM instances. The Basic tier includes 10 GB of storage and supports custom domains. SSL is available at standard rates. Advanced features like AutoScale, Backup, web jobs, and staging slots require customers to subscribe to the Standard tier. Web Sites customers using the Standard tier will now receive even more value. At no additional cost, customers can now upload and use five SNI and one IP SSL certificates with 50 GB of storage. Plus, Standard tier customers will now receive all the new advanced capabilities, including live debugging, Backup, and site slots. Standard tier instances support up to 500 websites; scale up to 10 VM instances; and offer AutoScale, which dynamically adds or removes VM instances based on actual customer traffic. Visit the Web Sites Pricing Details website here.

Azure Active Directory Premium, the Microsoft identity and access management solution for the cloud, provides synchronization with on-premises directories, single sign-on to hundreds of SaaS applications, machine learning–based security and usage reports, alerting, and Multi-Factor Authentication. Azure Active Directory Premium also empowers end users with self-service password reset, delegated group management, and a customizable environment for launching enterprise and consumer applications. It includes entitlement to Forefront Identity Manager Server and Client Access Licenses. Azure Active Directory Premium will be available for purchase through the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement volume licensing program. For more information, visit the Azure Identity and Access Management website.

All current subscribers of the Azure Active Directory Premium preview have until July 1, 2014 to decide whether they want to purchase the service. Until then, they can use all capabilities, free of charge.

Using Scheduler, you can invoke actions—such as calling HTTP/S endpoints or posting a message to a storage queue—on any schedule. With Scheduler, you create jobs in the cloud that reliably call services both inside and outside of Azure, and then run those jobs on demand, on a regularly recurring schedule, or on a designated future date. Scheduler is backed by a 99.9 percent SLA. For pricing details, visit the Scheduler website.

The new read-access service is now available as another option for geographically replicated storage accounts. As with other options, the stored content is replicated to a secondary location, but now you can have read access to the secondary location in case of a major disaster in the primary location. The secondary location is in the same region but is hundreds of miles from the primary location. To use this service, go to the Azure Management Portal, where you can enable Read-Access Geographically Redundant Storage (RA-GRS) for your storage account. You can also do this through the Azure Service Management API. Once the account is enabled, you will get the endpoint name for your secondary endpoint. You can send read requests to that secondary endpoint to read your data. In addition, you can query the endpoint to find out the replication lag for your account. Visit the Storage Pricing Details website here.

If you choose not to continue using the RA-GRS service at the new prices, you can use the Azure Management Portal to disable RA-GRS for your storage account.

Last year, Microsoft announced a feature called Dynamic Routing Gateway and Point-to-Site VPN, which supports route-based VPNs and allows you to connect individual computers to a virtual network in Azure. That feature is now generally available. The Dynamic Routing VPN Gateway in a virtual network will now have the same SLA as the Static Routing VPN Gateway. The Dynamic Routing VPN Gateway will continue to be free until May 1, 2014. Starting May 2, 2014, it will be charged at the general availability price.

In Azure, you can configure your application to automatically scale up or down to accommodate current demand, and use auto-scaling rules to minimize costs. AutoScale is now generally available for Virtual Machines, Cloud Services, Web Sites, and Mobile Services. For more information about how to use AutoScale, visit How to scale an application and How to scale web sites.

Visual Studio Online, the cloud solution that enables development teams to plan, build, and ship software across a variety of platforms is now available with a financially backed SLA. It will guide you through setting up an environment for you or your team that includes everything from hosted Git repositories and project-tracking tools, to continuous integration and deployment to Azure—all without having to install or configure a single server. For more information, visit the Visual Studio Online website.

Azure Automation allows you to automate processes for your infrastructure and application lifecycle by enabling integration, orchestration, and automation of tasks using Runbooks built on Windows PowerShell Workflow. With Automation, you can author Windows PowerShell Runbooks that integrate into other Azure services, as well as external systems you use to deliver your end to end tasks that simplify cloud management. For more information on Azure Automation, visit the Automation webpage.

There is no charge for Azure Automation during preview, and the general availability date has not yet been determined.

Effective April 1, 2014, customers will see lower prices for Backup. Backup helps you protect important server data off-site with automated backup to Azure. Now you can benefit from simple, reliable off-site data protection at a lower cost. For more information, visit the Azure Backup website.

That’s a quick wrap-up on the announcements made today w.r.t Microsoft Azure at Build Conference.

Source: Microsoft Azure Email Announcements

Categories
Enterprise Tech General Microsoft

Windows Azure gets renamed to Microsoft Azure. Will this change their Fortunes?

Microsoft re-brands Windows Azure name and plans to start calling it “Microsoft Azure”, beginning April 3, 2014. This change reflects Microsoft’s strategy and focus on Azure as the public cloud platform for customers as well as for our own services Office 365, Dynamics CRM, Bing, OneDrive, Skype, and Xbox Live.

So Everything under the Public Cloud is going to be called – Microsoft Azure.

According to Microsoft ” Our commitment to deliver an enterprise-grade cloud platform for the world’s applications is greater than ever. Today we support one of  the broadest set of operating systems, languages, and services of any public cloud—from Windows, SQL and .NET to Python, Ruby, Node.js, Java, Hadoop, Linux, and Oracle. In today’s mobile-first, cloud-first, data-powered world, customers want a public cloud platform that supports their needs—whatever they may be—and that public cloud is Microsoft Azure.”

Looks like with recent Azure Events, Microsoft is driving their forces to take the lead in talking to users, communities and companies. Not sure, if they will ever get to a well connected and integrated platform like Google, where there is a great sync between IaaS and PaaS offerings; and when they get there, I wonder, where Google would’ve reached to. It’s going to be an interesting game to watch. Amazon, you better catch up too..!

To get a Free Trail of the Windows Azure, Oops, Microsoft Azure – Click here

What’s your take on this? Does this name change really help them?

Categories
General Microsoft

News: Windows Azure Privacy Statement and Service Name Updates‏

In the coming weeks, the team at Microsoft will update the Windows Azure Service names that appear in the usage records we download. These are only name changes and our prices for Windows Azure are not impacted.

This table below summarizes the changes:

Prior Service Name New Service Name
Windows Azure Compute Cloud Services
Windows Azure Platform – All Services All Services
Windows Azure CDN CDN
Windows Azure Storage Storage
Windows Azure Traffic Manager Traffic Manager
Windows Azure Virtual Network Virtual Network
AppFabric Cache Cache
AppFabric Service Bus Service Bus
AppFabric Access Control Access Control
SQL Azure SQL Database
SQL Azure Reporting Service SQL Reporting

 

They also recently updated the Privacy Statement to provide additional information on topics important to many of our customers. The new version includes the same commitments we previously made to maintain the privacy of your personal information, while adding more detailed information. They have also created a new Windows Azure Trust Center that provides additional information about Microsoft’s security, privacy, and compliance practices.

Source: Azure emailers

Categories
General Microsoft

Integrating Azure in Office Solutions – Hands on Lab

The Windows Azure platform is a group of cloud technologies providing a specific set of services to application developers. There is Windows Azure, which provides an environment for running applications and storing data in the cloud, SQL Azure for providing relational data services in the cloud based on SQL Server, and the Windows Azure AppFabric that provides services for connecting applications running in the cloud or on premises. The hands-on lab for this module provides you with a foundation for developing Office solutions that integrate with Windows Azure.

Objective:

Provide you with a foundation for developing Office solutions that integrate with Windows Azure. In particular, you will

  • Learn how to setup your Azure development environment
  • Understand how to access the Azure Table Service for data storage
  • Learn how to call methods exposed by WFC Services on Azure

Click here for the Integrating Azure in Office Solutions Hands on Lab.

Categories
Microsoft Windows Installer, Application Compatibility and Deployments

Download Windows Azure Jump Start Training Videos

Just before the Holidays, Microsoft hosted another new and exclusive Jump Start virtual training event, this time covering the Windows Azure Platform. “Building Cloud Applications using the Windows Azure Platform” was tailored for application architects and developers interested in leveraging the cloud. We are now pleased to announce that the professional videos recorded during the online class are available on Channel 9.

What’s the high-level overview?

  • The entire course is 12 hours long.
  • Every section is about an hour length, so it’s easy for you to find just what they need.
  • Every section is led by two of the most respected authorities on Microsoft development technologies, David S. Platt (popular Microsoft Press author from Rolling Thunder Computing ) and Manu Cohen-Yashar (Professor and Senior Consultant, SELA Technical College, Tel Aviv, IS) plus their dialog and banter is quite engaging!

Where do I go for this great training?

The link to session one below will provide you with everything you need, but if you want to pick out a specific topic a link to each topic is below:

For about anything Windows Azure, including links to trial accounts, available offers, and all Windows Azure training & certification options, go to the Microsoft Learning Windows Azure Training Portal.

Who is the target audience for this training?

  • Application Architects and Developers
  • Customers and partners already building a Windows Azure pilot project or planning to migrate an application to the Windows Azure Platform
  • Companies searching for real-world answers as they consider whether or not the Windows Azure Platform fits their needs.

Also read – Windows Azure Roadmap and Announcements – Microsoft PDC 2010

Categories
Events Microsoft

Microsoft Outlines Opportunity in the Cloud and on Devices at PDC10

Today at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (PDC), Microsoft Corp. showcased how developers can build applications in the cloud to power rich, immersive device experiences. In addition to the developers in attendance at the company’s corporate campus in Redmond, Wash., the event was broadcast live over the Web, and reached more than 20,000 developers at over 200 PDC events held around the world.

During the keynote address, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Server and Tools Business President Bob Muglia showed how the company is advancing the Microsoft platform, spanning the PC, phone and cloud. Microsoft specifically highlighted the momentum of Windows Azure, Windows 7, Internet Explorer 9 and Windows Phone 7 and the opportunity for developers today and in the future.

“Microsoft is combining the power and reach of the cloud with both Web and local device experiences,” Ballmer said. “There has never been a better time for developers to bet on Microsoft.”

Microsoft also highlighted that over 70 partners — including Twitter, Facebook, and Amazon.com, representing more than two-thirds of active Web traffic are building on the capabilities in Internet Explorer 9 and HTML5. Since the launch of Internet Explorer 9 beta in September, there have been more than 10 million downloads, making it the fastest-adopted version of an Internet Explorer beta ever. The company also highlighted a growing list of companies that are betting on Windows Phone 7, including PopCap Games Inc., Intuit Inc., Amazon.com and Facebook. Further, Microsoft announced that the Windows Phone Marketplace will launch with more than 1,000 quality games and applications that extend the unique user interface and functionality of Windows Phone 7. The Windows Phone Marketplace will be open for application submission on Nov. 3.

With the capabilities in Windows Azure, Muglia showed how developers can apply their existing skills to build new types of business applications, consumer Web applications and commercial ISV offerings.

“Only Windows Azure delivers general-purpose PaaS, which gives developers the breadth of services needed to allow them to focus on their applications and not the underlying infrastructure or virtualizing machines,” Muglia said. “Imagine having all of the IT infrastructure, hardware, OS and tools you need to support an app just a few mouse clicks away — it opens up so many possibilities for developers worldwide. We are looking forward to seeing the amazing things our customers will build on our PaaS offering.”

Moving Applications to the Cloud

For existing applications, one option for customers is to move workloads to the cloud, using virtual machines to help lower traditional cost and management burdens. This can be done by cloud computing with Rackspace.com quite easily. Today Muglia announced two new Microsoft capabilities for Windows Azure to enable customers to get on the path to platform as a service (PaaS): Windows Azure Virtual Machine Role and Server Application Virtualization. Windows Azure Virtual Machine Role gives customers the ability to run an instance of Windows Server 2008 R2 running in Microsoft’s cloud, making it easier for developers to move applications to the cloud. Server Application Virtualization gives developers the ability to transfer application images to Windows Azure, harnessing the underlying management capabilities of the platform.

Enhancing and Transforming Applications in the Cloud

Microsoft announced a number of Windows Azure services that also help developers create rich cloud applications that open up new business opportunities. To enable this, Microsoft introduced the Windows Azure AppFabric Composition Model to speed the process of assembling services by providing critical application deployment and management capabilities. To better connect developers to customers, Microsoft announced the Windows Azure Marketplace including the new DataMarket (formerly “Project Dallas”), offering premium and public demographic, financial, mapping, and entertainment data and other content. Commercially available today, the marketplace features more than 35 providers currently offering data subscriptions.

Windows Azure scales to projects and businesses both large and small, including mobile applications that require an easier and lower-cost means to experiment and build prototypes. As part of Windows Azure enhancements unveiled today, Microsoft made available the Extra Small Windows Azure Instance that eases the process of development, testing and trial. Priced at $0.05 per compute hour, this new offering lowers the barrier to entry for developers who want to run smaller applications on Windows Azure.

Read more complete information about the Windows Azure road map announced at PDC, including new features and capabilities!

Delivering Cloud Connected Device Experiences With Windows 7, Internet Explorer 9 and Windows Phone 7

Ultimately, a primary role of the cloud is to deliver the best end-user experiences that span multiple devices, form factors and screens, regardless of whether people are at work, at home or at play. Microsoft gives developers the ability to treat both cloud and client applications as first-class citizens and deliver great device experiences that love the cloud. The rapid adoption of Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 9 creates new opportunities for Windows developers, especially considering that Web browsing is the No. 1 activity people do on Windows 7. The opportunity for developers to build applications for Windows has never been greater. Windows 7 topped 240 million licenses in its first year, and developers will drive a wave of new Windows applications that span different platforms through HTML and JavaScript, and run on cloud platforms such as Windows Azure.

At the PDC, Microsoft underscored its continued commitment to HTML5 and showed how developers can fuse the full hardware acceleration and site-centric design in Internet Explorer 9 to tap into the power of PC hardware, transforming their websites to feel more like native Windows applications. As part of the ongoing commitment to standards and “same mark-up” on Internet Explorer 9, the company also announced the availability of Windows Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview 6, available for download today.

The increasing power and accessibility of rich devices, combined with the ease of application development on Windows Phone 7, has driven more than half a million downloads of the free Windows Phone Developer Tools to date. Many of the same skills, languages and tools used to develop cloud applications on Windows Azure have come to Windows Phone for apps and games.

Developers tuning into the PDC online and at PDC events around the world will have access to over 100 hours of live and on-demand technical sessions and Channel 9 interviews, covering Microsoft technologies such as Windows Azure, Windows Phone 7, SharePoint, Internet Explorer 9 and Visual Studio as well as industry languages and technologies such as PHP and HTML5. PDC keynote addresses and technical sessions can be accessed at http://www.microsoftpdc.com.